Library Disaster Planning

We are working on the 2006-2007 business plan for the Supreme Court Library and someone (not me) has been assigned the job of coming with a disaster plan, just in case the water pipes burst because of freezing weather, a fire burns down the stacks or a plane crashes into the building.

There are many disaster planning resources available out there:

• From Ice Storms to Blackouts, from Floods to Fire Bombings: Disaster Planning and Recovery for Libraries (Canadian Library Association Conference 2005): "The last few years have seen numerous climatic events, power failures and acts of violence that have touched libraries and challenged library operations and recoveries. Listen to colleagues and experts in the field, share their stories and learn how they have met and surpassed some extraordinary situations." There are links to the PowerPoint presentations at the session, to references and to a list of Canadian emergency preparedness organizations
• Library Disaster Planning and Recovery Handbook (Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2000): "Both conceptual and practical elements of disaster planning and recovery are covered, including: risk management analysis; human resources implications; collection restoration, gifts, and fundraising; evaluating temporary sites and setting up temporary services; and managing damaged materials restoration and processing."
• WebJunction's Focus on Disaster Planning and Recovery for Libraries (OCLC, 2005): "In the wake of Hurricane Katrina WebJunction has assembled a collection of resources to help your library prepare for and respond to disasters."
• Disaster Planning for Computers and Networks (American Library Association, 2002): "Disaster planning for computers and networks is important because these technologies are essential to patron service and staff productivity. Not only is the patron access catalog the only way for patrons to identify holdings and current availability of titles in their library, but also titles in other libraries and electronic resources to which their library subscribes... Library staff are dependent on these technologies for ordering, claiming and receiving library materials, charging and discharging of library materials to patrons; and the provision of reference service. Every hour of downtime is extremely serious, therefore, a library must give disaster planning a high priority."
• Selected Resources on Disaster Management (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, 2005): an international bibliography of major sources on the topic
• Disaster preparedness and response (Conservation Online, 2005): produced by Stanford University, this website lists resources from major organizations such as the Smithsonian Institution, the National Archives and Records Administration, the Library of Congress, and UNESCO
• Preservation of Library and Archive Materials (Northeast Document Conservation Center, 1999): this full text of a manual produced by the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Massachusetts deals with preservation activities, with conversion to other formats, and with disaster planning and recovery measures. Downloadable in .pdf format
• Bibliography of Standards and Selected References Related to Preservation in Libraries (Library and Archives Canada, 1996): contains a section on Emergency Planning and Response