DISASTER PLANNING

Organizations to Help

     For the professional or student just being introduced to the topic of conservation, the Northeast Documents Conservation Center’s “Preservation 101” at http://www.nedcc.org/p101cs/p101wel.htm  is invaluable.  It is a static online course that is chock full of basic information, made more attractived with the liberal inclusion of graphics.  Each of eight lessons also includes a self-testing quiz, an assignment, a list of printed resources that are linked online if possible, and a list of online resources.  It could qualify as a course for credit and should probably be mandatory for any library director.

     The NEDCC has personnel and equipment that can be used in preservation or reprographic efforts with a brief FAQ section focusing on the scope, the cost, and how to ship items to them.  The organization also offers workshops on six different topics.  They publish a preservation manual that is available online or can be purchased in bound form as well as a handbook for digital preservation projects.  Leaflets are also available that include only specific sections of each publication, as well as a few other topics.  The NEDCC also publishes a newsletter and recommends a few publications available elsewhere.  For a daily fee and travel expenses, an institution can have the NEDCC personnel make collection-specific preservation recommendations at one of three levels.  There is an extensive list of supplier information and links, and a list of selected Internet resources, although for the latter, the lists in “Preservation 101” are much more complete.  Free telephone consultation with NEDCC personnel is available if a disaster occurs.  Finally, there is a list of national, state (though this is limited to a few states in the northeast U.S.), and private funding sources, as well as links to a few places where one can find tips on grant writing.

     The very first lesson in the NEDCC’s “Preservation 101” lists the Conservation Online (CoOL) site as “the place to start for preservation information and links to preservation Web sites,” and I would agree. The homepage is http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/, and a portion of the site will be used for the disaster plan portion of this assignment.  Various institutions have provided information, presentations, or mirrors of their website for the CoOL collection.  In terms of good ongoing practices to keep library materials in good condition, a PowerPoint presentation developed by Loyola Marymount University at http://cpc.stanford.edu/ppt/amodeo/index_files/frame.htm and aimed at library student workers seems valuable.  Proper procedures for circulation clerks are addressed, and this is a topic that was not included in other the presentations that I examined.  Another presentation developed by Northwestern University at http://staffweb.library.northwestern.edu/preservation/chlm/ is designed so that it can be shown to either staff or patrons.  The shelving information is not as complete at a site developed by the Book Repair and Pamphlet Binding Unit at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) at http://door.library.uiuc.edu/preserve/, but the site has greater breadth and a great deal of depth in some areas complete with photographs.  It includes extensive binding information, very specific information on how to handle wet books, plus tips on the use of routine vacuuming to extend book life, and common materials that damage books. 

     The CoOL site also includes a directory of people involved professionally with the conservation of museum, library, and archive materials as well as lists of for-profit and not-for-profit suppliers that can be used.  Another locating tool is provided by the author index of materials that are included in the CoOL collection.  Access to numerous topical listserv archives is provided, as well as an author index for these listservs.  Last, but far from least, the CoOL homepage lists over twenty conservation topics, and each of those pages has long lists of appropriate links, most of them annotated.  Items aimed at preservation concerns of the general public are even included. To explore everything in the CoOL collection, it would take weeks, and if one still didn’t have enough, there is a huge list of other conservations sites that are not included in the CoOL collection.  Even more extensive reading could be guided by the long list of topical bibliographies. The CoOL site certainly appears to be a major one to use for study and information on the topics of conservation and disaster planning.

     The Library of Congress Preservation site at http://www.loc.gov/preserv/ is also a source of information.  There is a brief FAQ section and a link to the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) for the purpose of locating a conservator.  This source at http://aic.stanford.edu/select/select.html offers advice on choosing a conservator plus a geographical locator, and as such would be invaluable in finding someone to use for consultation or in an emergency.  The LC site also includes links to several different sources for locating an appraiser or estimating the value of a book.  These might help a professional avoid discarding something with high intrinsic value.

     Also at the LC site one can peruse multiple topic areas on the methods used for preservation at the Library of Congress.  Another section and the sub-topics within it provide information to professionals that would apply to their own collections.  Information on preserving Asian bindings for example might not be found elsewhere.  One complaint I have about the LC site is that it is obviously authored by many people so that one is not sure how complete the information will be without examining each section.  I would say most are overly concise, although they usually offer a few additional references on the topic plus an organization to contact.  The section on preserving newspapers is full of information, but perhaps overly verbose in its essay style.  Only the last of the eleven sections, entitled  “Cylinder, Disc, and Tape Care in a Nutshell” is particularly will organized and of probable stand alone value.  The LC site also does not include photographs, which can be very helpful in understanding processes.  I would for example prefer the UCIC site on drying mentioned previously for its visual information, but it is true that the LC site includes more information on how to handle mold.

