2012 Best Practices for Government Libraries

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BEST PRACTICES 2012
Planning for the Worst: Disaster Preparedness and Response in
Federal Libraries
By Aileen M. J. Marshall, MA, MLIS, Reference Librarian at the U.S. Department of
Transportation
I don't think I exaggerate by saying that we all remember the magnitude 5.8
earthquake on August 23rd, 2011, and the predicted hurricane shortly after (which
turned out to be less of a threat than we thought). Thankfully, no deaths were
reported due to the quake, and injuries and damage were minor. In the aftermath,
many libraries realized that their emergency plans were inadequate for an actual
disaster situation.
This incident has, once again, sparked discussions among information professionals
how libraries and information centers should prepare themselves for something that
nobody really likes to think about. However, it is vitally important for every library,
not just federal ones, to have a reliable disaster management plan and make sure
to educate your staff about it.
Rather than frantically trying to figure out what to do next, the response to and
recovery from a disaster will be much more effective if an emergency plan is
already in place. Staff members will know their roles and will be able to handle their
part confidently. Ultimately, this will vastly increase your staff's confidence in
themselves and their peers. Furthermore, you will know the points of contact for
other offices such as your security and maintenance staff. Usually your plan will
slightly overlap with existing plans for continuation of operations, and having your
own document will allow you to collaborate more effectively, mitigate the damage,
and work on restoring your services.
A variety of situations are considered disasters: Fire, flooding, earthquakes, and
storms, as well as biological or chemical warfare. You may not think of some
incidents as disasters, but they should be included in your document regardless.
There is not really a right or wrong way to develop a preparedness document. It
depends on your library, agency, collaboration between you and the security staff
and various other factors. It might be a good idea to visualize the types of
emergencies and consequences for which you should plan. The following graphic is
an example of a risk assessment matrix that you can use. It's a combination of
several matrixes that you can find online and in other disaster plans. Matrixes like
this will help you determine what kind of emergency situation you are most likely to
encounter and how it will affect your library.