November 22, 2013
Media Advisory – Mounds Library Assistance
Students, faculty and staff from Southern Illinois University Carbondale are answering the call to assist Saturday, Nov. 23, in the cleanup and repair of the Mounds Public Library after recent vandalism caused extensive damage.
A group of more than 20 people from the university will assist library officials in Mounds who reached out for help in restoring the library. Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover the community assistance effort. The group will arrive at the library, located at 418 First Street in Mounds, at about 9 a.m.
Mark Watson, associate professor and instruction librarian at SIU’s Morris Library, expects the group will likely work there throughout the day.
The vandalism included toppled library shelving and books, erased computer files, and other damage. The team from SIU will help reinstall shelving and also sort, organize and properly restock books onto the shelves.
They are also collecting donations to help the library that serves the small Ohio River community of about 1,100. Watson said the facility has a leaking roof and needs carpets cleaned and other repair work done. The Mounds library is seeking grant funding, but the group from SIU is going to bring contributions as well as labor.
For more information about the library improvement/restoration project, contact Watson at 618/453-2949, 618/967-8914 or by email at mwatson@lib.siu.edu. Donations to assist in improving the library facility may also be sent in care of Caroline Dakin, president of the municipal board, to P.O. Box 82, Mounds, Ill., 62964.