     There are multiple other sources that would be helpful in developing a knowledge base and a disaster plan.  One I found in cache form only using Google, and decided to save, was a seemingly carefully selected resource list prepared by Stephen Hensen and Mary M. Finley.  The title is “Disaster Planning for Libraries: Selected Resources” and original URL was http://library.csun.edu/mfinley/fdcread.html.  From the Library of Congress site, for example, they only reference the “Emergency Drying Procedures”, and from the NEDCC site they only pull the “Disaster Planning” and “Emergency Salvage of Wet Books and Records” leaflets.  A link to the complete CoOL website is provided, but the authors point specifically only to a specific page on water damage and a second on mold.  A third CoOL page, a valuable recovery chart, actually appears under the AIC listing.  The authors list five books, seven conference proceedings, 22 articles, three government publications (one available online), a chart, and ten Internet resources beyond those I have already mentioned.  The list was created in October of 2001, and checked for link rot in August of 2002.  Though the document itself seems not to be currently available on the Internet except in a Google cache, most of the links still work and the other references certainly remain viable.

    As a more concise resource list than the vast array available at CoOL, Hensen and Finley’s work provides a valuable timesaver for busy librarians. For example, they list a FEMA resource at http://www.fema.gov/disasters/ and USGS seismic information would provide evidence for which particular kinds of natural disasters a given location should be prepared.  The latter source it quite technical however.  The AIC disaster response checklist at http://aic.stanford.edu/disaster/emrgncy.html could be very helpful as a model and the SEFLIN organization provides several disaster plans for that purpose at http://seflin.org/preserv/bclplan.html and http://seflin.org/preserv/intplans.html.  The SOLINET Preservation Services website at http://www.solinet.net/preservation/preservation_home.cfm provides much information including free materials that can be acquired or borrowed.  Finally, a Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Manual developed by the Western New York Library and available at http://www.wnylrc.org/pub/disman.htm includes both resources and worksheets to use in developing a disaster plan and/or checking its completeness.  

     The San Diego/Imperial County Libraries Disaster Response Network (SILDRN) website at http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/sildrn/, which is referenced on the CoOL site, is also a particularly good resource in that it provides a model of a cooperative disaster response system between multiple libraries and in that it includes a public library system and some smaller college libraries.  As I am most likely going into public libraries it was nice to find something which was not totally focused on large academic libraries.

     It should be noted that to be adequately prepared for an emergency, information on a variety of issues should be studied and understood in advance by directors and department heads, and the essentials communicated to staff.  Internet access may not be available in a disaster and therefore clear and concise information needs to be gathered or developed in print form to be ready for quick reference in an emergency and to be used for providing volunteers with the information they need.  Therefore if I were an administrator, I would be perusing the information at these sites with an eye to transforming the best combination I could find into a print manual.  Since the inclusion of photos is very helpful, I would have a preference for information that contains them as well as textual description.

Disaster Plan

     As required by the assignment, I examined the disaster plans linked through http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/disasters/plans/.  I think it unfortunate that none of them are public library plans.  Because they are from large academic libraries, quite a few are overly complicated and contain too much that would have to be edited in order to create a public library plan, which is what I wanted to do. However, I have to admit that I was not particularly successful in locating public library disaster plans in other locations either. I first narrowed it down to the plans from the university libraries at Harvard, UC Davis, Indiana University, and the University of Maryland.

     The four plans each has some impressive pieces, and any of them could have served as a template.  Harvard has what I think is the best web presentation, but as I stated earlier, the most important presentation would be in print because multiple copies and locations would assure availability in an emergency in which the power was out, and team leaders/members could also carry just the components that applied to their responsibilities.  In the last analysis, I went with the University of Maryland’s plan mostly because it began with immediate response information rather than just a table of contents.  It was easy to translate it into a print presentation in which this would appear first, and also be prominently posted in various locations as a stand-alone piece.  However, I also wanted to include pieces from the other plans that I thought important, but that didn’t appear in the UM plan.

