Medical Library Association | Resources : Community of Caring

Community of Caring

Statements of Compassion and Support Received by the Medical Library Community

Dear Carla
The events in your country are unbelievably shocking and I am deeply saddened and wanted to express my sympathy. My heart goes out to America in this terrible tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with all who have lost loved ones or know that they are injured and to all of you in coping with the aftermath.

May you and all in MLA be given wisdom, strength and courage in the days ahead. I am honoured to be member of MLA and you are all in my thoughts.

Shane
Shane Godbolt
Head of London Library & Information Development Unit
London Department of Medical & Dental Education
20 Guilford Street
London WC1N 1DZ
Tel: 020 7692 3389 Fax: 020 7692 3393
email: sgodbolt@llidu.ac.uk

Dear Carla,
Just a short message to convey my feelings of horror and dismay after hearing what happened yesterday in the US. I hope that you were not injured, nor any of our colleagues.

My very best wishes

Christine Mme C. Deschamps, Pr�sidente de l'IFLA Biblioth�que de l'Unversit� Paris V
49, rue des Saints-P�res
75006 Paris France
T�l. et Fax : 01 45 44 95 45

Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 11:38:58 -0500
To: mla-board@mlahq.org
From: Carla Funk
(funk@mlahq.org)
Subject: More expressions of concern-long

Attached are some responses to MLA's special FOCUS from last Thursday for your information. Carol has asked us to think about ways that MLA can support its members during this time which we can discuss at the Board meeting.

Dear colleagues in the USA,
Dear Eve-Marie and Carla,

On behalf of the medical librarians in Europe, the members of EAHIL especially, I would like to express our feelings of condolences to all of you who are affected by the tragedy that took place on 11 September in New York, Washington and outside Pennsylvania.

At this very moment most of Europe will regard a 3 minute silence. The intentional killing of people must always be opposed to, terrorist acts must be prevented, a strong protest must be expressed, always and everywhere.

We think of you.
Suzanne Bakker

Dear colleagues,

Members of CHLA/ABSC and all Canadians were very shocked and saddened by the terrible events that took place this past Tuesday. It is difficult to find the words that can express the feelings that we share. Today (Friday, September 14), Canada will have a National Day of Mourning as a sign of support to our American neighbors and as a tribute to those whose lives were lost or forever changed. As well, many of our members are participating in blood donations and financial donations to the Canadian Red Cross Society.

On behalf of the Board of CHLA/ABSC, please accept our condolences and deepest sympathies. Please know that our thoughts are with you. Please share this message with our MLA colleagues. We will also be posting this message to our Association members through our listserv CANMEDLIB.

Sincerely,

Jessie McGowan President/Pr�sidente Canadian Health Libraries Association/
Association des biblioth�ques de la sant� du Canada

Colleagues,

This is one of the many things that our hospital is doing to help out. Plans are in the works to set up outside of the cafeteria next week during all meal times to accept donations for the victims and their families of Tuesdays act of terrorism. At this time, donations will be collected and sent on to GNYHA. The Greater New York Hospital Foundation has established a fund to help pay for crisis and post-traumatic stress counseling services for people affected by the disaster. "The fund is a response to overwhelming offers of support from individuals in New York and around the nation who want to know what they can do to help, as well as the recommendation of the Oklahoma Hospital Association, which established a similar fund following the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal building in April 1995," GNYHA said.

Donna J. Winkelman, MLS
Manager, Health Sciences Resource Center
Glens Falls Hospital
100 Park Street
Glens Falls, NY 12801
dwinkelman@glensfallshosp.org
518-926-1850 FAX 518-926-1943

Dear Carla
I have taken the liberty of passing your message along to the Association of Vision Science Librarians/ MLA Vision Science SIG members. Also, I thought you would be interested to know that the Lippincott, etc. conglomerate is going to match any donations to the Red Cross made by any of their staff members. My daughter, who is an assistant editor in the Springhouse division, told about this gesture of support.

I suspect that Mark Funk's factor is unfortunately very true. The brother-in-law of one of our doctor's wives is among the missing fireman and my son, who used to work in the building next to the towers, knows many people who worked there.

