The Disaster Planning Handbook For Libraries

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.

Disaster planning might not seem a pressing concern - until disaster strikes. Recent events have reminded us that any collection or service may be at risk, and libraries and archives must have prevention and recovery measures in place. Written by academics and practitioners, drawing on firsthand experience and research worldwide, including Australia, Scandinavia and the USA, Disaster Management for Libraries and Archives reviews and explains the importance and scope of disaster management planning, and what can be done before, during and after incidents. The book begins by explaining how to develop a disaster control plan, outlining the different phases from prevention to recovery, and goes on to provide guidance on risk assessment and management methods which should underpin disaster planning. Individual chapters then focus on fire and flooding, bringing together lessons learned from recent disasters in the UK with case study material including information on prevention systems and reaction and recovery measures. A chapter on cooperative projects in the USA follows, providing examples of how collaborative partnerships and networks can be organized so that help, expertise and resources can be shared to facilitate management of disasters. The effect on people, both employees and users, must never be overlooked; this is the emphasis of the second half of the book. Research on the impact of a major library fire in Sweden forms the basis of the next chapter, which explains how the psychological impact of disasters on both staff and the local community can be managed. The following chapter describes the devastating effects on cultural institutions and their staff of war in Croatia in the early 1990s and extraordinary achievements against the odds. Ways of maintaining immediate, temporary service continuity along with planning for long-term restoration of services are exemplified by a case study of the fire at the Central Library of Norwich. Disaster Management for Libraries and Archives offers advice and insight for managers beginning to work on or reviewing disaster management within their organizations. The accounts of actual events highlight the real-life challenges faced and the effectiveness of appropriate solutions, while the guide to information sources at the end of the book signposts readers to a wealth of other useful material.

This is a guide for librarians who need to make an immediate response to a disaster or to formulate a plan and take preventive measures. The more common disasters of fires, storms, floods, construction accidents, power failures, and earthquakes which cause water damage, fire damage, or biopredation are the main consideration here. The manual discusses disaster prevention, from evaluating and upgrading the physical plant to assessment of collections, emphasizing storage. A step-by-step outline of what to include in a disaster plan covers personnel training, the availability of outside expertise and a checklist of sources and suppplies. The final chapters focus on disaster recovery and beyond, including insurance, treatment of damaged materials in various formats, and a discussion of new building ideas from a disaster prevention/recovery perspective.

Libraries are constantly at risk. Every day, many libraries and their collections are damaged by fire, flooding, high winds, power outages, and criminal behaviour. Every library needs a plan to protect its staff, sites and collections, including yours. Disaster Planning for Libraries provides a practical guide to developing a comprehensive plan for any library. Twelve chapters cover essential areas of plan development; these include an overview of the risks faced by libraries, disaster preparedness and responding to disasters, resuming operations after a disaster and assessing damage, declaring disaster and managing a crisis, cleaning up and management after a disaster and normalizing relations, staff training, testing disaster plans, and the in-house planning champion. Provides a practical approach to developing a comprehensive plan for any library, big or small Supplements technical information with interviews and case studies Includes appendices covering pandemic management, moisture control, and library security

Libraries have always played a special role in times of disaster by continuing to provide crucial information and services. The Stafford Act of 2011, a federal government directive, designates libraries as among the temporary facilities delivering essential services, making a Continuity of Operations Plan imperative for libraries. Peppered with informative first-person narratives from librarians recounting emergency situations, Halsted, Clifton, and Wilson cover such topics as: An eight-step approach to developing a risk assessment planHow to draft a one-page service continuity planInformation on how to use mobile devices and social media effectively in times of disasterSample disaster plans, along with model exercises, manuals and customizable communicationsPublished in cooperation with the Medical Library Association (MLA), this nuts-and-bolts resource will enable libraries of all kinds to do their best while planning for the worst.

On July 28, 1997, the Morgan Library at the Colorado State University experienced a flash flood that broke a wall in the library basement; the flood's sheer force twisted bookshelves and tossed books into the water. As a result, ten percent of the collection was totally destroyed, with the most serious damage to the serials collection. In all, 425,000 titles had to be reprocessed, most computers were ruined, work areas were gone, and the library couldn't open due to water, mold, and other health hazards a disaster of the largest magnitude. Edited by university library dean Alire, who oversaw the library's recovery, this handbook gives a detailed account of the disaster, as well as advice and recommendations to other libraries for coping with an emergency and its aftermath. Even though Morgan Library had a disaster plan in effect, employees discovered how many things weren't covered. They also learned how little there was in published library literature on replacing collections, accepting gifts in huge quantities, dealing with insurance companies, keeping the building secure, the difficulties (in their state) of hiring temporary help, and working with contractors. Each chapter is written by a different staff member (or pairs) and discusses the impact the disaster had on their department. How do you keep staff morale intact and how do you communicate when there are no telephones, electricity, or heating/cooling in the building? Health concerns for the safety of employees from mold are also discussed. This lengthy volume is important as it documents the severity of the disaster but also reads as a cathartic dissertation that will help the staff in the healing process as they regain control of their library. Useful lessons can be learned by large academic and public libraries thinking through their own disaster plans.

Offers instructions on writing and implementing disaster plans for libraries.

Fire, flood, earthquake, vandalism, a terrorist attack--the issues of safety measures, emergency response, and disaster recovery have now become an important part of the planning strategies for most organizations. For the information organization, such as a library, archives, or record center, this responsibility has taken on new dimensions with the proliferation of various forms of electronic media. The authors take the approach that disaster recovery planning must touch every department of an organization and that emergency response must be a carefully mapped strategy. This broad-based approach to "integrated disaster planning" explains each phase of disaster planning, with chapters covering prevention planning, protection planning, preparedness planning, response planning, and recovery planning. The authors consider collections, records, facilities, and systems and include a chapter on post-disaster planning as well. The authors also cover federal and local assistance programs and list other sources for financial assistance. Although the main thrust of the book is the protection of documents, human safety in case of disaster is stressed explicitly and implicitly throughout. Indispensible for every information organization.