     First I would like to address prevention, which the UM plan does not address, probably because they consider it a separate piece.  Certainly to bury it in the back of a response plan is illogical.  Therefore my disaster plan would have two pieces.  The first would look something like this:

Disaster Prevention and Semiannual Disaster Plan Review

(The information referred to can be found in the Disaster Plan that follows and is taken for the most part from the University of Maryland plan at http://www.lib.umd.edu/TSD/PRES/disasterplan.html)

1.  Make sure that names and phone numbers on the immediate response instructions are still correct.  If changes are to be made make sure they are made on all copies.  Make sure they are still posted in all prominent locations listed.  This is located online at http://www.lib.umd.edu/TSD/PRES/disasterplan.html. (This would of course list the appropriate personnel at my library and have the appropriate URL for my library.)

2. Make sure that the names and contact information in the disaster teams and responsibilities section are still correct.  If changes are to be made make sure they are made on all copies.  This is located online at http://www.lib.umd.edu/TSD/PRES/salvageteammember.html. (see above)

3. Check that the disaster supply inventory is still intact.  The item/quantity/location list is online at http://www.lib.umd.edu/TSD/PRES/emergencysupplies.html.

    (see comment following item #1)

4. Check that the consultation firms in the disaster plan are still in business and can be contacted using the information in the disaster plan.  This list is online at http://www.lib.umd.edu/TSD/PRES/consultant.html.  (see comment following item #1)

5.  Check that the various freezing vendors are in business, contactable with the information in the disaster plan, and still able to help in an emergency at our location.  Also check with the owners of the companies that have offered emergency freezer space or milk crates are still willing to do so.  The list can be found at http://www.lib.umd.edu/TSD/PRES/freezingresource.html.  (The campus location would be removed and many of the listings would be replaced with businesses closer to my library.)

6.  Check that collection rearrangement has not made the maps in the disaster plan inaccurate.  Correct as necessary.  These can be found at http://www.lib.umd.edu/UES/mckfloor.pdf.  (These of course would be the maps of my library and would include the location of shut off valves and fire extinguishers.)

7.  Verify the operability of fire extinguishers noted on the above maps, and verify that personnel know how to use them.  Schedule a class taught by the local fire department if necessary.

8.  Have the specific personnel responsible for utility shut-off in an emergency review shut-off operation and location, as noted on the map.

9.  Upon implementation of the disaster plan and at least annually thereafter go through the prevention checklist that can be found at http://www.solinet.net/emplibfile/disasterprevention.pdf , noting any weaknesses.  Create a list of needed action and present to the Library Director and Board.  (This checklist is something I have added to the University of Maryland from the Harvard plan, but it obviously originates with SOLINET.)

10.  The Library Director is responsible for seeing that that the above review steps are performed as scheduled, and is also responsible for personally reviewing all parts of the plan not covered in them on a biannual basis.

Disaster Plan

Responding to a Disaster

(Again, except for revisions in red without parentheses, or alternate sources noted in red within parentheses, this disaster plan is based on the University of Maryland plan at http://www.lib.umd.edu/TSD/PRES/disasterplan.html.  In order to have this assignment be a reasonable length, I have not cut and pasted the entire document.  You can view them by clicking on the link if your browser is open.  Please assume that if I have not noted any changes, the document would be used in its entirety as it appears on the UM site.)

1.     Evacuate immediately if there are any possible dangers to personal safety.

2.     Report the Emergency

3.     Halt further damage.

Stop water flow, if possible. Shut off water source or divert water away from collections with plastic sheeting. Remove any collection material that is dry but is in danger of becoming wet. However, never endanger anyone’s personal safety to accomplish this.

4.     Wait until trained personnel arrive before handling damaged collection materials.

Salvage Squad leaders will assess the situation and devise the recovery strategy.

(This section would appear at the front of all copies of the full plan and would be posted prominently in multiple locations in the library.)

Disaster Response Information for Salvage Squad Members (change to “Limited Table of Contents” and add page numbers)

Detailed Procedures (The UM Plan does not have enough information about procedures about packing damaged items and shipping them elsewhere so I would add the “Pack-Out” proceudres from the Indiana Plan at http://www.indiana.edu/~libpres/plan/disaster.html#VI)
List of Squad Members (This would be ones at my library of course)
Maps (This would be of my library and would include utility shut-off and fire extinguisher locations.)
Supplies (I would cross check UM’s list with the Harvard list at http://preserve.harvard.edu/emergencies/supplies.html, adding anything that’s missing)
Freezing and Trucking Resources (I have added “and Trucking” her and would also include milk crates.  I would add local resources, preferably ones who would offer free services. Some examples are at the end of this document.)
Consultants (I would add someone closer to Washington State using the AIC locater.  Some examples are located at the end of this document.)