Judy Schaeffer Young
Director, Medical Library
Wills Eye Hospital
900 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Dear Carla,

Please accept my sincere condolences and that of Irish medical librarians on the appalling tragedy which struck New York last week. I was en route to Penang, Malaysia when I saw the devastation on TV at Heathrow Airport within fifteen minutes of boarding the London-Singapore flight. My sister had mentioned it to me during the day but until I saw it on TV I was unaware of the extent of the devastation. So, I got myself deloaded from the flight and caught the last flight back to Dublin.

You may like to know that the Irish Government held a national day of mourning on Friday last for the victims and their families. Church services were held throughout Ireland and all were packed with people. We are all praying for peace and for the families and friends of those who died in the disaster. One of our colleagues at our main teaching hospital lost her brother on one of the planes that crashed into the towers. He worked in France and had stopped off at Boston to see his friends from Trinity College Dublin who work for the Boston Chapter of the TCD Alumni Association.

My deepest personal sympathy to you and your colleagues. Beatrice
Beatrice M. Doran, BA, MBA, Dip Lib.
ALAI Librarian
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Mercer Street
Lower, Dublin 2
Ireland
Tel. 353-1-4022412 Fax. 353-1-4022457
e.mail: bdoran@rcsi.ie or bmdoran@eircom.net

Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2001 09:50:26 -0500
To: mla-board@mlahq.org
From: Carla Funk
(funk@mlahq.org)
Subject: More messages

Dear colleagues:
The President and Governing Board of IFLA and the staff at IFLA HQ, wish to express our deepest sorrow to our members and friends in the United States for the lives lost in the terrible tragedies in New York, Pittsburgh and Washington. We have all been watching and reading about the events with horror and anxiety for your welfare. We are unable to find adequate words to express our sadness, but we wish you to be assured that our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with you all. That we were with you so recently, experiencing your wonderful hospitality, makes it all the more poignant. Events such as this serve to test our resolve, as library and information professionals, to cling to our ideals of freedom of information and commitment to cultural diversity. May we find the strength to do so. We would be glad if you could ensure wide dissemination of this message, which will appear on IFLA-L.

Ross Shimmon Secretary General
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
PO Box 95312 , Prins Willem Alexanderhof 5
2509 CH THE HAGUE Netherlands
Tel: +31 70 3140884 / Fax: +31 70 3834827
Email: ross.shimmon@ifla.org
Uniting library and information services globally

Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 10:53:26 -0500
To: mla-board@mlahq.org
From: Carla Funk
(funk@mlahq.org)
Subject: More messages

Dear Carla:
I am working at home today since I do not have Internet access at the office. (MLCNY and its staff were unscathed; Verizon is under debris and water.)

From what information I have received, no New York-New Jersey Chapter, MLA member was killed or is currently missing in the attacks on the World Trade Center and their subsequent collapse. However, I do know that some members in our sister organizations, SLA-NY and LLAGNY, are currently missing and presumed dead. Words cannot express the vision this attack has visited upon those of us here in New York. I was able to watch the whole event from my apartment in Queens, and I have spent many of these past days volunteering with a small relief organization, as have many others who were fortunate enough to escape harm. Whether well-to-do or the street person who donated his last 43 cents, everyone has united to regroup and rebuild our lives and city.

The expressions of concern and kind thoughts from my fellow MLA members have been very touching. Please pass along my thanks to them as well as all of you at MLA Headquarters.

Finally, enough praise or thanks cannot be given to our Chapter members who work in the affected area or in hospitals used by the city. They have gone above and beyond the call by providing ongoing library and hospital services in the face of overwhelming odds and circumstances. They make all of us proud of our profession.

I look forward to possibly seeing you in New Haven in October.

Regards, Bill
William Self
Chair, NY-NJ Chapter
MLA Director, The Medical Library Center of New York
212-427-1630
wself@mlcny.org

Dear Colleagues
B elow are a few more messages. The last is from one of the Fellows that MLA and NLM funded to attend IFLA- Shamin is from Trinidad and Tobago.

