Emergency Preparedness For Libraries

Despite the volumes of information they contain, few libraries know how to prepare for, endure, and survive any type of disaster. This completely updated second edition of Emergency Preparedness for Libraries provides library management with a comprehensive guide to planning and executing emergency procedures. Emergency Preparedness for Libraries provides library personnel with detailed instructions for protecting staff, patrons, and the facilities themselves, including: Steps to take now, before disaster strikes People and procedures to include in an emergency/disaster action plan Practical ways to turn written plans into an instinctual team response Safety considerations to take into account when caring for people on-site during an emergency Information to provide to the umbrella organization and the media after a disaster Key things to do the first few days after an event Tips for getting back to business

Libraries are in a unique position to aid communities during times of adversity, and this comprehensive handbook’s practical tools and expert guidance will help ensure that your library is thoroughly prepared for emergency response and recovery. Your library is a vital information hub and resource provider every single day, and that’s doubly true when calamity strikes. In fact, your library’s role as an “essential community function” during disasters is now encoded in U.S. law. Engaging as a partner in planning and preparedness will build much-needed community support should disaster strike, and even a basic plan will also save you time and stress later on. No matter where your library is in the disaster planning cycle, this handbook will make the process clearer and less daunting. You’ll get tools, activities, easy-to-adapt templates, and hands-on guidance on such topics as the six phases of disaster response; 15 first-hand accounts of library disaster planning or responses, helping you identify the library services most needed during a disaster; three essential factors that will shape the form of your disaster plan; preparing for hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, floods, and earthquakes; ideas for connecting with your community’s emergency response teams; federal government planning resources; pointers on working with state and local governments; a sample Memorandum of Understanding to outline mutual support for a speedier recovery; recommended courses and training, many of which are free; targeted advice for archives and special collections; sample building inspection checklists; and recommended games to help children and families prepare.

Offers instructions on writing and implementing disaster plans for libraries.

When disaster strikes, school librarians can play a key role in keeping kids safe. This is the only book written specifically to provide school librarians with emergency preparedness and recovery tools as well as curricular tie-ins. No school is immune to disaster, whether in the form of a natural event like a tornado or a tragedy like the violence that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The key to minimizing injury or death in an emergency is preparedness—something the school librarian is uniquely positioned to lead. This must-have book will show you how to be proactive in getting your school ready for the worst. It provides comprehensive preparedness and recovery plans, check lists, and curricular recommendations on preparedness that can be tailored to your individual library and community. Covering natural disasters, human-made disasters, and school violence, the book shows you how to conduct drills, assess vulnerabilities and risk, communicate preparedness plans, and use bibliotherapy for disaster recovery. It also describes how your library can be a safe haven for students who feel disconnected, bullied, or otherwise disenfranchised. Although the book is primarily intended for school librarians, classroom teachers will also find many ideas here for helping students be better prepared for disasters, whatever their cause or severity.

Are you prepared? Whether you work with a special collection in a local archive or museum, in a large national library or managing records for a healthcare agency, an emergency plan is critical to your organisation’s future. Dadson draws on a decade of experience and award-winning training in this essential practical toolkit, enabling you to respond quickly and effectively to flood, fire and other emergencies. Expert advice is interwoven with cross-sectoral and international case studies drawn from high profile and smaller and medium-sized organisations offering a breadth of relevant experience and advice. Regardless of your time or cost constraints this text will outline exactly how to minimise risk, tackle real emergencies and ensure business continuity. Each chapter guides you through the essentials including: • an introduction to emergency planning in the information and heritage sectors • getting started on your plan • alarm raising and incident containment • the recovery operation • salvaging collections • critical documents such as priority lists, floorplans and disaster kits • business continuity and IT recovery • ensuring the plan’s efficacy • risk management and disaster prevention. Readership: This is the ultimate resource for all those who work with collections in libraries, archives, museums and historic houses internationally, whether large or small. It’s also an invaluable tool for records managers in companies, local authorities and healthcare agencies. Lastly it offers a concise introduction to emergency planning and response for international library and information students.

Disasters can happen without warning and cause detrimental damage to society. By planning and conducting research beforehand, businesses can more effectively aid in relief efforts. The Developing Role of Public Libraries in Emergency Management: Emerging Research and Opportunities is an essential reference source for the latest scholarly information on library engagement in official emergency response and how these institutions can offer community aid in disaster situations. Featuring extensive coverage on a number of topics such as hazard analysis, mitigation planning, and local command structure, this publication is ideally designed for academicians, researchers, and practitioners seeking current research on the role local businesses play in emergency response situations.

Libraries have always played a special role in times of disaster by continuing to provide crucial information and services.

Despite the volumes of information they contain, few libraries, whose population at any given moment is as unpredictable as the weather, know how to prepare for, endure, and survive a disaster, whether natural or man-made, and even fewer put their know-how to paper. Emergency Preparedness for Libraries provides library management with a comprehensive guide to planning and executing emergency procedures. Based, in part, on an emergency preparedness seminar the author has presented for the American Library Association, Emergency Preparedness for Libraries provides library personnel with detailed instructions for protecting staff, patrons, and the facilities themselves, including Steps to take now, before disaster strikes People and procedures to include in an emergency/disaster action plan Practical ways to turn written plans into an instinctual team response Safety considerations to take into account when caring for people on-site during an emergency Information to provide to the umbrella organization and the media after a disaster Key things to do the first few days after an event Tips for getting back to business In addition, the author examines possible scenarios and provides step-by-step solutions for all types of libraries_academic, school, public, and special_and all types of disruptions, including floods, fires, civil disturbances, and theft.