Reaction - Commentary

Procedures for Initial Action on Discovering a Disaster

These will vary according to local conditions, but should include procedures for both during and outside opening hours, alerting the Library’s chain of command, alerting other institution departments (e.g. Security), how to contact emergency services and the circumstances under which the building should be evacuated. The responsibilities and duties of staff members should be made clear. It should be noted that disasters which occur out of hours may well be discovered by non library staff, such as security, cleaning or maintenance staff. These staff should have access to the Procedures for Initial Action on Discovering a Disaster. They should also have been made aware in advance of the need for prompt action in the event of all types of disaster.

Reaction - Template

Procedures for Initial Action on Discovering a Disaster

Alert the Emergency Services as necessary
Dial (9) 999.
Give precise details of the location and nature of the emergency and the help required.

During opening hours alert the most senior staff member on duty.
Outside opening hours contact the Disaster Reaction Manager.

Alert Security or Estates as necessary.

In the event of staff and readers being "exposed to serious and imminent danger",^[6] evacuate the building, according to local evacuation procedures.

Contact Details

Include contact details of the Disaster Managers and also the Press Officer. The Disaster Reaction Manager will call out the Disaster Reaction Teams if necessary and their contact details should be included. She/he may also contact other internal departments and the appropriate personnel and contacts should be listed.

Contact Details

Disaster Managers

Disaster Manager
Name, position held, contact details (to include work and home).

Library Director
Name, position held, contact details (to include work and home).

Disaster Reaction Manager
Name, position held, contact details (to include work and home).

Disaster Recovery Manager
Name, position held, contact details (to include work and home).

Press Officer
Name, position held, department, contact details (to include work and home).

Disaster Reaction Teams

Name, position held, department, contact details (to include work and home).

Name, position held, department, contact details (to include work and home).

Name, position held, department, contact details (to include work and home).

Name, position held, department, contact details (to include work and home).

Name, position held, department, contact details (to include work and home).

Etc.

Internal Departments

Initial Assessment of the Disaster Situation

On arrival, the Disaster Reaction Manager will need to establish contact with those in control of the site, whether from within the institution or from the emergency services. As soon as it is safe the extent of the damage must be assessed and the scale of response decided. If necessary other personnel from the list of contact details should be summoned and briefed on their arrival at the site.

Careful briefing of Disaster Reaction Teams is essential. Staff, who have not previously experienced a similar disaster, may find it unexpectedly upsetting and / or exhausting. Experience has shown that regular breaks are absolutely essential with a maximum work period of one and a half hours between breaks. Refreshments should be made available as close as possible to the work areas. The Disaster Managers will need to be on the look out for signs of shock or emotional problems amongst staff and react to them immediately by giving extra breaks or sending affected staff home. In some cases counselling may be provided by emergency services^[22] on the first day but after that it will be up to management to put in place measures to help staff cope with the aftermath of a disaster.

It is essential to establish a Control Point early on to act as clearing house for communications between the various teams who may be widely dispersed; for example suitable facilities for drying material or for the bibliographic team may be on another site. The Control Point staff should also monitor the rotation of Disaster Reaction Teams, their location within the disaster area and the work in progress.

Depending on the scale of the disaster the Disaster Recovery Manager will need to implement the contingency plans laid to allow the library to maintain some level of service during the disaster. In the event of a disaster affecting IT, backups will need to be obtained from their safe storage location and procedures implemented to restore the service.