Carla In light of the "bum rap" today's teens sometimes get for being self-centered or uninvolved, I thought I'd share one story. My daughter, Olivia, is co-leader of the Students for Social Change service activity at The Key School in Annapolis, MD. The Upper School students really wanted to do SOMETHING to help, but most of them are too young to give blood, so they looked for other ways. On Friday 9/14 the group sponsored a 1-hour bake sale at lunch and on Saturday 9/15 a 4-hour car wash at a local shopping plaza to raise money for the American Red Cross for disaster relief. Nearly all of the 200+ students in her high school participated as bakers, washers, eaters or washees. And together, these wonderful teens raised $1,966.69.

Her proud mom,
Marj
Marjorie A. Cahn,
Head National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR)
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike, Mail Stop 20
Bldg. 38A, Room 4S410
Bethesda, MD 20894 (301) 435-2242 (voice) CAHN@NLM.NIH.GOV

Hi Carla:
Even in Michigan, we have had some scares. I've been busy playing "mother" for the past week via long distance. My daughter, Dawn, who works for Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of NJ needed some extra loving...the result of just happening to look out the window of her building towards the WTC across the river and seeing the second plane as it came into view and then just kept flying straight into the building! She also lost her good friend and neighbor Elayne who worked on the 99th floor of WTC. Jack, Elayne's husband, talked with her via cell phone when she was on the 90th floor on her way out, but apparently she never made it. They had two pre-teen boys who are school mates of my grand daughters. In fact, Elayne had taken the 4 kids to school that morning, as she usually did before heading into the city.

On the good front, my cousin, whose husband works for the New York City Rescue Mission in lower Manhattan, has emailed us that though they went through some harrowing experiences, they are OK. JoAnn was on her way to mid-town for a job interview. They were told the train would be a "little late" and that they would bypass one of the stops because there was either gun fire or an explosion. She actually got to her job interview and was 5 minutes into it when they were tole to evacuate the building since they were only 3 buildings from the Port Authority. She then started walking toweard lower Manhattan to try to find Greg. She managed to walk the 3 miles before she was stopped by baracades. She said the sidewalks were full of hospital beds and triage centers were being set up. In all that chaos, she found a friend from her church, who managed to get past the police and get to the Mission. He managed to bring back an employee of the Mission who was able to get permission for her to join Greg. The Mission had opened its doors to people on the street, who came in covered with ash and debris. They were allowed to use phones to call family, take showers, and receive water and food. She pitched in and worked with people who had lost loved ones and those who received word that their family members were OK.

They were not able to leave the first night but on Wednesday managed to walk to a train that was running and to get to Brooklyn where a minister took them to Staten Island where their apartment is. Greg is still not able to return to work and won't be until the police lines are removed. Who knows how long that will be.

The hospital was under a yellow alert on Tuesday, but it was lifted that evening, so we all got to go home--with the proviso that if anything happened, we would all come back. I was very happy to retreat to the cottage for the weekend. There I had some peace away from the TV and was able to enjoy the beautiful weather which restored my soul a little. Then today, I heard from my German exchange student daughter, who sent a message of support and love. This world will go on....

Carole M. Gilbert
Providence Hospital
Helen L. DeRoy Medical Library
16001 W 9 Mile Rd
Southfield, MI 48075
Phone: (248) 424-3294 Fax: (248) 424-3201
cgilbert@providence-hospital.org

Dear Carla
How are you doing?

We are shocked and we are so far away. I would really like to express deepest sympathies over the events of Sep 11, 2001 on behalf of myself and my family. Please know that my sorrow over those lost is great and hope that your people rebound with the resilience that Americans are known for.

Yours
Shamin Renwick

Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001 10:32:50 +0800
Sender: Medical Libraries Discussion List
From: "Mayberry, Rhonda" (Rhonda.Mayberry@HEALTH.WA.GOV.AU)
Subject: Condolence Message from your Australian Colleagues

Dear US Colleagues:
Members of the Australian Library and Information Association's Health Libraries Australia group, and all Australian library colleagues, extend their deepest condolences to you following the WTC New York, Pentagon, and Pittsburg tragedies.

Australian's have been profoundly shocked by this tragic event. Not only do we pray for those Australian's killed and still missing but we pray for all victims of this terrible tragedy. Our thoughts are very much with you.