Further Resources on Disaster Preparedness (remove above line and indent this in line with above items.  Then indent the following two items under this and add page numbers.)

   Bibliography
Conservation On-Line

   (I would add the U.S. Naval War College Document at http://disaster.lib.msu.edu/disasterprep.pdf for additional salvage and repair information as needed.  Eventually I might add certain sections to my own Disaster Plan.)

Detailed Procedure Table of Contents

(add page numbers in print version)

(The salvage methods and procedures listed in the Indiana University Document at http://disaster.lib.msu.edu/disasterprep.pdf are good so as I had time, I would review them and incorporate anything missing into the University of Maryland document which has better organization.)

I. Immediate Response Steps

1.     Emergency Reporting Procedures

2.     Salvage Squad Leader Responsibilities ( I particularly like the responsibilities as outlined in the Indiana University document at http://disaster.lib.msu.edu/disasterprep.pdf and would consider changing these to match them.)

3.     Ensuring Safety

4.     Halting Damage

5.     Stabilizing the Environment

6.     Evaluating the Extent of the Damage

7.     Planning the Recovery Strategy

8.     Activating the Salvage Squad

II. Salvage Procedures for Paper-based Materials

1.     Priorities for Wet Paper-based Materials

2.     Handling precautions for Paper-based Materials

3.     Overview of Recovery Methods for Wet Paper-based Materials

4.     Procedures for Freezing Wet Paper-based Materials

1.     Packing Materials to be Frozen

2.     Transporting to the Loading Dock

3.     Choosing a Freezing Facility

5.     Procedures for Air Drying Wet or Damp Paper-based Materials

1.     Preparation of the Drying Site

2.     Air Drying Procedures

6.     Cleaning Books

1.     Cleaning Precautions

2.     Cleaning Procedures

III. Salvage Procedures for Photographic Materials

1.     Priorities for Photographic Materials

2.     Precautions for Photographic Materials

3.     Salvage and Recovery Procedures for Photographic Materials

1.     General

2.     Procedures for Drying Prints

3.     Procedures for Drying Cased Photographs

4.     Procedures for Drying Negatives and Transparencies

5.     Motion Picture Film

6.     Microforms

IV. Salvage Procedures for Magnetic Tape

1.     Priorities for Magnetic Tape

2.     Precautions for Magnetic Tape

3.     Salvage and Recovery Procedures for Magnetic Tape

1.     Tapes on Open Reels

2.     Tape Cassettes of Cartridges

V. Salvage Procedures for Floppy Diskettes

1.     Priorities for Floppy Diskettes

2.     Handling precautions for Floppy Diskettes

3.     Salvage and Recovery Procedures for Floppy Diskettes

VI. Salvage Procedures for Compact Disks

1.     Priorities for Compact Disks

2.     Handling precautions for Compact Disks

3.     Salvage and Recovery Procedures for Compact Disks

VII. Salvage Procedures for Phonograph Recordings

1.     Priorities for Phonograph Recordings

2.     Handling precautions for Phonograph Recordings

3.     Salvage and Recovery Procedures for Phonograph Recordings

(all of the above is good and would be kept in my plan to its complete depth – view by clicking links)

VIII. Post-Disaster Guide (this I would move to the very end)

IX. Local Information

1.     Salvage Squad List

2.     Library Emergency Telephone List

3.     Disaster Supplies  (since this is particularly good I pasted it below)

4.     Location of fire safety equipment, circuit breakers, water shut-off (this would be noted on the maps instead)

5.     Hazards Survey (Since this is not a linked document I have replaced it with the one that Harvard uses.  I do not think that I would include it in the Plan, but only in the Review document I presented first. See above.)S the most important items to hand carry out in an emergency – this was a suggestion of our text based on the plan at Loyola Marymount University.  One could use an edited form of the UC Davis form.  I would tend to move the results up to the “Immediate Response Steps” portion.)

