Emergency Preparedness for Libraries

by Julie Todaro

Overview

Despite the volumes of information they contain, few libraries, whose population at any given moment is as unpredictable as the weather, know how to prepare for, endure, and survive a disaster, whether natural or man-made, and even fewer put their know-how to paper. Emergency Preparedness for Libraries provides library management with a comprehensive guide to planning and executing emergency procedures.

Based, in part, on an emergency preparedness seminar the author has presented for the American Library Association, Emergency Preparedness for Libraries provides library personnel with detailed instructions for protecting staff, patrons, and the facilities themselves, including

• Steps to take now, before disaster strikes


• People and procedures to include in an emergency/disaster action plan


• Practical ways to turn written plans into an instinctual team response


• Safety considerations to take into account when caring for people on-site during an emergency


• Information to provide to the umbrella organization and the media after a disaster


• Key things to do the first few days after an event


• Tips for getting back to business

In addition, the author examines possible scenarios and provides step-by-step solutions for all types of libraries—academic, school, public, and special—and all types of disruptions, including floods, fires, civil disturbances, and theft.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780865871663
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/16/2009
Edition description:	Older Edition
Pages:	206
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Julie Todaro is Dean of Library Services and Head Librarian of the Rio Grande Campus Library of Austin Community College in Austin, Texas, and past-president of both the Association of College and Research Libraries and the Texas Library Association. She presents national workshops on staff development and management issues for all types and sizes of libraries. She is the author of Haworth Community and Junior College Libraries quarterly column "Nothing But Net" and LAMA's quarterly column "The Truth is Out There."

Table of Contents

Introduction v

1 Defining Twenty-first Century Emergencies and Disasters 3

2 Defining Twenty-first Century Emergencies and Disasters in Library Environments 19

3 Planning, Prevention, Response, and Recovery 51

4 Emergency/Disaster Action Plans 73

5 Integrating Emergency/Disaster Planning into the Organization 113

6 Day One/Day of: Responding to Emergency/Disaster Events, Both Internal and External 131

7 Day Two and Beyond 139

Appendix A Resources 145

Appendix B Forms 177

Appendix C Virtual World Emergency Simulations 193

About the Author 197

Editorial Reviews

One can never be too prepared for emergency situations.... This book is a big help in that it organizes ideas for what to do 'at the very least/right now' and then 'in the next year,' which makes tasks and goals seem achievable for busy library staff.... Overall, this is a very informative book to have on hand to prepare a library for emergencies.

American Reference Books Annual

One can never be too prepared for emergency situations.... This book is a big help in that it organizes ideas for what to do 'at the very least/right now' and then 'in the next year,' which makes tasks and goals seem achievable for busy library staff.... Overall, this is a very informative book to have on hand to prepare a library for emergencies.

41st Volume American Reference Books Annual

Author Julie Todaro has extensive experience in the field that undoubtedly accounts for the expertise demonstrated in Emergency Preparedness. She holds a doctorate in Library Science and taught in the field before working as a manager, a location director, and Dean of Library Services at Austin Community College, where several library locations were under her leadership. Todaro also served as a leader of several professional organizations including the Texas Library Association, the Association of College and Research Libraries, and the American Library Association. This book will likely be useful for administrators leading emergency planning and various stakeholders in the emergency planning process - often, in a library context, emergency planning or safety and security committee members. Its information helps with interim planning and provides a runway to do more longitudinal planning, and the case studies and examples will be useful to committees and planners as well… Overall, Emergency Preparedness for Libraries is a useful reference[.]

Technical Services Quarterly

Chosen as a Doody's Core Title for 2023.

From the Publisher

The value of this book is that it will give the reader a starting point for creating or improving on organization's plans for dealing with emergencies and disasters.

Serials Review