Melanie Kammermann
National President
Health Libraries Australia
Australian Library Information Association
ph. +61 2 9926 7495 fax. +61 2 9926 6292
email. melaniek@med.usyd.edu.au

Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 14:20:45 +1000
Sender: Medical Libraries Discussion List
MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
From: Titi Alexander
(titi.alexander@HEALTH.GOV.AU)
Subject: Deepest sympathy to my American colleagues

It is with great sorrow that we saw the carnage that has been caused in New York and Washington and Pennsylvania. Our thoughts are with all of you - especially as we have an American/Australian colleague in our Library. My prayers are with all of you.

Regards
Titi
Australian Dept. of Health and Aged Care Library

Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 14:51:09 +1000
Sender: Medical Libraries Discussion List
MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
From: Gillian WOOD (GWOOD@DOH.HEALTH.NSW.GOV.AU)
Subject: Re: Deepest sympathy to my American colleagues

I'm sure Titi speaks for all of us in Australian libraries, we're shocked and stunned. Our thoughts and prayers are with you,

Gillian Wood
Library Manager
NSW Health Department
LMB 961 North Sydney, 2059 NSW Australia
ph: (02) 9391 9078 fax: (02) 9391 9267 gwood@doh.health.nsw.gov.au
Re vera, cara mea, mea nil refert.

Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 12:37:00 -0500
Sender: Medical Libraries Discussion List
MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
From: Lic Angelica Navarro (anavarro@CAMPUS.MTY.ITESM.MX)
Subject: MY PRAYERS

... are with you, american citizens and to the whole world... this situation is awful, catastrophic and more..... May God be with you and the world....

Angelica Navarro
Mexico

Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 12:55:38 -0500
Sender: Medical Libraries Discussion List
MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
From: "Terry, Roseanne"
(RoseannT@BAYLORDALLAS.EDU)
Subject: Re: MY PRAYERS...

Thank you for your prayers. It is unfortunate that this disaster was man-made, as opposed to your natural ones for which you also suffer a high loss of life. My prayer is that cool heads will prevail and not allow this to escalate.

Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 13:42:20 -0500
Sender: Medical Libraries Discussion List
MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
From: Lic Angelica Navarro
(anavarro@CAMPUS.MTY.ITESM.MX)
Subject: Re: MY PRAYERS...

This kind of things takes the best and the worse of people out.... I hope most "best" gets into action....

God bless you all

Angelica

Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 15:17:06 -0300
Sender: Medical Libraries Discussion List
MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
From: "Martha M. Silveira"
(martha@SSA.SARAH.BR)
Subject: Re: MY PRAYERS...

I was astounded to hear/saw the tragedy in USA. I make Angelica's words mine.

Martha
Salvador, Bahia - BRAZIL

Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 11:40:26 +0300
Sender: Medical Libraries Discussion List
MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
From: Rivkah Frank
(rivkahfrank@HOTMAIL.COM)
Subject: PRAYERS FROM JERUSALEM

Dear U.S. Colleagues
I know that I speak for everyone in the country (and more particularly for our group of medical librarians--many of whom are "list-mates" heartfelt sorrow and sympathy for all the victims of yesterday's horrific terrorist attacks. We can only pray that as many people as possible will be rescued and restored to health. And we pray that the United States government will have the will and find the way to eradicate the scourge of terrorism from our planet--so that citizens of our global village--wherever they may be on the face of the earth--will be able to live in tranquility and peace.

Rivkah Frank
Rafa Laboratories
JERUSALEM

Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 08:10:01 +0200
Sender: Medical Libraries Discussion List
MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
From: ACKERMANS Martine
martine.ackermans@CHU-CHARLEROI.BE
Subject: Sadness

My thoughts and sympathy for all of you in America, and particularly to all those victims in NY, Washington and Pittsburgh. I can't find the words, I can't.

Martine Ackermans
Biblioth�que M�dicale/Medical Library
CHU de Charleroi H�pital V. Van Gogh - Hospital
Rue de l'H�ital 55
B-6030 Marchienne-au-Pont
Belgium
Tel 00/32/71/29.30.73
Fax 00/32/71/29.30.79

Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 09:40:18 -0400
Sender: Medical Libraries Discussion List
MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
From: "Glazer, Davida"
(glazer@ICES.ON.CA)
Subject: FW: Anne Frank on the attacks

One of our faculty who is a member of M�decins sans Fronti�res just sent this out.

