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Disaster Control Plan |
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| M25 Disaster Management Group | |||||
Recovery - Commentary
Disaster Recovery Manager Functions
Experience after the Norwich fire[2] has shown that initial concern and sympathy following a disaster rapidly wears off if the Library continues to be out of action for any length of time. Therefore the Disaster Recovery Manager must deal with the long-term effects of the disaster whilst simultaneously maintaining an acceptable level of service to users. Regular progress reports will help retain the support of users and senior management. The Disaster Recovery Manager should continue to keep the Press Officer informed as long as the media remain interested in the story.
If staff levels permit it is best to have two separate teams; one to deal with recovery and the other with service continuity. It is possible, depending on the scale of the disaster, that both teams will for a time be operating out of temporary accommodation. This will be a difficult time for staff, particularly if the recovery period is a protracted one. Staff must be kept busy, motivated and informed, if their morale is to be maintained beyond the immediate recovery period.
Service Continuity
Priorities for the continued provision of service must be set locally, but will include, for example:
- Post receipt, processing invoices and fetching undamaged stock from accessible areas or from storage. For some parts of the collections, e.g. the Special Collections, a retrieval service may not be appropriate and it may be necessary to suspend consultation facilities while the collections remain in offsite secure storage, or to arrange for consultation to take place in the library of another institution.
- New stock should be made available as soon as possible utilising temporary shelving if necessary.
- Access to audio visual materials should be restored one format at a time, which should allow for the equipment bought to be of reasonable quality.
- If the Quick Reference collection has been affected, borrow as much as possible from other libraries who have duplicates. Many enquiries can be satisfied from a basic collection including a multi-volume encyclopaedia, a dictionary, an atlas and an almanac, or from validated internet resources and gateways.
- If the IT service is unaffected use electronic sources to provide a reference service.
Conservation of Stock
Depending on the nature of the disaster and the salvage policy of the library, recovery will start with the conservation of damaged stock. Once stabilised the stock will need to be shelved away from the disaster area so as to reduce the likelihood of mould growth. Water-damaged stock must be checked regularly for any signs of mould for the next twelve months and preferably should not be re-shelved in its original location for 6 months after the disaster. Freeze dried stock should be laid aside in a room at normal levels of temperature and relative humidity to allow it to reacclimatize. It should be handled with caution, as its unusually low internal moisture content will make it brittle. Where stock is in need of interventive conservation treatment or repair, library staff should liaise closely with the selected conservation firm(s) to identify priorities for treatments, the benefits of batching similar types of work together and the likely timescales for treatment. A comprehensive conservation programme should be drawn up.
Restoration of the Disaster Area
Once all the damaged stock has been removed from the site of the disaster the area must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected to discourage mould growth, where water damage has occurred. This work can be undertaken by commercial industrial cleaners and should include all surfaces and shelving in the affected area. Take temperature and relative humidity readings until they stabilise within normal limits as specified in BS5454 : 2000. The area should then be monitored for 6 months to ensure that there is no sign of mould growth before any material is shelved there.
If a major re-fit of the area is required (as the result of a fire or flood for example), this may be an opportunity to redesign and upgrade an area to make it more user friendly or disaster proof, without having as many constraints as previously. At this time the outcomes of previous risk management exercises should be reviewed for implementation. This may also represent an opportunity to re-think holdings and equipment policies. Do not forget to plan for the replacement of telephones, telephone points and data points[7], plus any other equipment destroyed in the disaster, and for the servicing of this equipment.
I.T.
Recovery from an IT-based disaster may be a matter of restoring the system from backups. However where theft or vandalism or other damage to hardware has occurred new hardware may need to be ordered and assembled before backups can be used. Ordering of new hardware may be delayed by negotiations with the institution's insurers. Local procedures for service continuity will then have to be implemented for the intervening period. It should be noted that in one case, equipment which appeared to be undamaged failed to work a few weeks later as rust patches appeared and some equipment which continued to function, did not do so as well as it had before the disaster.[31]
Insurance Claims
Lists of material, equipment and furniture damaged in the disaster will need to be collated and insurance claims prepared. Order replacement items and equipment as soon as local circumstances allow (e.g. insurance payments). Inventories will have to be updated to reflect losses and new purchases. In the case of Special Collections material expert advice should be sought as to the replacement or conservation value of lost, destroyed or damaged stock. The major antiquarian booksellers and auction houses can provide advice on the former, as can the Antiquarian Booksellers Association, while binding and conservation firms should be consulted on the latter.
Recovery - Template
Disaster Recovery Manager Functions
During the recovery phase the Disaster Recovery Manager should:
- Operate procedures to ensure that the post is received and invoices are processed.
- Operate procedures to allow access to undamaged stock as soon as possible. Oversee arrangements for alternative IT facilities or study space as necessary.
- Operate procedures to restore IT from backup as necessary.
- Oversee the conservation operation and arrangements for alternative storage facilities as necessary.
- Arrange for the disaster area to be cleaned and disinfected as necessary.
- Ensure that the restored stock and disaster area are checked regularly for mould for the next twelve months where water damage has occurred. Keep detailed written records of all repair and conservation work required.
- Collate lists of damaged and destroyed stock, equipment, furniture etc. and prepare insurance claims.
- Order replacement shelving, furniture and equipment as necessary. Consider redesigning an area (e.g. moving telephone points) if the re-fit allows.
- Update inventories to reflect losses and new purchases.
- Provide regular bulletins on progress for senior management, readers and, if still necessary, the Press Officer. Liaise with the Development Office, if applicable, regarding any fund-raising campaigns that may be launched as a result of the disaster.
Insert details of the binding and conservation firms used by the library here.
Insert contact details of the institution’s Press Office here.
Insert contact details of the institution’s Development Office (if applicable) here.
Counselling
The recovery phase of a disaster can take much longer than initially anticipated, and the impact on staff morale can be long lasting. In some cases, staff counselling may be appropriate.[22]
Counselling
Insert local arrangements made to provide counselling for staff in the aftermath of a disaster.
Learning from the Disaster, and Revision of the Disaster Control Plan
Every disaster should lead to a re-examination of a library’s policies and procedures to make sure that lessons are learned and that the likelihood of the same disaster occurring again is kept to a minimum.
Each time the Disaster Control Plan is implemented, the procedures followed should be analysed and a report written, which assesses the success of the operation and makes recommendations for any necessary changes to the plan. Fresh risk assessment exercises should also be undertaken for relevant areas and activities. All updates should be signed and dated by those responsible.
Sometimes a library can turn a disaster to its advantage; a fire or flood caused by poor quality accommodation can result in a library securing funds for a new and superior building. Public sympathy may be aroused by the loss of collections of cultural significance or local value; good collaboration between the library and the parent institution’s Press Office and / or Development Office may result in helpful press coverage and the launch of a successful fund-raising campaign. Skilful cultivation of the library’s existing friends and supporters, within the institution and further afield, can bring long-term benefits.
Learning from the Disaster, and Revision of the Disaster Control Plan
- Analyse the procedures followed.
- Write a report on the operation identifying any weaknesses in the Disaster Control Plan.
- Undertake risk assessment exercises for relevant areas and activities.
- Revise the Disaster Control Plan. All updates should be signed and dated.