Initial Assessment of the Disaster Situation

On arriving at the Disaster scene the Disaster Reaction Manager should:

1. Check that the Procedures for Initial Action on Discovering a Disaster have been correctly followed.
2. Make contact with the emergency services if they are on site. Liaise over priority material and attempt to minimise water damage.
3. Make contact with institutional services if they have been called.
4. Set up a Control Point.
5. Gain access to the site as soon as emergency services deem it safe.
6. Assess the damage.
7. Contact and request the presence of Disaster Reaction Team members.
8. Contact Disaster Recovery Manager.
9. Contact other institutional departments as necessary.
10. Contact senior library and institutional management as necessary.
11. Brief Disaster Reaction Team members as they arrive. Organise members into teams. Ensure regular breaks for rest and refreshment.
12. Break out emergency equipment and supplies as necessary.
13. Contact suppliers of emergency equipment and supplies.
14. As far as possible, stabilise the environment.
15. Remove electrical equipment once the power has been turned off.
16. Begin securing undamaged material as necessary.
17. Implement arrangements for accommodating salvage operations as necessary.
18. Begin salvage operations according to previously identified salvage priorities.
19. Ensure that Disaster Reaction Team Members do not become over tired or otherwise affected by the work.
20. Have a photographic record made of the disaster site and work in progress. A video may also be made.

On arriving at the scene the Disaster Recovery Manager should:

1. Receive the Disaster Reaction Manager’s report on damage to the collections, services and/or buildings.
2. Implement arrangements for alternative accommodation and facilities for bibliographical and technical staff as necessary.
3. Implement arrangements for alternative IT facilities or study space as necessary.
4. Implement arrangements for alternative storage facilities as necessary, including extra insurance if necessary.
5. Implement procedures to restore IT from backup as necessary.
6. Arrange to keep readers, managers and the press officer informed of progress by all means available. Photographs made for insurance purposes may also be used for P.R.

Guidelines for Disaster Reaction Team Members

It may be useful to include a short laminated pullout section in the Disaster Control Plan to cover guidelines for the Disaster Reaction Teams. These could then be consulted easily before leaving home and during the salvage operation.

Guidelines for Disaster Reaction Team Members

Callout

• Wear several layers of warm old clothing and gloves.
• Wear wellingtons or stout shoes.
• Bring a flask containing a hot drink if possible.
• Bring a small amount of cash.
• Don’t forget your house keys!

On Arrival

• Do not talk to the press, refer all queries to the Press Officer.
• Assemble outside the main entrance or as close to that as permitted by the emergency services.
• Do not enter the building until instructed to do so by the Disaster Reaction Manager or your team leader.

Possible working conditions:

• No library system, therefore manual record keeping.
• Surface water.
• No electricity, lighting or heating.
• Buckled shelves (if there has been a fire).
• Books on the floor.
• Collections out of order.
• Equipment and furniture out of place.
• Broken glass.
• Strong draughts due to broken windows.
• Lots of heavy work……

Once work begins:

• Take a break about once an hour. Your team leader will organise this.
• If you feel depressed or are having difficulty coping, inform your team leader. They will arrange a rest break or send you home.

YOUR SAFETY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY LIBRARY MATERIALS

[Adapted from the Manchester Metropolitan University. Library & North West Film Archive. Emergency Management Plan. 7th edition. 1998.]

Master Copy of Disaster Report Form

Keep master copies of the Disaster Report Form in the Reaction section of the Disaster Control Plan. Stocks of blank forms, and blank paper in various colours, should be kept with the emergency equipment.

Master Copy of Disaster Report Form

Available as Appendix A of the download version of the document.

Procedures for Salvaging Library and Archive Materials

NB The procedures for salvage contained in the template assume that all types of material are to be salvaged. They will need to be modified according to institutional policy; see Preparedness - Salvage Priorities.

Water damage

Water damage is the most common form of damage to library and archive materials and a side effect of fire based disasters. However, improved technology and awareness by the fire service has greatly reduced the amount of water damage, which follows a fire. It is essential to work quickly as mould growth can be expected on the wet stock within 48 hours. In hot humid weather mould will appear in less than 24 hours. Refer to BS5454 : 2000 for safe temperature and humidity ranges.