X. Resources (Some I found in the Seattle area are listed at the end of this document)

1.     Freezing Facilities

2.     Salvage Consultants and Firms

3.     Bibliography 

(Here I would add a link to some information about dealing with the stresses on personnel and volunteers and patrons who happen to be at the library when disaster strikes taken from SILDRN http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/sildrn/cope.html.  I have cut and pasted this after the supply list, which is below.)

(As stated earlier, I would put the “After Disaster Review” here.)

(Then I would add a distribution list so that locations of all copies would be known to correct as needed.  See Harvard’s at http://preserve.harvard.edu/emergencies/distributionofcopiesform.doc)

Emergency supplies are kept in the basement of McKeldin Library West and in the 3rd floor storage hutch, located on the ramp leading to McKeldin Library East in front of the elevators. Eight cabinets containing emergency supplies are located just outside the Preservation Dept., Rm. B0217. This inventory and exact locations of all supplies are posted on the doors of each cabinet. (This would of course be changed to reflect my library and the location of these supplies within it.)

.

Strategies to help employees deal
with the emotional response to disaster

(from SILDRN http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/sildrn/cope.html)

During the crisis, professional therapists probably will not be on hand immediately, so you may be put in the position of having to deal with the emotional and physical responses of others.

After the crisis, trained therapists should be able to step in and provide group and individualized counseling to help the normal healing process, to prevent problems from occurring, and to handle any long-term counseling that may be required.

High Anxiety or Emotional Shock (these symptoms are not exhaustive)

Symptoms indicating the need for group discussion sessions and/or longer-term individualized therapy:

Children’s signs of severe anxiety may take any of the above symptoms, and any of the following regressive behaviors

Group Debriefing Phase: This is not psychological therapy, but is a group process to discuss shared fears and symptoms, a method to help the healing process.

Fact gathering: What happened? What did you do? What was your role?

Thoughts: What would you do differently?

Reactions: What emotions do you associate with the event?

Physical and emotional: Are you exhibiting any of the symptoms above which would indicate you need additional help?

Teaching of self-care: Stay in touch with friends and family, laugh, maintain proper nutrition, exercise, take breaks and go slow if needed. Make no major decisions. Avoid dependence on alcohol or pills. Use self-relaxation techniques.

Bibliography

Allen, Jon. G. Coping with Trauma: a Guide to Self-Understanding. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Press, Inc., 1995.

Everstine, Diana Sullivan and Louis Everstine. The Trauma Response: Treatment for Emotional Injury. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1993.

Mitchell, Jeffrey and H. L. P. Resnik. Emergency Response to Crisis: a Crisis Intervention Guidebook for Emergency Service Personnel. Maryland: Robert J. Brady Co., 1981.

(The following are examples of some local suppliers of services helpful in disaster planning and recovery.  I would not add them to the document until I had actually verified with the companies/individuals that service could be provided in an emergency, preferably for free or for a heavily reduced cost.)

Refrigerated and Regular Trucks, Freezer Storage, and Milk Crates

Safeway Stores, 1124 124^th NE Bellevue, WA, 425-455-6444

Associated Grocers, 3301 Norfolk, Seattle, WA, 206-762-2100

Vitamilk Dairy, 427 NE 72^nd, Seattle, 206-524-7070 (no regular trucks)

Freezer Storage Only

Cityice Cold Storage Co. Pier 91, Bldg 391, Seattle, 206-285-6500

Commercial Cold Storage, 1011 S., Mt. Vernon, 206-223-1125

Regular Trucks Only

Ballard Transfer Co, 2417 NW Market, Seattle, 206-782-6500

Evergreen Trucking and Warehouse Co., 12610 Interurban, Tukwila, 206-244-3661

 General Consulting

Susan Lunas
Eugene, OR
Tel: (541) 485-6527
Type: Professional Associate

Gudrun Aurand
Pullman, WA
Tel: (509) 334-9732
Type: Professional Associate

Planning and Recovery

Kathleen Orlenko
Santa Clara, CA
Tel: (408) 261-8278
Type: Professional Associate

Frank D. Preusser
West Hills, CA
Tel: (818) 348-0481
Type: Fellow

Teaching

Kathleen Orlenko
Santa Clara, CA
Tel: (408) 261-8278
Type: Professional Associate

Frank D. Preusser
West Hills, CA
Tel: (818) 348-0481
Type: Fellow

Debra Evans
San Francisco, CA
Tel: (415) 750-7661
Type: Fellow