Meeting Minutes 

Present: Christine Wise (Chair), Anne Barrett (Imperial), Chris Brewer (IoE), Tim Cullen (Greenwich), Gail Duggett (ULRLS), Lise Foster (LSBU, minutes), Geoff Gardner (Reading), Janet Percival (UCL), Glyn Price (LSE), Katie Sambrook (KCL)

Apologies: Lyn Bowen (Westminster), Simon Jackson (Royal Veterinary College)

1. Welcome and introductions

The Chair welcomed new and existing members who each introduced themselves briefly and their disaster planning responsibilities at their home institutions.2. Minutes of the meeting held Tuesday 15 March 2005.

2. Minutes of the meeting held Wednesday 12 October 2005

Correction to last point of item 8: there was discussion on whether archives should be listed separately under Business and Continuity Planning.

3. Matters arising from the meeting held Wednesday 12 October 2005

Item 5: Preferential rates for M25 Consortium members.  Still outstanding. Action: CW

4. To receive the draft report from the M25 Disaster Management Group to the M25 Steering Group Meeting, Thursday 8 December 2005

Each working group in the M25 Consortium is required to submit a written report to the Steering Group drawing attention to relevant issues.  CW had taken the M25 Disaster Management Group Operational Plan 05-06 and put in an update to record progress since the last meeting of the Steering Group.
Report agreed by all with general thanks to CW for preparing the document which would now be circulated to Steering Group members.

5.  Progress on key targets

5.1  M25 DMG / CPD25 Disaster Preparedness Seminar.

Feedback from group members present at the event very positive.  21 representatives had attended from a wide geographical area, with both newer and longer-standing representatives.  Event felt to be very useful in translating paperwork into action.  Highlighted issues over disaster plans often being weighty document when in the event, quick checklists and clear priorities were most useful.  General feeling that more of these scenario based events would be welcomed and worthwhile to help translate paperwork into action.  There was half an hour left at the end for discussion which turned into a lively debate.  Overall a successful event which raised the profile of the Group.

It was decided in the light of feedback at the event that prominence should continue to be given to the role of the M25 Consortium Mutual Support Agreement, as the scenario exercises had highlighted the need for more information on when to invoke the Agreement and its operations.  This would be covered in FAQs for the new website.  CW would circulate an analysis of the evaluation forms in due course and the scenarios used on the day. Action: CW

5.2 M25 DMG/CPD25 Disaster Preparedness seminar Spring 2006

Working with CPD25 to stage this event in April / May 2006 at a central London location.
Speakers still required for some presentations. Action: AB,GG & TC

5.3 Business and service continuity planning

A subgroup met on this topic and moved on considerably.  Discussion focussed on practicalities such as where the post will be delivered to and where borrowers returning items should go. Main conclusion is the importance of understanding your business processes before starting to plan for continuity.  The current template also confuses service continuity with disaster recovery so considerations of service continuity will need to be embedded in the template.  AB would circulate a report on the meeting. Action: AB

5.4 FAQs on the Mutual Support Agreement

To be developed in the light of the November event.
Archives AB/GG have met.  To continue discussions. Action: AB, GG
Risk assessment To be discussed after the event on the topic spring 2006
eResources  LF to report at next meeting. Action: LF

5.5 Survey

GP reported it is possible to use Bristol Online Surveys software.  Members asked for comments on questions to be sent to GP by 16 December and he will prepare a draft to circulate early January.  Survey to go live later in January 2006. Action: GP/All

M25 DMG-Information list to be checked for any institutions not presently represented on the list, prior to circulation of the survey. Action: CW

5.6 Joint seminar with CPD25 on insuring collections

Some names have been suggested to lead this event.  KS investigating.  CW suggested that an expert speak could be invited to address the Group beforehand to inform thinking before taking this to a wider audience. Action: KS

6. Any other business

6.1 Chair's presentation to SLAIS.

50 postgraduate library students attended as part of their collection management module.  Talk based on the template and plan and was a good opportunity to raise awareness of the DMG.

6.2 Receive update on Safeguarding Heritage at Risk project

CW is M25 representative on advisory panel.  The next meeting would be held on Wednesday, 7th December when the preliminary results of a survey covering museums, libraries and archives will be reported.  CW would circulate any papers of interest. Action: CW

6.3 Possible joint event with National Preservation Office

AB raised this as a possibility to explore with the NPO during 2006. Action: AB

7. Date of next meeting

Venue: Royal Veterinary College, Camden. Date: weeks beginning 13/20 February 2006. To be confirmed subsequently by email