RGSLA - Disaster Planning: Lessons Learned from Real Disasters

On Thursday, March 28th, I attended a webinar on disaster management presented through the SLA. This was free for members, but non-members had to pay a minimal charge.

Before the talk was underway, the presenters, Fran Wilkinson, Nancy Dennis, and Cheryl Zebrowski, polled the audience about their disaster management plans. 69% of the people attending said that their organization didn't have a disaster management plan. 13% said that they did, and another19% said that they had one in the works.

The presenters opened by discussing three disasters that had taken place in the Zimmerman Library of the University of New Mexico. There had been two floods and a fire, the first flood taking place not too long after they first established their disaster plans. Due to their experiences with emergency situations in libraries, they discussed what they had learned in managing library crises.

They said that it was was to be prepared for any sort of disaster, but also to look into what would be most likely to affect a given library. For example, certain libraries might be more concerned about flooding than earthquakes, while others for various reasons might look into the mitigation of any emergencies concerning hazardous materials. Evaluating your environment and your building for any likely sources of problems is a key first step. For example, what is your institution's plumbing like?

Also key is knowing how to shut off utilities, where the emergency equipment and exits are, and how the security system works. They used an example of an institution where the doors might lock during an emergency, which could be problematic for exiting or entering the building.

They listed several characteristics of a good manager of a disaster situation: they should have interest in recovery and the institution, they should be able to stay calm, they should be a team player, they should be organized, they should have good communication skills, they should be flexible, and they should be able to take initiative.

Finally, they named a few key steps that should be a part of every disaster plan process. There should be an inventory of any particularly vulnerable items and data. There should be an evaluation of areas at risk, and potential disaster sources. There should be employee training. All employees should have physical copies of the disaster plan for home, car, and work, along with its presence on the intranet, if there is one. Disaster plans should have employee contact information (and because of this, they should not be publicly available). There should be a contract with a disaster recovery service in place before a disaster -- research and communication with vendors is key. Finally, there should be an emphasis on personal safety. No one should risk their life for library materials in a disaster.

They closed by reminding attendees that disaster situations can take their toll on psyches and morale, and that it's important to be patient and remember to take care of yourself and your fellow employees.