Preservation

Disaster Preparedness and Recovery: Selected Bibliography

Overview

This leaflet lists materials most useful in developing institutional disaster plans.

Document

This bibliography includes those materials that are likely to be most useful in developing institutional disaster plans.

Artim, Nick. "An Introduction to Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Part I." and "An Introduction to Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Part II: System Types. " WAAC Newsletter [Western Association for Art Conservators] nos. 16 (Sep 1994): 20-27 and 17 (May 1995): 23-28.

This article, published in two parts, provides an excellent overview of automatic sprinkler systems, with helpful diagrams of system types, components, and operations. Discusses advantages and disadvantages for each in relation to the needs of a cultural institution.

Artim, Nick. "An Update on Micromist Fire Extinguishment Systems." WAAC Newsletter [Western Association for Art Conservators] 17 (Sep 1995): 14.

Overview of the features, pros, and cons of micromist fire suppression technology.

Breighner, Mary and William Peyton. Jeanne Drewes, Managing Editor. “Risk Insurance Management Manual for Libraries." American Library Association, 2005.

This manual contains information on how best to protect an institution’s assets through risk management, including risk identification, quantification, and financing. Includes sample policies and checklists.

Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts. Technical Bulletins. Philadelphia: CCAHA.

Well-illustrated and informative quick reference guides to aid in salvaging books, art on paper, and photographic collections. Each bulletin will take you step-by-step through response and recovery and includes information on health risks and hazardous situations.

Darling, Pamela W., with Duane E. Webster. Revised by Jan Merrill-Oldham and Jutta Reed-Scott. Preservation Planning Program: An Assisted Self-Study Manual for Libraries. 1993 ed. Washington: ARL Office of Management Studies.

Developed to help libraries plan and implement preservation programs in a process that educates and involves a large number of staff members. Outlines a comprehensive self-study process, including a module on disaster control.

Dorge, Valerie and Sharon L. Jones. Building an Emergency Plan: A Guide for Museums and Other Cultural Institutions. Los Angeles: Getty Conservation Institute, 1999.

A comprehensive, step-by-step guide through the disaster planning process. Case studies, suggested exercises, and questions to consider help in relating the information to your specific institutional needs.

Fortson, Judith. Disaster Planning and Recovery: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians and Archivists. How-To-Do-It Manuals for Libraries, No. 21. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1992.

Excellent, up-to-date resource on disaster planning and recovery. Includes information on preparing for a variety of disasters, information on insurance, and sample forms. Contains extensive bibliographical references.

Fox, Lisa L. "Management Strategies for Disaster Preparedness." pp. 1-6 in The ALA Yearbook of Library and Information Services, vol. 14. Chicago: American Library Association, 1989.

Addresses four key concepts for moving an institution beyond the planning stage and into successful implementation.

Hendriks, Klaus B. and Brian Lesser. "Disaster Preparedness and Recovery: Photographic Materials." American Archivist 46 (Winter 1983): 52-68.

Provides excellent, research-based advice on techniques for salvaging photographic materials.

Heritage Preservation. “Field Guide to Emergency Response.” 2006.

This handbook, complete with a DVD demonstrating salvage techniques, explains initial steps to take, essential response functions, and typical conditions following a disaster. The guide can be customized with local emergency contacts, service providers, insurance, supplies, and salvage priorities.

Hiatt, Charlotte. A Primer for Disaster Recovery Planning in an IT Environment. Hershey, Pa: Idea Group Publishing, 2000.

This guide provides useful information on the subject of business resumption planning (also known as business continuity or continuity of operations planning) and focuses on how to get your data systems up and running following a disaster. The appendices include helpful matrices, sample flowcharts, questionnaires, and case studies.

Iowa Cooperative Preservation Consortium. Flood Recovery Booklet. Iowa City, IA: Iowa Cooperative Preservation Consortium, 1994.

Compendium of resources compiled in response to the 1993 Midwest floods. Checklists, charts and short articles relating to flood recovery are grouped into three categories: home and safety, treating damaged materials, where to go for help. Particularly useful in dealing with family heirlooms and personal collections.

Iraci, Joe. “Disaster Recovery of Modern Information Carriers: Compact Discs, Magnetic Tapes, and Magnetic Discs.” Technical Bulletin No. 25. Ottawa: Canadian Conservation Institute, 2002.

This bulletin summarizes recovery procedures for optical and magnetic media.

Jones, Virgina A., and Kris E. Keyes. Emergency Management for Records and Information Management Programs. Prairie Village, KS: ARMA International, 2001.

This resource covers basic emergency management concepts, gaining administrative support, identification and protection of vital records, risk management, disaster plan creation and implementation, and resumption of operations.

Kahn, Miriam B. "Disaster Response and Planning for Libraries." 2^nd ed. Chicago: American Library Association, 2003.

A practical guide to disaster planning for libraries and cultural collections. Three case studies add a dose of reality to the procedures and guidelines. The checklists, forms, and procedures are easily adaptable to any library.

Lord, Allyn, and Renol, Carolyn, and Demeroukas, Marie Steal This Handbook! A Template for Creating a Museum's Emergency Preparedness Plan. Columbia, SC: Southeastern Registrars Association, 1994.

Includes information useful for any institution involved in developing an emergency preparedness plan. Contains useful appendices, bibliographies, and resource lists. Chemical treatments described are no longer recommended.

Lundquist, Eric G. Salvage of Water Damaged Books, Documents, Micrographic and Magnetic Media. San Francisco: Document Reprocessors, 1986.

Case histories of a major library fire and an area-wide flood, with useful tips on factors that should be accommodated in disaster planning.

