Raising Funds to Rebuild Haiti Libraries

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Deborah Lazar , a school librarian from the north suburbs of Chicago, is on a personal mission to raise funds for Haiti. She hopes her efforts will  build new libraries and restore old ones.

"One question people ask me, especially when they've seen pictures (of the country post-earthquake) is if the basic needs are so great, why do you focus on libraries," Lazar told the Winnetka Patch.

"First off, I believe education is empowerment, and libraries are a way of becoming educated. Most people don't have money for school, there aren't a lot of public schools in Haiti."

“Lazar said she first became aware of Haiti during a trip with the New Trier Haiti Project. The people she met on the trip stayed on her mind, and when the earthquake hit in January she felt an immediate call to action.

“She went to an American Library Association conference where she met Francoise Thybulle, the national director of Haiti's libraries. She worked with Thybulle to return to the country, and stayed with her when she visited in July.

"The issue of basic needs is huge, but at the same time it doesn't negate trying to build something sustainable, to rebuild the infrastructure, to give a sense of hope and community, and I think this is a project that can happen," she said.

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The American Library Association has a Haiti Relief Fund.  Learn more about ALA's efforts to help libraries in Haiti or donate to the fund.