Many things . . . a moving novel, an inspiring person or movie, a beautiful place, winning the Superbowl . . . or a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina – a seemingly insurmountable event. Yet, the people of New Orleans endure. We work together, we rebuild, we redesign, we remain inspired by our history, we relish innovation, we enjoy life, we read, we learn, we move forward.

New Orleans Public Library, like the city we serve, is also inspired, and has endured, and is growing, despite the challenges of Hurricane Katrina's forces. Today, as it has always been, NOPL is a vital part of our community, one that continues to provide quality resources that will fuel our growth as a City, as a community. Each day we at NOPL strive to be an integral, reflective part of our society, providing historic and timely resources that are needed today and will help pave our future.

Our commitment to our community can be seen in our 13 locations, with night time and weekend hours, PC and free WI-FI access, DVDs, best seller books, video games, a friendly, capable staff, an information-packed webpage that offers many helpful databases and invitations to our programs, and the City Archives, which preserves the history of New Orleans. New libraries are on the near horizon, which will provide spacious gathering areas, new technology, commercial space and everything else that makes a library our information place.

As we look to the future, as we celebrate this anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, NOPL is committed to being a place that inspires, that will help us grow and learn, and that will help us be the best we can be.