Disaster Recovery -Just a beginning

(notes from Denver IUG 14Pre-conference)

Christine PounceyJune 2, 2006

Prevention• Routine Inspections• Safety Practices• Checks of Temp, Humidity, and environmental

controls• Proper storage• Security Checks• Staff familiarity with building layout• Handbook including:

– Emergency Contact Numbers of All Staff– Contact information for Vendors and Recovery Helpers– List of supplies and their locations (redundancy)– Disaster Plan with a specific Salvage Plan

Ongoing tasks• Contact sources of supplies to explain

recovery needs (annually)• Disaster plan reviewed, updated, and

redistributed (annually)• Multiple types of disasters planned for

– fire, flood, tornado, blizzard, terrorist, pandemic

• Training in recovery techniques and mandatory refresher training

• Establish reciprocal arrangements with other institutions– ILL, co-hosting, housing workers. etc

Have a Team• List of members w/alternatives

– staff members may not be available do to personal or family concerns/injuries

• Team Leaders and Subleaders– all should be cross-trained, more than one person needs

to know how to do each recovery task and the entire plan well enough to pinch hit

• Outline areas of responsibility– Who handles budgeting, money flow, media contacts,

contacting vendors, insurance, etc• Importance of drills – practice while building is

occupied• Outline responsibilities for patron safety

– leave the building, don’t leave the building, stairs, evac-chairs

When Disaster Strikes• Stage 1 - Assess damage

– Do a walk-thru (pictures & notes)• Stage 2 - Make outside contacts• Stage 3 - Stabilize the environment• Stage 4 - Activate teams• Stage 5 - Restore the area (removal and

replacement)• Stage 6 – Salvage

– Priorities should predetermined as part of the disaster plan and regularly reviewed

– Extensive instructions for handling damaged materials (videos, books, etc)

– Responses to different types of damage– Record Keeping – what when where