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Disaster Planning : prevention, preparedness, response, recovery.
A library or archives disaster is an unexpected event which puts collections
at risk. No institution can be excluded from or is immune to the possibility.
Disaster planning is a matter of basic security for libraries and archives,
their staff and their collections. It is considered to be an essential
part of any preservation programme to be implemented by any kind of library
or archives. A formal written plan enables an institution to respond efficiently
and quickly to an emergency, and to minimize damage to the building and
its contents.

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Rain and wind storms |
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Floods |
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Biological agents (micro-organisms,
insect or vermin infestation) |
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Earthquakes |
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Volcanic eruptions |
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Acts of war and terrorism |
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Fires |
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Water (broken pipes, leaking
roofs, blocked drains, fire extinguishing) |
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Explosions |
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Liquid chemical spills |
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Building deficiencies (structure,
design, environment, maintenance) |
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Power failures |
Natural disasters cannot be prevented, but measures can be taken to eliminate
or reduce the possibility of trouble. Regardless of the many forms a disaster
may take, the actual damage to collections is usually caused by fire or
water. Even when they are not the initial factor, fires and floods almost
invariably occur as secondary causes of library and archives disasters.

Books burn fairly slowly. Paper chars and crumbles when handled. Smoke and
soot discolour books not otherwise affected. Microforms and audio-visual materials
can be completely destroyed or damaged beyond repair.
Paper absorbs water at different rates depending on the age, condition and
composition of the material. Generally speaking, books and manuscripts dated
earlier than 1840 absorb water to an average of 80 % of their original
weight. Modern books, other than those made of the most brittle paper, absorb
to an average of 60 % of their original weight.
Leather and parchment warp, wrinkle or shrink. The damage done to book covers
may be irreparable. Water can cause gelatinization on parchment.
After floods, mould rapidly begins to form in damp conditions.
Audio-visual materials, photographs, microforms, magnetic media and other
discs, are also vulnerable to water, and the damage depends on the type of
the material, the length of exposure to water, its temperature, etc.
Shelving may collapse and the contents be thrown on to the floor. Few books
can withstand such treatment. Fire and water damage often result from seismic
activity.
Materials may be eaten, soiled, stained and shredded.

This usually involves four phases :
- Prevention
- Preparedness
- Response
- Recovery
The following guide to producing a disaster plan outlines recommended action
in all four phases, but prevention is the best protection against disaster,
natural or man-made.
Identify and minimize the risks posed by the building, its equipment and
fittings, and the natural hazards of the area.
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Carry out a building inspection
and alter factors which constitute a potential hazard. |
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Establish routine housekeeping
and maintenance measures to withstand disaster in buildings and surrounding
areas. |
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Install automatic fire
detection and extinguishing systems, and water-sensing alarms. |
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Take special precautions
during unusual periods of increased risk, such as building renovation. |
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Make special arrangements
to ensure the safety of library or archival material when exhibited. |
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Provide security copies
of vital records such as collection inventories, and store these off-site. |
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Protect computers and data
through provision of uninterrupted power supply. |
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Have comprehensive
insurance for the library or archives, its contents, the cost of salvage
operations, and potential replacement, re-binding and restoration
of damaged materials. |
Getting ready to cope.
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Develop a written
preparedness, response and recovery plan. |
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Keep the plan
up-to-date, and test it. |
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Keep together
supplies and equipment required in a disaster and maintain them. |
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Establish and
train an in-house disaster response team. Training in : |
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disaster response techniques |
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identification and marking
on floor-plans and enclosures of irreplaceable and important material
for priority salvage |
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Prepare and
keep an up-to-date set of documentation including : |
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Building floor-plans, with
locations of cut-off switches and valves. |
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Inventory of holdings,
with priorities for salvage marked on floor-plans. |
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List of names, addresses,
and home telephone numbers of personnel with emergency responsibilities. |
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List of names, addresses,
and home telephone numbers of the in-house disaster response team. |
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List of names, addresses
and home telephone numbers of trained conservators with experience in
salvaging water-damaged materials, resource organisations, and other facilities
able to offer support in the event of a disaster. |
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List of disaster control
services, in-house supplies and equipment, and in any central store, including
locations and names of contacts with home telephone numbers. |
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List of suppliers of services
and sources of additional equipment and supplies, including names of contacts
and home telephone numbers. |
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Arrangements made to access
freezing facilities. |
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Arrangements for funding
emergency needs. |
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Copies of insurance policies. |
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Salvage procedures. |
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Distribute
the plan and documentation to appropriate locations on- and off-site. |
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Institute procedures
to notify appropriate people of the disaster and assemble them rapidly.
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When disaster strikes.
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Follow established emergency
procedures for raising the alarm, evacuating personnel and making the
disaster site safe. |
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Contact the leader of the
disaster response team to direct and brief the trained salvage personnel. |
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When permission is given
to re-enter the site, make a preliminary assessment of the extent of the
damage, and the equipment, supplies and services required. |
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Stabilize the environment
to prevent the growth of mould. |
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Photograph damaged materials
for insurance claim purposes. |
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Set up an area for recording
and packing material which requires freezing, and an area for air-drying
slightly wet material and other minor treatment. |
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Transport water-damaged
items to the nearest available freezing facility. |
Getting back to normal.
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Establish a programme to
restore both the disaster site and the damaged materials to a stable and
usable condition. |
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Determine priorities for
restoration work and seek the advice of a conservator as to the best methods
and options, and obtain cost estimates. |
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Develop a phased conservation
programme where large quantities of material are involved. |
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Discard items not worth
retaining, and replace or re-bind items not justifying special conservation
treatment. |
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Contact insurers. |
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Clean and rehabilitate
the disaster site. |
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Replace treated material
in the refurbished site. |
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Analyse the disaster and
improve the plan in the light of experience. |
Be prepared for any type of disaster. Contact and consult
other libraries or archives and library or archives associations to share
information and experience, and with a view to regional co-operation.
Take advantage of educational sessions, particularly disaster
planning workshops and preparedness exercises.
Seek expert advice and help from the preservation offices
of national and large research libraries, members of the Standing Committee
of the Section on Conservation of the IFLA, the centres of the IFLA-PAC
Programme, and the Technical Committees of ICA and of the International
Audiovisual Archives Associations FIAF, FIAT, and IASA.
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