Canberra, 15 March: Many communities across Queensland and NSW endured flooding and heavy rainfall which resulted in destruction and many areas being evacuated.
Lismore Library suffered severe damage including the loss of the collection and is closed.
The Library State Library of Queensland remains closed and will reopen on Monday 21 March.
Southern Cross University, Lismore campus library remains closed but Coffs Harbour and Gold Coast campus libraries are open.
The ALIA team is monitoring the ongoing situation and state managers are currently reaching out to libraries and library staff in those affected communities.
If your library has been impacted by flooding, please contact ALIA and Blue Shield Australia if you require support with your disaster recovery processes, or if we can help in any way.
If you would like to contribute to the flood relief efforts for Lismore Library, this page outlines how best to donate new and near-new books or support via a financial donation.
The BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival is also presenting a fundraising event for Lismore Library with top Australian crime writers Candice Fox, Chris Hammer and Michael Robotham chatting with crime fiction lover and ABC broadcaster Kate Evans from Radio National's Bookshelf at the State Library of NSW on 1 April. Find out more here.
More resources and information
AICCM - advice on how to protect your valuable collections during a disaster, as well as provide best practice information on rescuing items that may have been lost or damaged.
State Library of Queensland - conservation experts explain the most effective methods to salvage water damaged collections.
GIVIT – a website where individuals can fund or give those affected by the floods right now.
ALIA Disaster Planning – templates to help libraries prepare to act quickly and efficiently.
ALIA is a founder member of Blue Shield Australia, a network of committees of dedicated individuals across the world that is: ‘committed to the protection of the world’s cultural property, and is concerned with the protection of cultural and natural heritage, tangible and intangible, in the event of armed conflict, natural- or human-made disaster’.