National Fire Protection Association. NFPA 909: Protection of Cultural Resources. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 2009.

The result of combining and revising three standards by the NFPA’s Technical Committee on Cultural Resources to cover libraries, museums, and places of worship. The 11-chapter document outlines fire emergency planning, fire prevention, construction and renovation, inspection and testing. ANSI-approved as a national standard.

National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Treatment of Flood-Damaged Older and Historic Buildings. Information Booklet No. 82, 1993.

A useful leaflet on treating historic properties. Include sections on how to care for wet plaster, saturated wood-framed walls and floors, cleaning out mud, and a checklist of practical considerations.

New York University Libraries Preservation Committee. Disaster Plan Workbook. New York: NYU Libraries.

Essentially a "fill-in-the-blanks" disaster plan, with some basic information on emergency procedures and resources. Should be used in conjunction with more detailed literature on the subject.

Northeast Document Conservation Center and Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. dPlan: The Online Disaster-Planning Tool.

This online template helps institutions create customized disaster plans for their institutions.

Northern Arizona University. “NAU Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Site.” .

This website provides an example of one academic university’s business continuity and disaster plan. The site provides links to key definitions in business continuity planning as well as a template for each department to use to create its business continuity plans.

Parker, Thomas A. "Integrated Pest Management for Libraries." In Preservation of Library Materials, ed. Merrily A. Smith, pp. 103-123. IFLA Publications 40/41. Munich: K. G. Saur Verlag, 1987.

Excellent descriptions of common library pests, with illustrations, descriptions of damage, and controlling strategies (especially non-chemical).

Preventive Conservation in Museums: Disaster Contingency Planning. Université du Québec à Montreal, 1995. VHS video.

This 21-minute color video focuses on disaster planning, prevention, and recovery for museum collections. The video provides the framework from which to begin disaster planning and concisely covers the methods of drying water-damaged artifacts.

Primer on Disaster Preparedness, Management, and Response: Paper-Based Materials. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and Records Administration, Library of Congress, and National Park Service, 1993. Available online: CoOL (Conservation OnLine) .

Four excellent reprints, each covering a different aspect of disaster management of paper-based materials. The Smithsonian piece has useful checklists outlining procedures for action immediately following a disaster. The NARA article is directed to the general public regarding small-scale threats to personal collections. Excerpts from Peter Waters’ revised classic; reflects changes in use of fumigants and refinement of techniques. An overview of the identification and treatment of mold is covered by National Park Service.

Public Library Quarterly. "Dealing with Natural Disasters in Libraries." Vol. 25, No. 3-4, 2006.

This special issue discusses libraries’ responses to a variety of disasters and includes lessons learned through case studies from a variety of disasters and library types.

Shelter from the Stormy Blast: A Guide to Disaster Recovery Services for Georgia & the Southeast. Atlanta, GA: 2006.

Although this guide focuses on disaster recovery resources in the Southeastern United States., it could serve as a model for other states or regions. Includes criteria for evaluating recovery vendors and services, and an annotated list of search terms for the yellow pages or the internet aid in identifying disaster-related products and services.

SOLINET. New Strategies for Regional Disaster Mitigation and Response. Proceeding of a SOLINET Preservation Conference, April 8, 1999. Atlanta, GA: Southeastern Library Network, Inc., 2000.

Proceedings from a conference organized to provide a framework for planning disaster response on a regional scale.

LYRASIS Preservation Services. "The Invasion of the Giant Mold Spore." LYRASIS Preservation Leaflet. Atlanta: SOLINET, July 2003.

A comprehensive guide to the prevention and eradication of mold.

Trinkley, Michael. Can You Stand the Heat? A Fire Safety Primer for Libraries, Archives and Museums. Atlanta, GA: Southeastern Library Network, 1993.

Practical introduction to all the major components of fire safety. Includes detailed explanations of all the fire detection mechanisms (e.g., alarms and smoke detectors) and suppression devices (e.g., sprinklers, portable extinguishers, and Halon) typically used in repositories, with analysis of their features and benefits. Stresses the importance of conducting fire safety inspections and outlines the necessary elements of a fire safety program.

Trinkley, Michael. Hurricane! Surviving the Big One: A Primer for Libraries, Museums and Archives. 2nd ed. Columbia, SC: Chicora Foundation, 1998.

Provides information on how to survive a hurricane through appropriate planning. Topics include building design that resists the effects of hurricanes; retrofitting existing structures to improve survivability; the supplies your institution will need; and actions to take prior to, during, and after the storm. Information is provided on recovery techniques, and rebuilding after the storm.

Walsh, Betty. "Salvage Operations for Water Damaged Archival Collections: A Second Glance." WAAC Newsletter [Western Association for Art Conservators] 12 (May 1997): 12-23.

The salvage section of the disaster plan from the British Columbia Information Management Services. Excellent examples of guidelines for packing, differentiates between minor and major disasters, includes salvage procedures for a variety of formats. Issue features a 17"x 22" foldout summary chart of salvage guidelines printed on a waterproof and stain resistant synthetic paper.

Waters, Peter. Procedures for Salvage of Water-Damaged Library Materials. Washington, DC: Library of Congress, 1979.

Although some sections are dated, particularly relating to the use of fungicides, this classic work set the standards for treating water damaged materials. Designed to assist cultural institutions in handling large-scale, long-term recovery efforts.

Wellheiser, Johanna. An Ounce of Prevention: Integrated Disaster Planning for Archives, Libraries, and Record Centres. 2nd edition. Toronto: Scarecrow Press, Inc. and Canadian Archives Foundation, 2002.

One of the most practical and comprehensive manuals published on disaster prevention, planning, and recovery.