Davida Glazer
Resource Centre Manager
Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES)
2075 Bayview Ave.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4N 3M5
Tel: 416 480-4055 ext. 3612 Fax: 416 480-6821

From Diary of Anne Frank

"It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can't build my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery and death.

I see the world gradually turned into a wilderness. I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too. I can feel the suffering of millions and yet, when I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again.

In the meantime, I must uphold my ideals, for perhaps the time will when I shall be able to carry them out."

David Morley
Executive Director
M�decins sans Frontires
Doctors without Borders Canada
720 Spadina Avenue
Suite # 402
Toronto, Ontario M5S 2T9

Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001 11:45:01 +0530
Sender: Medical Libraries Discussion List
MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
Subject: The tragedy

For us in India, it is like tragedy has hit home. Today, almost every one here has relatives and close friends living in America, and in almost every family someone has married an American. We take this tragedy to be ours too.

Also, we just went through the Gujarat earthquake in Jan this year, which we thought was bad, - and this seems like the same thing magnified n times.

It is heartening to see the way people are tackling things, sharing, volunteering..... and I only can say - that will all the bad, there are so many more good people. It seems impossible to explain the reason for this kind of an act, but in adversity, I hope and pray that the nation only turns stronger.

Amerca can do it, and it will.

All our prayers and thoughts............

Vasumathi Sriganesh
Director - QMed Services Pvt. Ltd.
A-3, Shubham Centre, Cardinal Gracious Rd.
Chakala, Andheri East, Bombay 400099
Ph: 91-22-8229223, Fax:91-22-8224358;
Email: vasu@qmedin.com

Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 10:37:43 +0100
Sender: Medical Libraries Discussion List
MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
From: Keith Nockels
(k.nockels@ABDN.AC.UK)
Subject: Thoughts

Dear Colleagues,
Just to add our thoughts from here - there has been much in the media here and in the rest of the UK about the dreadful happenings in New York, Washington and Pittsburgh. We looked at various web news sources yesterday here when it became apparent what was happening - it's difficult to take it in.

Our thoughts are with you all.

Keith Nockels
Site Services Manager, Medical Library
Polwarth Building, University of Aberdeen
Foresterhill, ABERDEEN AB25 2ZD
Tel. (01224) 552740 Fax (01224) 685157

Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 16:14:15 +0100
Sender: Medical Libraries Discussion List
MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
From: James Beaton
(james.beaton@RCPSGLASG.AC.UK)
Subject: Re: Thoughts

Colleagues and Medlibbers
I too would like to add my voice to the sentments expressed by Keith. These attacks were an absolute outrage, and even now unbelievable.

Take care all of you.

James Beaton
Librarian
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow 232-242 St Vincent Street
Glasgow G2 5RJ
Tel 0141 227 3204 Fax 0141 221 1804

Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2001 15:36:05 +0200
Sender: Medical Libraries Discussion List
MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
From: "THIRION, Benoit"
(Benoit.Thirion@CHU-ROUEN.FR)
Subject: US Tragedy : Declaration by the European Union

"The Council of the European Union, meeting in special session today, in the presence of the Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance, expressed its horror at yesterday's terrorist attacks in the United States. The Council stressed its complete solidarity with the government of the United States and the American people at this terrible time and extended its deepest sympathy to all the victims and their families. We ask all Europeans to observe 3 minutes of silence Friday, 14 September at 12h00 and we also declare 14 September 2001 a day of mourning."Source : http://www.eurunion.org/CouncilDecWTCPent.htm

Benoit Thirion - bibliothecaire / librarian
co-coordinateur du projet CISMeF
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire
F 76031 Rouen Cedex-FRANCE
tel +33 2 32 88 87 26 - fax +33 2 32 88 87 86

Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 14:57:51 -0300
Sender: Medical Libraries Discussion List
MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
From: Sanson Volmark
Subject: Re: Heard the news!

My deep sorrow regarding today' events.

Sanson Volmark
Buenos Aires, Argentina