The 2004 and 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes: Evolving Roles and Lessons Learned for Public Libraries in Disaster Preparedness and Community Services Paul T. Jaeger Lesley A. Langa Charles R. McClure John Carlo Bertot SUMMARY. In the aftermath of the 2004 and 2005 Gulf Coast hurri- canes, public libraries played many important roles in their communi- ties, though ensuring access to vital information may have been the most critical service. This article explores the participation of public libraries in the recovery of their communities, the implications of this involvement for the place of public libraries in society, and lessons learned and Paul T. Jaeger, PhD, is Assistant Professor, College of Information Studies, the University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (E-mail: pjaeger@umd.edu). Lesley A. Langa, MA, is Research Associate, Information Institute, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 (E-mail: lesleylanga@gmail.com). Charles R. McClure, PhD, is Frances Eppes Professor and Director of the Information Institute, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 (E-mail: cmcclure@mailer. fsu.edu). John Carlo Bertot, PhD, is Professor and Associate Director of the Information Insti- tute, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 (E-mail: jbertot@fsu.edu). [Haworth co-indexing entry note]: “The 2004 and 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes: Evolving Roles and Lessons Learned for Public Libraries in Disaster Preparedness and Community Services.” Jaeger, Paul T. et al. Co-published simultaneously in Public Library Quarterly (The Haworth Information Press, an imprint of The Haworth Press, Inc.) Vol. 25, No. 3/4, 2006, pp. 199-214; and: Dealing with Natural Disasters in Libraries (ed: William Miller and Rita M. Pellen) The Haworth Information Press, an imprint of The Haworth Press, Inc., 2006, pp. 199-214. Single or multiple copies of this article are available for a fee from The Haworth Docu- ment Delivery Service [1-800-HAWORTH, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (EST). E-mail address: docdelivery@ haworthpress.com]. Available online at http://plq.haworthpress.com Ó 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1300/J118v25n03_17 199 Downloaded By: [Florida State University] At: 14:42 28 December 2010