When disaster strikes, school librarians can play a key role in keeping kids safe. This is the only book written specifically to provide school librarians with emergency preparedness and recovery tools as well as curricular tie-ins. No school is immune to disaster, whether in the form of a natural event like a tornado or a tragedy like the violence that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The key to minimizing injury or death in an emergency is preparedness—something the school librarian is uniquely positioned to lead. This must-have book will show you how to be proactive in getting your school ready for the worst. It provides comprehensive preparedness and recovery plans, check lists, and curricular recommendations on preparedness that can be tailored to your individual library and community. Covering natural disasters, human-made disasters, and school violence, the book shows you how to conduct drills, assess vulnerabilities and risk, communicate preparedness plans, and use bibliotherapy for disaster recovery. It also describes how your library can be a safe haven for students who feel disconnected, bullied, or otherwise disenfranchised. Although the book is primarily intended for school librarians, classroom teachers will also find many ideas here for helping students be better prepared for disasters, whatever their cause or severity.

Libraries have always played a special role in times of disaster by continuing to provide crucial information and services. The Stafford Act of 2011, a federal government directive, designates libraries as among the temporary facilities delivering essential services, making a Continuity of Operations Plan imperative for libraries. Peppered with informative first-person narratives from librarians recounting emergency situations, Halsted, Clifton, and Wilson cover such topics as: An eight-step approach to developing a risk assessment planHow to draft a one-page service continuity planInformation on how to use mobile devices and social media effectively in times of disasterSample disaster plans, along with model exercises, manuals and customizable communicationsPublished in cooperation with the Medical Library Association (MLA), this nuts-and-bolts resource will enable libraries of all kinds to do their best while planning for the worst.

Offers instructions on writing and implementing disaster plans for libraries.

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.

Libraries are in a unique position to aid communities during times of adversity, and this comprehensive handbook’s practical tools and expert guidance will help ensure that your library is thoroughly prepared for emergency response and recovery. Your library is a vital information hub and resource provider every single day, and that’s doubly true when calamity strikes. In fact, your library’s role as an “essential community function” during disasters is now encoded in U.S. law. Engaging as a partner in planning and preparedness will build much-needed community support should disaster strike, and even a basic plan will also save you time and stress later on. No matter where your library is in the disaster planning cycle, this handbook will make the process clearer and less daunting. You’ll get tools, activities, easy-to-adapt templates, and hands-on guidance on such topics as the six phases of disaster response; 15 first-hand accounts of library disaster planning or responses, helping you identify the library services most needed during a disaster; three essential factors that will shape the form of your disaster plan; preparing for hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, floods, and earthquakes; ideas for connecting with your community’s emergency response teams; federal government planning resources; pointers on working with state and local governments; a sample Memorandum of Understanding to outline mutual support for a speedier recovery; recommended courses and training, many of which are free; targeted advice for archives and special collections; sample building inspection checklists; and recommended games to help children and families prepare.

Learn from those who actually dealt with disaster! Regardless of the type of library, natural disasters can have catastrophic effects on its collections and artifacts. Dealing with Natural Disasters in Libraries provides an inside look at different disasters and how diverse types of libraries dealt with the consequences. This useful resource covers a wide range of natural disasters, including flood, fire, water damage, mold, sick building syndrome, and hurricane damage. Librarians from different types of libraries describe personal efforts to cope with real-life cases of disaster, and discuss principles and lessons which can be used to plan for—and better respond to—future catastrophic occurrences. Every library should have a disaster plan in place. Dealing with Natural Disasters in Libraries provides realistic guidance on how to best prepare for catastrophic damage and loss, and practical suggestions on how to best respond once disaster does strike. These authors use their unique perspectives on having lived through a disaster to provide a close examination of lessons learned. This crucial book includes a selected bibliography and a series of case studies that illustrate what other librarians did to repair and rebuild collections and facilities after experiencing some of the most challenging circumstances imaginable. Managing people, education and training, the creation of a disaster plan, the treatment of damaged materials, recovery of materials, and the successful rebuilding of a library after its complete destruction are all discussed in detail. Dealing with Natural Disasters in Libraries examines: case studies of different types of disasters and effective responses steps small libraries should take during the first month after a disaster strategies to deal with fire, smoke, and water damage issues what to do to avoid mold growth after moisture problems or water damage fixing “sick” buildings dealing with the devastation of Hurricane Katrina post-disaster recovery differing responses to minor disasters, localized disasters, major disasters, and catastrophic disasters providing public access to vital information after disasters strike prevention of potential disaster situations and more! Dealing with Natural Disasters in Libraries is an essential resource for academic librarians, public librarians, special librarians, school librarians, library science faculty, and administrators.