Disaster Response: A Selected Annotated Bibliography

ALA Library Fact Sheet 10

Disasters strike every area of the country, and disasters do not spare libraries. Usually there is little or no warning, and the best defense is a plan for effective response.

This fact sheet is a selective resource for libraries of all sizes and types. It contains information on organizations that can provide disaster assistance; disaster recovery resources available online; and a bibliography of print resources (some with accompanying audiovisual CD-ROM or DVD).

Information is also available on the ALA Professional Tips Wiki, on the pages for Preservation, Disaster Readiness, Disaster Response, and Pandemic Planning.

Emergency Response/Disaster Assistance

AIC-CERT (American Institute for Conservation—Collections Emergency Response Team) Rapid Response Team for Cultural Institutions (PDF). AIC-CERT responds to the needs of cultural institutions during emergencies and disasters through coordinated efforts with first responders, state agencies, vendors and the public. For 24-hour assistance, call (202) 661-8068. Learn more about this new initiative. The mission of AIC-CERT is to respond to the needs of cultural institutions during emergencies and disasters through coordinated efforts with first responders, state agencies, vendors and the public. AIC, whose full name is American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, received funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in 2007 to support an advanced training program for conservators and other museum professionals that resulted in a force of 60 "rapid responders" trained to assess damage and initiate salvage of cultural collections after a disaster has occurred.

LYRASIS' Disaster Assistance Service. Has your institution suffered a hurricane, fire, tornado, or flood? Did a pipe burst, a roof leak, or have you had a mold outbreak? LYRASIS' Disaster Assistance Service provides comprehensive information on disaster response seven days a week. Services include referrals to conservators, specialized consultants, disaster recovery companies, and specific disaster recovery advice on collection materials. Contact LYRASIS Preservation Field Services at (800) 999-8558. After hours, you will be directed to an answering service; tell the operator you need to speak with someone from Preservation Field Services. LYRASIS was created from the merger of two well-established regional library networks, PALINET and SOLINET. Both networks were major multi-state multi-type networks, PALINET in the Mid-Atlantic region and SOLINET in the Southeastern region. Post Your Status to LYRASIS' disaster wiki -- Post your status on LYRASIS' disaster wiki to let folks know if your institution has suffered damage, if you are open or closed, or, if your staff needs to evacuate the area, you can post contact information. Request Assistance -- If your library or institution has suffered significant damage and would like to request assistance, please complete and submit the form. Someone from LYRASIS Preservation Services will contact you as quickly as possible. If you are located inside the continental United States and you would like on-site assistance, we may be able to match you up with volunteers willing to help assist you in the response and recovery process.

Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) Disaster Assistance. As part of its Preservation Services program, NEDCC offers a 24/7 emergency assistance program for institutions and individuals with damaged paper-based collections. If you have a collections-threatening emergency, call (978) 470-1010, day or night, seven days a week. After Center hours, you will be referred to a second telephone number to reach a staff member. Please do NOT request disaster assistance via email, since it is not monitored 24 hours a day. NEDCC staff members are available 24 hours a day to provide telephone advice when a disaster occurs. This service is provided at no charge thanks to a grant to NEDCC from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). This service does not normally include on-site assistance. Information provided includes advice on drying wet collections and dealing with damage from fire, pests, or mold. Referrals to commercial disaster recovery service providers experienced with library and archives collections can also be provided.

Selected Disaster Response and Recovery Resources

Heritage Emergency National Task Force. Coping with Water Damage (10-min. online video).

LYRASIS (formerly SOLINET). Disaster Resources and Invasion of the Giant Mold Spore (2003).

Minnesota Historical Society. Salvage Procedures for Wet Items.

National Archives and Records Administration Preservation Programs. General Information on Drying the Environment and Wet Materials (PDF). 2009.

Walsh, Betty. Salvage Of Water-Damaged Collections: Salvage At A Glance (PDF) National Park Service Conserve O Gram January 2002 (Number 21/3).

Waters, Peter. Procedures for Salvage of Water-Damaged Materials. 1993.

Selected Bibliography

A list of books on disaster planning that may be more readily available from your local public and/or community college library than your local bookstore appears at the free, searchable online database of library catalogs from across the country, OCLC's WorldCat.org, at:
Disaster Planning for Libraries at WorldCat.org

Balloffet, Nelly and Jenny Hille. Preservation and Conservation for Libraries and Archives. Chicago: American Library Association, 2004.

