Summer Reading 2018 Community Prize
For every participant who completes at least one level of our 2018 Summer Reading challenge, the Friends of the Arlington Public Library will donate $1 to support the recovery efforts of the University of Puerto Rico Library in Humacao, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Maria in September 2017.
The University of Puerto Rico is the main public university system in Puerto Rico, consisting of 11 campuses throughout the island.
The UPR Humacao is also the only public university on Puerto Rico’s east coast.
The library at the University of Puerto Rico, Humacao. Photo by Evelyn M. Rodríguez.
According to Professor Evelyn Milagros Rodriguez de Jesus, librarian at the UPR Humacao, they have lost “almost everything, including the reference collection, furniture and computers, and [they] need almost every kind of materials.” The American Library Association is contributing to the relief effort, donating much-needed equipment.
Among the Library’s top priorities is acquiring a humidifier. In tropical climates, it is especially crucial to control temperature and humidity to preserve delicate library and archival materials.
In October 2017, Professor Rodriguez wrote about the damage to the library and the island. As can be seen from these photos, very little permanent progress has been made since then.
