The Library Leadership Network Commons

Distaster Planning:  Better Late than Never


by Mary Wilkins Jordan
published September 14,2005

The recent disaster of Hurricane Katrina is a grim and frightening reminder of how important it is to have a disaster plan ready to go in the unfortunate event that you need one. Pictures of the states affected and reports of the incredible damage are likely to cause a lot of libraries that do not have them to establish plans of their own.  And assuming you already have one, you want to be sure to review it frequently and amend it as needed.  In this article, I will point out some excellent sources of disaster planning information and discuss some of the details of implementation that are not often covered in the “boilerplate” plans.

If your library does not have any kind of plan, look to your city government or to your university to see what kinds of plans they may already have in place. You will still want to have one of your own—libraries have a number of very special needs--but it is easier to adopt one already in place as a basis for yours. Additionally, you want to be sure none of your ideas will conflict with their plans.

This is a good project to use a staff committee to do. This not only gives you a wider diversity of ideas when you work out solutions to potential problems, but also gives staff members more insight into how important it is to have a disaster plan. Letting more people be part of the process developing plans whose execution will involve them shows not only that you value their opinions, but also makes them part of the team that will share the plans with other staff.
You may want to start by evaluating all of the types of disasters your library may experience; this can turn out to be a surprisingly long list. You may want to be more inclusive than you think is strictly necessary; because disasters (and other unsettling events) come in all shapes and sizes.  Do you have a pessimist on staff? This may be just the time to draw on that person who usually just depresses everyone! If your library is in Arizona you are not at risk for a hurricane, but you may want to consider what to do if a rattlesnake gets into the building. If you are in California you would be certain to put earthquake readiness near the top of the list, but in the Midwest are you near enough to the New Madrid fault line that you also should be ready for an earthquake? Thunderstorms may not be a big deal, but what if the basement floods or hail breaks a few windows? What if the levee near your building breaks? What if one of your employees opens a piece of mail with an unknown powder inside? What if the pipes break over a long holiday weekend? What if someone phones your circulation desk with a bomb threat? What if the power goes off and there are people in the subbasement with no windows? People may panic if they are not ready for these problems, but having a disaster plan will let them know what to do if and when these (and many other) disasters strike.

While you need to anticipate all possible disasters and disruptions, there is no need to reinvent the wheel in drawing up your plans.  Looking at existing plans can be very helpful and save you a good deal of time. You might consult something like the Bertrand Library Disaster Plan.  This is a very complete plan, which compiles a lot of information in one place. You may also try searching websites or directly contacting other libraries similar to yours to see what they have done about setting up disaster plans.  And teaming up with another library or group of libraries in your area can make a great deal of sense as you can establish a means of pooling resources in the event of a disaster.

Try to figure out everything you will need to have on hand after each disaster, and then determine where you will get these things.  Make sure you have contact information readily available for suppliers as well as the professionals you may want to hire. It may be helpful to use the Generic Disaster Plan Workbook available at:  http://cpc.stanford.edu/disasters/generic/index.html and the Library Disaster Plan template  http://cpc.stanford.edu/disasters/generic/plan_toc.html created by the California Preservation Clearinghouse.

Start collecting some basic items you will need. You likely already have some form of first aid kit. Band-Aids, ace bandage, splints, burn ointment, etc.  In the course of your planning, you may also discover there are some general supplies you want to have on hand all the time to be ready for a disaster: paper towels, plastic sheeting, flashlights and batteries, battery-operated radios. It might be a good idea to gather these all in one place, and make a list of what you have there. Importantly, check on your supplies every few months or so, to be sure you still have what you need and to see if you need to add anything else to the list. Be sure people know where these are (do not lock them in a closet no one has a key to open!), so they are ready to go in case of emergency.

It is, of course, important to document your plans and consider a brightly colored three ring binder to store the pages – they can be kept in order, and it will be easy to spot on your shelf. Do not just put one copy on your shelf however – knowledge is power, so spread it around!  You do not want to be in the situation of evacuating your building and realize all the copies of the disaster plan are sealed inside. Be sure all the departments and buildings have a copy on hand, and send a copy home with all senior managers. If the senior maintenance manager is not regularly included in management meetings, be sure he or she has a copy at home as well. Put a copy onto your staff intranet if you have one, and email copies around to staff members. Your plan will be useless if no one can find it when an emergency strikes.

You should also develop a phone tree to alert staff and others to disasters at your library. You do not want staff to walk into a disaster situation if they are not needed – it may only make things worse. Also, other university officials, Board members, the Mayor and others will need to be notified. You will likely not have time to talk with many people, and a phone tree will let news spread quickly. You should decide in advance who needs to be contacted, in what order, and who will do the contacting. If you do not have a person already assigned to deal with the media, consider who you want to answer questions from any reporters, and who will contact the media to issue bulletins on your situation as necessary.

Just as important as having everything written down is to practice it. Many institutions mandate yearly fire drills – this is a great idea, especially to give staff some insights into how they will deal with patrons who are in your library at the time of an emergency. This may be difficult – no matter how well trained your staff may be, patrons did not receive that training and may be confused and frightened and panicked. So, it might be a good idea to include some training on dealing with the public as part of the disaster training. You might want to look at the Disaster Preparedness and Training Plan for The Volpe Library Tennessee Technological University, available at:  http://www2.tntech.edu/library/disaster/disaster_plan.html. There is a lot of good information here, and the section on training staff members can be particularly valuable.

Run drills that will cause the staff to think through how they will react when a disaster strikes. For example, what are the primary and secondary evacuation routes? What if the elevator can’t be used?  Plan for communication and logistics in the event of injuries: What will you do about staff members who are taken to the hospital emergency room? Consider who will be assigned to follow the ambulance to be sure these people have a way home, and who will contact family members.  In disasters where people need to leave the building, be sure everyone knows where to meet so they can be counted. This kind of information can also be discussed at regular staff meetings, articles can be written for the staff newsletter, and posters can be distributed all over the place. Do everything you can to be sure people get this information before they need it.

Finally, once you have created your disaster plan do not let it end there. Have regular sessions to check over the details and update as necessary. Did the university tear up the parking lot where you were going to evacuate? Did one of your branch libraries close? Did any of your after-disaster supply stores close? Did mice get into your first aid kit? You want to be sure you are doing the right thing for your staff, your library, and the patrons you serve by minimizing damage from any disaster as well as you can.  Maintaining a current and well communicated plan can go a long way in accomplishing this!

For more information on library disaster plans, consult Disaster Planning for Libraries: Selected Resources, Stephen Henson and Mary M. Finley. The authors have compiled an extensive bibliography of resources: books, conference proceedings, articles, and web pages, all designed to better inform your disaster planning.

Mary Wilkins Jordan is a Doctoral Student at the University of North Carolina.  She is a former library director.

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