As stated at the ALA Online Store: "In this book, preservation refers to steps that address the overall safekeeping of all the holdings. Conservation is used to mean hands-on treatment."—Nelly Balloffet and Jenny Hille. When materials aren’t available due to deterioration, missing pages, disconnected covers, or other problems, it can be frustrating for users and librarians alike. The answer is to provide appropriate care for the collection from the outset, while also guiding staff on making needed repairs. In Preservation and Conservation, two experts show library administrators and decision makers optimal collection preservation techniques, what it takes to set up a conservation work area, and safe ways to mount a small exhibit. In between, those responsible for repairs will find easily learned, illustrated, step-by-step instructions to repair and conserve books and documents. Appendixes include care of photographs as well as lists of suppliers, and additional resources. Using this comprehensive answer book, users will learn to extend the shelf life of collections with proper environment and housekeeping; understand priorities and recover after disasters, including fire, flood, mold and more; explain "handling basics" to customers to reduce document harm; repair books and documents using field-tested methods; and identify optimal storage for fragile or odd-sized pieces. For any library, archive, or historical society committed to getting materials back into circulation as quickly as possible, this reference offers a one-stop solution. From the issues relevant to directors to hands-on instructions for technicians, it's an excellent reference for the entire library.

Breighner, Mary and William Payton; Jeanne M. Drews, ed. The Risk and Insurance Management Manual for Libraries. Chicago: Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA, a division of ALA), 2005.

As stated at the ALA Online Store: Users will gain an essential understanding of the importance of risk management in preventing loss due from actions ranging from natural disasters to vandalism and terrorism. The Manual contains sample policies and checklists that can be use to craft the best protection for all types of libraries.

Calvi, Elise, Yvonne Carignan, Liz Dube, and Whitney Pape. Preservation Manager's Guide to Cost Analysis. Chicago: Preservation and Reformatting Section, Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, 2006.

As stated at the ALA Online Store: Why does a preservation manager need to know how to conduct a cost analysis? Those responsible for preservation activities, whether project-based or ongoing, often find themselves devoting considerable energy to the "how"-as they prepare budget requests for new activities, evaluate and report on existing operations, and work to improve efficiency and quality in production processes. In order to determine the most appropriate methods for accomplishing a particular task, one needs to understand the work in detail, be able to break it down into its component parts, and enumerate and quantify the resources required. For this reason, those responsible for managing preservation need to know how to analyze work processes and their associated costs. An understanding of cost analysis methods, coupled with a clear understanding of the activity under study, will position the preservation manager to conduct cost analyses in support of a range of management objectives, including developing work plans, production schedules, and budgets for new programs or projects (including those for external funding proposals); comparing different methods of accomplishing work (such as in-house vs. outsourced); improving productivity; reducing costs; and identifying the cost impact of improving quality.

Heritage Preservation. Field Guide to Emergency Response: A Vital Tool for Cultural Institutions - Instructional DVD Included. Washington, DC: Heritage Preservation (available for purchase from American Library Association), 2006.

As stated at the ALA Online Store: When disaster strikes, what will you do? What actually happens may be very different from what you expect. Even with a plan, you'll need clear and practical advice to help you with initial response and salvage steps. You need the Field Guide! -- Follow step-by-step instructions tailored to the scope of your emergency: what to do first, whom to call, how to prevent further damage. Form a response team to deal with multiple tasks: working with emergency responders, assessing and documenting damage, ensuring health and safety of staff, and setting up a salvage operation. Stabilize your collections with advice from professionals on handing the most common types of damage from water, mold, corrosion, pests, and other threats. A companion DVD shows you how! Customize handy checklists for your institution and find vital conservation resources.

Halsted, Deborah D., Richard P. Jasper, and Felicia M. Little. Disaster Planning: A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians with Planning Templates on CD-ROM. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2005.

As stated by the publisher: Detailed, step-by-step advice for what to do before, during, and after every kind of disaster. Written by experienced librarians who know because they’ve recovered from disasters, this important how-to helps librarians prepare for hurricanes, computer hackers, earthquakes, explosions, fires, floods, terrorist attacks, and other events too awesome to contemplate. Disaster Planning shows you how to: create a working disaster team; establish a communications strategy; develop response plans; and identify the proper relief/recovery agencies for your library. The companion CD-ROM is full of tools you can use, including: sample disaster plans, a downloadable and customizable template for creating your own disaster plan, links to disaster planning Web sites, a comprehensive directory of electronic resources and planning aids, and a disaster planning database with links to national agencies. No library, museum or archive--small or large--should be without this preparedness guide.