Depending on institutional salvage policy, decisions will need to be made as to how to dry the wet material. Specialist firms exist, which will dry material using the techniques listed:

• Air-drying of damp books can be successfully undertaken in house, providing that there is sufficient space and staffing available.
• Dehumidifiers can be used to speed the process of air-drying. The equipment allows the final water content of the materials to be carefully controlled.
• Freezing books and records begins the drying process and damp books will dry completely if left in a freezer for several weeks. The process will be speeded up if the books are spread out on racks. This process results in some distortion of books.
• Vacuum drying involves placing books in a chamber with a heat source and then drawing a vacuum. It often produces distortion of books and is totally unsuitable for coated paper. It is also relatively expensive.
• Freeze drying takes place at temperatures below 0 degrees. A heat source is introduced and a vacuum is pulled. Ice crystals in the books vapourise without melting (sublimation) thus reducing the risk of distortion. This has proved a useful technique but is relatively expensive. It is generally recommended for rare and unique material, but is not suitable for vellum or parchment or documents with seals. It has the added advantage that mud, dirt and soot are lifted to the surface making cleaning easier.

Non book materials including archive material are likely to need specialist treatment. Where serious damage has occurred to archive material deemed worthy of rescue, [see Preparedness - Salvage Priorities] the use of specialist firms during salvage is likely to be essential. The services of a conservator on site would be very useful during any disaster and at a minimum a specialist should be contacted for advice.

Fire damage

Unlike single sheets books do not burn easily, since there is little oxygen between the pages of a book. Most damage is caused by smoke contamination, which can be cleaned using chemical sponges. There are specialist firms which will undertake this work, but ordinary industrial cleaners should not be used. The sooner cleaning is started the more successful it will be; so speed is of the essence. It is claimed to be extremely cost effective at "an eighteenth of the cost of true replacement"^[7] i.e. including cataloguing and processing costs. It should be noted, however that the cleaning process has been known to remove stamped labels from the spines of volumes bound in buckram.^[16] Re-labelling or rebinding these volumes adds to the expense of the salvage operation. The material may also need to be treated to remove the odour of soot and smoke, although experience at the Dalhousie fire^[13] showed that the well ventilated conditions provided to air dry the books much reduced the smell without further treatment.

Non book material is much harder to clean and may need to be replaced. This will not be an option for unique archive material and may justify efforts at salvage depending on institutionally set salvage procedures. [see Preparedness-Salvage Procedures]. This will necessitate the use of specialist firms and is likely to be expensive.

Mould/Pest Infestation

Treating any form of infestation is a specialist job, as it involves the application of chemicals. Specialist advice should be sought after isolating the area.

Procedures for Salvaging Library and Archive Materials

To be modified according to institutional salvage policy.

Books

Water damage

1. Protect undamaged materials and equipment.
2. Consult salvage priorities.
3. Assess where material is most wet and in conjunction with the salvage priorities list decide where to begin work.
4. Begin clearing the shelves from the top down if water has come in through the ceiling; where there is standing or rising water; clear from the bottom up. NB the latter procedure will reduce the stability of the shelves.
5. Where shelving is, or could become unstable some team members should push against the bookcase whilst others remove the materials.
6. Work systematically and list basic bibliographical details of the material, the damage, crate number and destination/action taken on the damage lists provided.
7. Wet material is delicate. Handle with care and use minimal force to remove tightly packed material.
8. Pack and list different types of material separately. Take care not to pack wet material in with dry.
9. The Disaster Reaction Manager should decide on the action for each item and supervise the packing and distribution.
10. Time is short: If in doubt send material for freezing as frozen material can be air dried at a later date if necessary.
11. Any books or papers which have stuck together must be sent for freezing.
12. Material sent for freezing should be wrapped in polythene or placed in polythene bags, tightly secured to exclude as much air as possible.
13. Material with vellum bindings should be wrapped in crepe bandages to prevent distortion. Start the wrapping at the lower edge, work from the spine to fore edge to spine with a small overlap. Then place in polythene as above.
14. Pack material into crates upright and tightly enough to minimise distortion.
15. Volumes too large for the crates should be wrapped well and placed flat in the van for transport to the freezing facility.
16. Do not pack crates with items protruding over the top edge.

