Disaster Management for Libraries and Archives

Disaster planning might not seem a pressing concern - until disaster strikes. Recent events have reminded us that any collection or service may be at risk, and libraries and archives must have prevention and recovery measures in place. Written by academics and practitioners, drawing on firsthand experience and research worldwide, including Australia, Scandinavia and the USA, Disaster Management for Libraries and Archives reviews and explains the importance and scope of disaster management planning, and what can be done before, during and after incidents. The book begins by explaining how to develop a disaster control plan, outlining the different phases from prevention to recovery, and goes on to provide guidance on risk assessment and management methods which should underpin disaster planning. Individual chapters then focus on fire and flooding, bringing together lessons learned from recent disasters in the UK with case study material including information on prevention systems and reaction and recovery measures. A chapter on cooperative projects in the USA follows, providing examples of how collaborative partnerships and networks can be organized so that help, expertise and resources can be shared to facilitate management of disasters. The effect on people, both employees and users, must never be overlooked; this is the emphasis of the second half of the book. Research on the impact of a major library fire in Sweden forms the basis of the next chapter, which explains how the psychological impact of disasters on both staff and the local community can be managed. The following chapter describes the devastating effects on cultural institutions and their staff of war in Croatia in the early 1990s and extraordinary achievements against the odds. Ways of maintaining immediate, temporary service continuity along with planning for long-term restoration of services are exemplified by a case study of the fire at the Central Library of Norwich. Disaster Management for Libraries and Archives offers advice and insight for managers beginning to work on or reviewing disaster management within their organizations. The accounts of actual events highlight the real-life challenges faced and the effectiveness of appropriate solutions, while the guide to information sources at the end of the book signposts readers to a wealth of other useful material.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Disaster management for libraries and archives - an introduction, Graham Matthews; The disaster control plan, Heather Mansell; Risk management, Alice Cannon; In case of fire, Bill Jackson; Flood prevention and recovery, Christine Wise; Cooperative activity in the USA, or misery loves company, Sheryl Davis and Kristen Kern; Psychological aspects of disaster management, Maj Klasson; The Croatian experience 1991-1995, Kornelija Petr; Aftermath - service continuity and recovery, John Creber; A guide to sources of information, Graham Matthews; Index.

About the Author :
Graham Matthews is Professor of Information Management, Loughborough University, UK, having previously worked at the University of Central England and Liverpool John Moores University, and in academic and public libraries. Graham Matthews was Project Head of a major British Library Research and Development Department funded project and co-author with Paul Eden of its report, Disaster Management in British Libraries. Project Report with Guidelines for Library Managers, Library and Information Research report 109 (1996) . He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals Preservation and Conservation Panel and has served on other national preservation committees. John Feather has been Professor of Library and Information Studies at Loughborough University in the UK since 1988, having previously worked at the Bodleian Library, Oxford. He has a wide range of expertise in the field, including preservation management. Among his previous books are Preservation and the Management of Library Collections (2nd ed, 1996) and, with Graham Matthews and Paul Eden, Preservation Management. Policies and practices in British libraries (1995). He is a former Chair of the Rare Books Group of the Library Association, and has served on many international and national professional committees.

Review :
’The safeguard of cultural heritage implies that librarians and archivists should review and consolidate good practice in disaster management and consider new issues and how to deal with them. To this effect, Disaster Management for Libraries and Archives is a very interesting publication.’ International Preservation News ’...a very good read...sound advice, persuasively presented.’ Library and Information Update 'In its combination of theory based on first-hand experience and lessons drawn from actual examples this book forms a very practical introduction to a topic which can elsewhere be obfuscated with jargon.' Ariadne, issue 44, July 2005 'This collection of essays provides an up-to-date assessment of current thinking and practice in disaster management for libraries and archives both in the UK and abroad. It is a welcome addition to the existing literature on disaster and emergency management, which has tended traditionally to focus on 'how to do it' manuals. Here we have a more academic approach, which looks at the theories as well as the practicalities. Contributors are well-known in the field and have direct experience of planning, prevention and recovery. 'Students and teachers will appreciate the introduction, case studies and exhaustive resource lsitings. Practitioners will find invaluable the practical models and guidance which are embedded in the articles. Collection managers and others will find persuasive arguments to engage dedcision makers who control funding and resources. All decision makers and managers should be aware of the psychological impact of disasters and their long-term impact on staff and users.' NPO e-Journal, May 2004 First appeared on the LTSN-ICS website