Kahn, Miriam. Disaster Response and Planning for Libraries, Second Edition. Chicago: ALA, 2003.

As stated at the ALA Online Store: Fire, water, mold, construction problems, power-outages—these unexpected mishaps can not only bring services to a grinding halt but can also destroy collections. How can you prepare for the unexpected? Offering quick and efficient protocols, disaster response expert Miriam Kahn comes to the rescue with a timely update of the best step-by-step, how-to guide for preparing and responding to all types of library disasters. The completely revised second edition is the most thorough guide to preventing or responding to problems big and small. With up-to-date information on prevention equipment and materials, it also provides the latest information on preparing for technology recovery. One new case study on post-9/11 recovery and one mold scenario give real-life examples of what can happen and what to do. Kahn has packed this book with 43 reproducible checklists and forms and a comprehensive list of resources. Easy to read and for all types and all sizes of libraries, Disaster Response and Planning for Libraries is a loaded toolbox that will be ready should disaster strike.

---. The Library Security and Safety Guide to Prevention, Planning, and Response. Chicago: ALA, 2007.

As stated at the ALA Online Store: Libraries need to be open and inviting, yet safe for patrons, staff, and collections. How can you ensure your library is both accessible and secure? Security planning, part of disaster response and continuous operations planning, is the key to proactively addressing potential safety issues. Look over the shoulder of disaster expert Kahn as she walks through key safety and security issues step by step. This new book outlines hands-on plans to identify potential security problems; put prevention strategies in place; create guidelines for libraries and staff in case something does happen; and minimize risk, whether to building, collections, patrons, staff, or computers. Case studies, along with 20 checklists and 10 sample policies and forms, are the basis for organizing and evaluating security plans tailored to your institution. Library administrators, building managers, special collections and preservation staff, IT managers, and facilities directors at libraries and cultural institutions of all sizes and types can easily adapt the tools. Follow these proven strategies to keep problems small and manageable, and know what to do "in case of emergency."

---. Protecting Your Library's Digital Sources: The Essential Guide to Planning and Preservation. Chicago: ALA, 2004.

As stated at the ALA Online Store: Disasters come in all shapes and sizes. Bad things can happen to good digital resources—from floods and fires to hackers and computer crashes. Both library staff and customers are dependent on costly hardware, software, and electronic collections. Electronic information may be more susceptible to problems than print. Storage issues and long-term accessibility for digital materials requiring dated or obsolete hardware often can be overlooked. Without a plan for containment and recovery, a collection or library may have to close, either temporarily or permanently. Preservation and disaster expert Kahn brings clear guidance and practical expertise to address libraries' worst-case scenarios before they happen. Providing both short- and long-term planning and preservation tips, Kahn provides critical pre-emptive advice to help you protect and preserve the right information; adapt 29 proven, all-encompassing checklists and forms that address the issues; learn from real-life experiences shared in four case studies; and keep up to date with cutting edge solutions using the comprehensive bibliography. This is the authoritative e-preservation resource for reference librarians, preservationists, archivists, and records managers who create and maintain electronic resources. Library directors and managers responsible for creating disaster plans as well as those in computer services and information technology departments will benefit from this comprehensive guide.

Thomas, Marcia L., and Anke Voss, compilers; Marcia L. Thomas, editor, for ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries). Emergency Response Planning in College Libraries. Chicago: College Library Information Packet (CLIP) Committee, College Libraries Section, Association of College and Research Libraries, 2009.

As stated at the ALA Online Store: Emergency Response Planning in College Libraries (CLIP Note #40) provides information on disaster and emergency response planning and management to assist librarians in the creation and updates of emergency response plans. This publication updates Emergency Planning and Management in College Libraries (CLIP Note # 17), with responses to a new survey and the compilation of newer plans and policies that reflect our awareness of more recent events such as Hurricane Katrina and September 11. Selected documents contain procedures for coping with a wide range of potential emergencies, from power failures to armed intruders, and a bibliography points not only to articles and books but also professionally developed web sites containing extensive documentation on current best practices. This book is suitable for community college, college, and university libraries as well as a pedagogical tool for library and information schools.

Wellheiser, Johanna G., and Jude Scott. An Ounce of Prevention: Integrated Disaster Planning for Archives, Libraries, and Record Centres, 2nd ed. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2002.

As stated by the publisher: 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.

Please send comments or suggestions for other resources to include to library@ala.org.