Air-drying books

1. If possible provide warm-air fans and dehumidifiers in the drying area, but not too close to any books.
2. Clean items with hand-held water sprays to remove surface dirt. DO NOT RUB.
3. Stand books upright and gently fan out their pages to a maximum angle of 45 degrees. Some thick and loosely bound volumes may need support to avoid distorting. Table legs or peg boards can be used.
4. All books can be interleaved with blotting paper or blank newsprint to speed up the drying process, one sheet for each 3/8in. Books printed on coated paper must be interleaved with blank newsprint, in order to prevent blocking. If blocking has already occurred send for freezing.
5. Change blotting paper or newsprint regularly and dry for re-use.

Fire damage
Smoke damaged books, where the soot is only on the outside can be cleaned using chemical sponges. Individual papers will be too brittle to be cleaned.

1. Hold the book tightly closed.
2. Stroke gently in one direction from the spine to the fore edge on the head and tail. Repeat on the fore edge, spine and covers. Continue wiping until no more soot can be removed without damaging the surface.
3. Books impregnated with the odour of smoke may be treated by placing them near to charcoal or bowls of baking soda..

Archives

Water damage

1. Items which are especially valuable and fragile may be photographed before attempting restoration.
2. To lift wet, unbound documents by place a sheet of mylar film over them, move the document and then carefully remove the mylar film.
3. Do not attempt to separate unbound papers, which appear to be stuck together.
4. Do not wash.
5. Manuscripts and loose papers to be sent for freezing should be wrapped in polythene bags or wrapping and packed flat in crates. Do not freeze parchment, vellum or documents with seals. Do freeze documents with fugitive inks.
6. In the unlikely event of boxed or wrapped material being saturated it should be carefully removed from its wrappings, re-wrapped in polythene and packed flat in crates.
7. Do not turn boxes upside down to empty them as this may cause damage.

Air-drying

1. Manuscript or unbound papers may be placed individually between or on sheets or newsprint for drying.
2. Guarded and filed manuscript material may be removed from boards for drying as individual leaves.
3. Light weights may be placed on interleaved piles of paper leaves, but never on vellum or parchment as the documents may become transparent.
4. Particular care should be taken to protect and support applied and pendant seals on paper and parchment documents.

Fire damage

1. Retrieve all burnt material even charred fragments (depending on the institution’s salvage policy).
2. Place material in plastic bags, labelling as far as possible.
3. Contact a specialist in paper salvage.

Maps

Water damage

1. Modern maps may be safely air-dried; all others will have to be frozen.
2. Maps measuring 40" by 50" or less should be packed flat between boards. Several maps may be packed in each parcel as follows: Polythene - blotting paper – map -blotting paper – polythene - blotting paper - map etc. Secure the parcel with webbing straps.
3. Large maps or those already rolled when wetted must be transported rolled, wrapped in polythene.
4. Do not attempt to straighten distorted or crumpled maps, but wrap in polythene and transport as they are.

Fire damage

1. Support fire damaged maps on stiff paper or card.
2. Contact a paper conservator.

Microform

Water damage

1. Immerse in cold water in a bucket with a water-tight lid.
2. Transport to a specialist laboratory.

Photographic Material

Water damage

1. Remove from any frames or mountings.
2. Immerse prints and glass plate negatives in cold water in their wrappings.
3. Add fungicide to inhibit mould growth and reduce swelling of gelatine.
4. Dry as soon as possible. Freeze and vacuum drying are not recommended.
5. Where photographs are stuck together consult a photograph conservator.

Air-drying

1. Wash colour prints and glass plate negatives for 15 minutes in cold water. Black and white prints, colour and black and white negatives should be washed for half an hour. Some may require bathing in a stabiliser before drying (seek professional advice).
2. Remove from their wrappings and lay out flat, emulsion side up on blotting paper.
3. Ensure the drying environment is as dust free as possible.
4. Incline glass plate negatives slightly to speed drying.

