The Syracuse University Libraries’ Disaster Recovery Plan for library materials outlines procedures for salvaging a wide variety of library materials in the event of a disaster or minor emergency. We have designed this plan to help library staff cope with and recover materials from minor emergencies that typically involve 500 or less items. This resource can be downloaded in sections or as a complete manual.
The National Heritage Responders also have a collection of PDF tip sheets on the following topics: Long Term Recovery, Mold, Removing Large Paper Items from Flat Files, Drying Wet Collections and Buildings, Collections Evacuation Tip Sheet, Health and Safety for the Public Tip Sheet, and Recovery Company Tip Sheet.
The Northeast Document Conservation Center has extensive resources about proper procedures during a disaster and how to respond to situations including the following:
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.
Libraries have always played a special role in times of disaster by continuing to provide information services. The Stafford Act of 211 designates libraries as among the temporary facilities delivering essential services, so the federal government directive for a Continuity of Operations Plan for all its agencies is a planning imperative for libraries.
Fire, water, mold, construction problems, power-outages--mishaps like these can not only bring library services to a grinding halt, but can also destroy collections and even endanger employees. Preparing for the unexpected is the foundation of a library's best response. Expert Kahn comes to the rescue with this timely update of the best step-by-step, how-to guide for preparing and responding to all types of library disasters.
The Mississippi River breaks high-water records across its Illinois and Iowa banks. Hurricane Sandy slams the New Jersey shore causing $36.8 billion in damage. Is your library ready? While disaster planning is part of most libraries strategic planning and budgeting process, too often the technology component is overlooked.
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.
Resilience is the second volume in a new series from ALA's Center for the Future of Libraries which focuses on emerging trends in the profession, provoking discussion on how to shape the future by sharing ideas and exploring joint solutions to the challenges facing libraries and society. Resilience (or resiliency) incorporates preparations for and rapid recovery from physical, social, and economic disruptions, including environmental disasters, terrorist attacks, or economic collapse.
In libraries, disaster and emergency response management is key to protect the buildings, institutions, and collections from harm during a catastrophe. More awareness and information is needed to keep disaster plans up to date in case of emergency. Looking towards recent disasters, like Hurricane Katrina and September 11 gives professionals more awareness about the importance of newer plans and policies. All information organizations, especially college and university libraries, should be informed on current best practices for disaster response.
On March 21, 2024, Syracuse University's storage facility on south campus experienced a leak within the storage stacks. The preservation library and the conservation librarian responded to most of the damages at the warehouse; however, there were some books that needed to be brought to the preservation lab. At the lab, wet books were able to be dried following the process for rescuing wet books. Books are first dried with paper towels and pressed to remove excess water. Books are then placed open in front of fans to fully dry pages. Below are pictures of books rescued after the leak:
This presentation David Stokoe, Conservation Librarian at Syracuse University Library, is aimed primarily at libraries & archives and will emphasize the importance of disaster preparedness. It will familiarize & give an overview of the different aspects of planning and reaction. It will also demonstrate & discuss how to dry water damaged books. Web resources are included at end of the presentation. This webinar was initially presented for Gaylord Bros on 11/8/2012.
There are three phases of disaster and emergency management: Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. At Syracuse University Libraries, we are planning for all three phases.
For example, as part of our preparedness, posters like the one below are posted at every staff elevator entrance. They can't be missed! The poster indicates exactly where disaster recovery kits are located on the specific floor. In an water emergency, these posters serve as easy-to-find reminders of where important supplies are located.
Library staff receive training in disaster response when initially hired and at periodic intervals afterwards.
If an emergency occurs, the Disaster Response Team is called into action. The Disaster Response Team consists of staff from all different library departments that are trained to help in case of an emergency.
Below, plastic sheeting and absorbent booms (on floor) were used to protect stacks during a small water leak in Special Collections.
The Disaster Kits Contain:
| Disaster Manual on waterproof paper | Plastic rolled sheeting (10 x 25 ft.) |
| Form for reporting a disaster | Plastic roll (12 x 100ft., stored on bin) |
| Quick instructions with “what to say” when calling to report a disaster | Permanent markers (red and black) |
| Aprons | Scissors |
| Cordon yellow police line tape | String |
| Clothes pins | Surge protector strip |
| Duct tape | Tape dispenser (for boxes) and tape refills |
| Exacto knife & refills | Towels |
| Extension cord (100 ft.) | Trash bags (33 gallon) |
| Flashlight & batteries | Wax paper (9 x 12”) |
| Protective Gear (goggles, hard hats, and latex gloves) | Whistle |
| Paper towels | Zip lock bags |
To save water damaged books, paper towels are placed in between pages and press to remove as much water as possible before they are dried with fans. Below, students can be seen interleaving paper towels and pressing books.
During the recovery period, adjustments may be made to continue services at another location or online, staff may be temporarily assigned to recovery tasks, and so on. Assessing the collection to locate priority material can help to ease the stress of the recovery period by ensuring at risk material is addressed first. Some factors can help libraries determine priority material based on monetary value, replaceability, and ability to replace in some format. While the initial recovery period is key to determine the longevity of material post disaster, it is important to monitor collection items to prevent any future problems from happening, such as mold.
Also, the disaster response is assessed to allow for continual improvement. After the recovery period, it is important to assess the success of the response to ensure policies are the still applicable. Staff should look at the response of the organizations to determine components that should be continued for future disasters and change parts of the plan that did not go smoothly. Ensuring all staff are on the same page for their plan means the organization will successfully respond to disasters.