Forwarded message: From: "Joyce E. Green" <EDU-UTAH-UMNH-GEODE/JEBGREEN> To: oakes Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 09:46:34 -700 Subject: PalAnt: Library Rescue Claudia, could you forward this to Museum-L? I'm not on the list anymore, or I'd do it myself. - - - - - - - Forwarded Message Follows - - - - - - - Date sent: Thu, 10 Jul 1997 16:56:59 -0700 From: [log in to unmask] To: [log in to unmask] Subject: PalAnt: Library Rescue Send reply to: [log in to unmask] Sent by: [log in to unmask] I am writing to let you know about an emergency situation that I believe is of great concern to the anthropological community. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this letter. My name is Noga Weinstein, and I have studied and worked at the Central American Institute of Prehistoric and Traditional Cultures at Belize for over a year. The Institute is a non-profit research and educational institution, established in 1991 and granted full recognition by the Minister of Education, Government of Belize (Education Act of 1991, Section 38). The Institute's mission is to preserve indigenous cultures through the preservation of traditional knowledge, and my time at the Institute has given me the opportunity to become involved first-hand with the important research that the Institute has been conducting in anthropology, ethnobotany, and traditional healing techniques. (For more information about the Institute, please, take a look at our website: http://world.std.com/~chacmol/ .) The Institute has the largest research and educational library in Belize, consisting of rare and out-of-print books, field notes, medicinal plant specimens, artifacts, slides and photographs of indigenous groups that have already disappeared -- an invaluable and irreplaceable resource. The recent series of rain storms and hurricanes have damaged the facility that houses the library and archives, and moisture and worms have penetrated the building. The collection is facing imminent destruction. If you would like to help with this emergency situation, please, read the letter from the Director of the Institute, below, and you will find more information about the library rescue operation. If you have any further questions, e-mail me at [log in to unmask], or call (818) 344-8516. I would be glad to send you more information about the Institute and the library emergency situation, answer any questions you may have, and listen to any suggestions you may have to offer. We are in a race against time, and need all of the help we can get. Sincerely, Noga Weinstein --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Colleague, The Central American Institute of Prehistoric and Traditional Cultures at Belize urgently needs your assistance. The Institute has the largest research and educational library in Belize, consisting of irreplaceable books, photographs, artifacts, field notes, and other archival materials. The recent rain storms and hurricanes have damaged the library and archival storage. Algae, microflora, worms, and the dense tropical moisture have penetrated our building and are rapidly destroying the collection. We estimate that in one month, one-third of the collection will be damaged; in two months, three-quarters may be beyond repair. In three months, there may be nothing left to salvage. This is a loss that the people of Belize cannot afford. Several of our staff members have returned to the United States to appeal for help in rescuing this irreplaceable resource. We have initiated a Library Rescue Operation to raise emergency funds, and urgently need your support. The Central American Institute was established under a registry charter in 1991, and granted full recognition by the Ministry of Education of the Government of Belize, in accordance with the Education Act of 1991, Section 38. The Institute is a non-profit research and educational institution, established for the purposes of promoting the preservation of ancient and traditional worldviews and materials, and to act as a center for the dissemination of knowledge and interest in the study of such cultures. The Institute aims at preserving indigenous cultures through the preservation of traditional knowledge. Now, this traditional knowledge is about to be destroyed. The Institute's library and archives contain documentation of indigenous groups that have already disappeared. If these field notes, slides, photographs, and artifacts are destroyed, there will be no way to replace them. The collection also consists of plant specimens and ethnobotanical fieldwork, documenting and exploring the medicinal value of rain forest flora. The destruction of this collection would be a great loss to all who value our planet's biodiversity, and seek new medical solutions to today's health problems. Further, the Institute's collection consists of rare and out-of-print books, providing an extremely valuable resource to ethnologists, botanists, scientists, and students alike. The Institute's collection contains priceless research and documentation about the Maya, Creole, and Garifuna populations of Belize and the neighboring regions. The collection, however, is not limited to Central America, but contains information from around the world: from South America, to the Middle East, to Siberia. Once this material is lost, this cultural and educational resource will be gone forever. The rescue will be carried out in three phases, as follows: Phase I: Salvage: Remove and Store. The collection needs to be dried, repacked, and shipped to a safe, temporary storage facility until we can rehabilitate a facility for the collection. This will require movers, customs fees, transport fees, and storage fees, totaling $60,000. Phase II: Restoration and Conservation. Professional restoration and preservation of the collection: books, field notes, plant specimens, photographs, slides, audio and video recordings, computer disk repairs. Total: $25,000 (contingent on rescue time). Phase III: Provide a safe facility for the collection. Construct safe housing for the library and archives, so that it can be brought back into circulation. Total: $55,000. Emergency Fund Goal: US $140,000. Time is of the essence. We need $60,000 now to halt the destruction, $25,000 to restore the collection, and $55,000 to bring it out of storage and back into circulation. We are appealing to foundations, corporations, research societies, institutes, individuals, and television and radio announcements to raise these funds. We need your help to disseminate this appeal to other parties within your own, as well as other related organizations and memberships, in the hopes of consolidating our efforts to rescue the Institute's research and cultural resources. We can provide documentation of our non-profit and educational status, and a detailed break-down of the allocation of funds. Further information about the Institute can be obtained on our Website at http://world.std.com/~chacmol/ . The Institute is also listed in Issue 4 of the People and Plants Handbook, published by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), UNESCO, and Royal Botanic Gardens-Kew. In these times of modernization, Westernization, and technology, traditional life is being displaced and destroyed irrevocably. It is imperative that we preserve cultural and natural resources, traditional epistemologies, and biodiversity. We appeal to you to support the Central American Institute in its drive to preserve these resources for the benefit of the developing country of Belize, as well as the global community. We all thank you for your support. Sincerely, Dr. Michael Naxon Director ************************************************************* Emergency Fund Central American Institute at Belize 8033 Sunset Blvd. Suite 2040 Los Angeles, CA 90046 818-344-8516 (Emergency Fund line) [log in to unmask] http://world.std.com/~chacmol/ Checks can be made payable to: Central American Institute. Contributions will be formally recognized by the Institute, as well as on our homepage. ************************************************************** Joyce