Motion Picture Film

1. Fill the can with cold clean water and reseal.
2. Send to a motion picture film processor within 72 hours for washing and drying.

Paintings on Canvas

Water damage
Paintings should be a top priority as the most serious effects of water exposure occur within the first 15 minutes of a disaster.

Air-drying

1. Remove excess water by tilting carefully to allow water to drain from one corner.
2. Lay paintings face up on a table near to cold air fans to speed drying and discourage mould.
3. As soon as possible arrange for a paintings conservator to inspect the paintings and advise on treatment.

Fire damage
Consult a specialist conservator.

Computer Hardware

Water damage
Remove water damaged hardware from public access and quarantine until it can be assessed.

Computer Discs

Water damage
Salvaging damaged computer discs is rarely successful. Data and software should be restored from backups. If absolutely necessary, pack discs upright in containers of cold distilled water and make arrangements to air dry them. NB salvaged discs may damage disc drives. Use only once to copy and clean the heads after copying each damaged disc.

Air-drying

1. Cut the edge of the jacket with non-magnetic scissors.
2. Remove disc with gloved hands.
3. Wash in several photo trays of distilled water.
4. Dry with lint free towels.
5. Insert into new jacket or disc cover.
6. Copy immediately.

Compact Discs

Water damage

1. Hold the disc by the outer edges.
2. Working out from the centre in a straight line, wipe off water or dirt with a soft dry cloth.

Sound and Video Recordings

Where possible revert to master copy or purchase another copy. If absolutely necessary dry as below. NB salvaged discs may damage play-back equipment. Use only once to copy and clean the heads after copying each damaged tape.

Vinyl Discs

Water damage
If packaging is badly damaged transfer the discs to crates, padded with foam and interleave with foam every 25 discs.

Air-drying

1. Remove discs from packaging which should be dried as other paper materials.
2. If labels have separated mark the centre with a grease pencil.
3. Wash with distilled water if necessary.
4. Dry the discs on supports which allow free circulation of air. Shellac discs (78’s) should be dried as quickly as possible to avoid the laminate lifting.
5. If possible clean soiled discs on a professional vacuum type disc cleaning machine.
6. Place LPs into polypropylene inner sleeves then into original or replacement outer sleeves.

Reel to Reel Tapes

Water damage

1. Wash in lukewarm water whilst still on the reel, if dirty.
2. Dry by laying the tape on sheets of newsprint.
3. Copy the tape immediately, cleaning heads, capstan and pinch rollers of the tape machine after each copy.
4. Air dry tape boxes.
5. Return the tape to its original box or a replacement if necessary.

Videocassettes

Water damage

1. Dismantle the cassette.
2. Dry by laying the tape on sheets of newsprint.
3. Copy the tape immediately

Audiocassettes

Water damage

1. Dismantle the cassette.
2. Dry by laying the tape on sheets of newsprint.
3. Copy the tape immediately.

Fire Damage to Electronic and Magnetic Media

Fire damage to electronic and magnetic media is permanent.

Artefacts

The treatment of artefacts such as textiles or ceramics is a highly specialised process. Advice should be sought from specialists.

Mould

1. Contact an expert to determine if the mould represents a health hazard. Individuals who have an allergy to mould, who are taking steroids, have chronic respiratory problems, have diabetes or are pregnant should not be required to work in the disaster area.
2. Quarantine the affected area. Do not remove material from the area or put new materials into the area.
3. Decrease humidity and temperature, using fans and dehumidifiers.
4. Take daily readings of temperature and humidity.
5. Use a floor plan to plot the area of infestation and intensity of infestation.
6. Contact a mycologist or fumigation expert to discuss treatment options.
7. Determine and correct the cause of the mould.
8. Disinfect floors, shelving etc.
9. Institute regular checks of the affected area.

