Resilience in Action: SB's History of Community Response to the 1925 Earthquake and other Natural Disasters

Join local historian, Betsy Green, and Chaucer’s Books owner and former public librarian, Jen Lemberger, for an afternoon exploring the profound impact of the 1925 Earthquake on our city. You’ll hear stories about the remarkable resilience and resourcefulness of civic leaders and Santa Barbara's public librarians as they rose to the challenge in the aftermath of this devastating natural disaster. From the 1925 Earthquake to the Thomas Fire, Montecito Debris Flow in 2017/2018, Santa Barbarans have responded to disasters with remarkable strength and unity.

Betsy and Jen will each present on the following topics and a Q&A will follow. 

Program Descriptions

Betsy

We step back in time and join the New Year’s Eve celebration at the Hotel Carrillo on Dec. 31, 1925, and remember all that happened this tumultuous year. We began the year by continuing the building boom from 1924. Then, without warning, we were shaken to our knees on the morning of June 29th. There were a few casualties, but the extensive damage to the downtown area gave us the opportunity for an architectural do-over. After the quake, we picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off, and started all over again.

Jen

While many see the direct social, civic, and disaster response work that public libraries have been doing as part of “new” library services, these have been core to many libraries for decades. Folks might know of Santa Barbara Public Library’s disaster relief and programmatic response during the Thomas Fire and subsequent Montecito Debris Flow, but this was not new work for the library. After the 1925 Earthquake, librarian Francis Burns Linn and her team mobilized to find temporary housing for the library while the Central Library was being renovated and continued to provide services for the community. We’ll explore the disaster response of the Santa Barbara Public Library and how the work done was essential in times of great need.

Presenters

Betsy J. Green is the author of Way Back When: Santa Barbara in 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, and several other books about Santa Barbara history. Betsy has given (live & Zoom) presentations in Santa Barbara at the Historical Museum, the Maritime Museum, the Genealogy Society, the Yacht Club, the Woman’s Club, Rotary clubs, and other groups.

Jen Lemberger is currently co-owner of Chaucer’s Books, but she started her professional career in public health and wended her way into the public library field. She previously was the Research & Analytics Manager for Direct Relief and the Adult Programming Librarian for the Santa Barbara Public Library. During her time at SBPL she worked through the Thomas Fire, Montecito Debris Flow, and also supported COVID response with County Public Health.

Disclaimer(s):

Participants in this event may be photographed by Library staff. These photos may be used in promotional or educational publications, including in print, social media, and presentations. Please see staff if you do not consent to having your photo taken. Staff will obtain individual, signed photo releases of photographs that contain only an individual as opposed to a group.