Pest Infestation

1. Contact an expert to determine if the pest represents a health hazard.
2. Quarantine the affected area. Do not remove material from the area or put new materials into the area.
3. Decrease humidity and temperature, using fans and dehumidifiers.
4. Take daily readings of temperature and humidity.
5. Use a floor plan to plot area of infestation and intensity of infestation.
6. Contact a fumigation expert to discuss treatment options.
7. Determine and correct the cause of the infestation.
8. Disinfect floors, shelving etc.
9. Institute regular checks of the affected area.

IT

In the event of the building having been evacuated, or a disaster occurring out of hours, the library system may not have been shut down properly. Procedures for the restoration of the computer should be included in the written plan, and training for Disaster staff provided beforehand. Where hardware has become wet or been damaged by fire the damage will need to be assessed and a report prepared for insurance purposes. It may be useful to seek expert advice to help assess damage to hardware. Damaged hardware should be removed from public access as soon as possible and quarantined until it can be assessed.

IT

Insert procedures for recovery of Library system after emergency shut down.

Bombs

Any member of staff could find a suspect package or answer the telephone and receive a bomb threat. It is therefore important to have procedures and training in place before the event. Many institutions will have procedures in place and libraries should consult the relevant department and seek expert advice. In the event of damage resulting from an explosion, the Disaster Control Plan should be implemented in the normal way. As with any disaster, the safety of library personnel is paramount and the disaster area should not be entered until it is declared safe to do so by the emergency services.

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Bombs

Telephone Warning

• If possible alert another staff member so that the senior staff member on duty can be informed.
• Do not cut off the conversation.
• Obtain as much information as possible.
• Keep the caller talking (apologise for the bad line, ask the caller to speak up)
• Complete a Telephone Bomb Threat Form, part 1, asking questions in sequence.
• After the call, alert the senior staff member on duty if this has not already been done.
• Complete part 2 of the Telephone Bomb Threat Form as soon as possible.

Telephone Bomb Threat Form
Part 1
Message (exact words).................................
.................................................................
...............................................................
Where is the bomb?.................................
What time will it go off? .................................
Why are you doing this?.................................
Who are you?.................................
Time of call.................................

Part 2
Details of the caller:
MAN     WOMAN     CHILD
OLD     YOUNG     NOT KNOWN

Speech:
INTOXICATED     RATIONAL     RAMBLING
SPEECH IMPEDIMENT     LAUGHING     SERIOUS
ACCENT     YES     NO
Give details....................................

Message:
READ OUT     SPONTANEOUS
Distractions:
Any noise on the line?     YES     NO
Give details...................................
Pay phone     YES     NO
Operator     YES     NO
Any Interruptions?     YES     NO
Give details..............................
Anyone in the background?     YES     NO
Give details..............................

Other noises:
TRAFFIC     TALK     TYPING     MACHINERY
AIRCRAFT    MUSIC     CHILDREN
OTHER.......................................
Name of person receiving the call.................................
Number of extension receiving the call..........................

Suspect Objects and Packages

• Do not move or touch in any way.
• Evacuate the library using local evacuation procedures.
• Inform the police on (9) 999.
• Where possible, leave doors and windows open in the vicinity of the package.
• The person finding the package should be immediately available to the police.

Letter Bombs
Possible indications that a letter or package is an explosive device are:

• Grease marks on the envelope or wrapping.
• Odour of marzipan or almonds.
• Visible wiring or tin foil, especially if the envelope or package is damaged.
• The envelope or package may feel heavy for its size.
• Uneven weight distribution – the contents may be rigid in a flexible envelope.
• The package may have excessive wrapping.
• Poor handwriting and spelling.
• Wrongly addressed or from an unexpected source.
• There may be too many stamps for the weight of the package.
• It may have been posted outside Great Britain.
• It may have been hand delivered from an unknown source.

Action:

• Isolate a suspect package or letter in a locked room, preferably on a table, away from windows and thin partition walls.
• Inform the police on (9) 999.

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