disaster

Information & links regarding Japan’s libraries

This list of information came to the VT Libraries list, via the IFLA list. I found one copy of it online in a sort of random place and it’s a few days old but it’s got a nice comprehensive-seeming outline of what’s going on in Japan and especially in the Japanese library community. IFLA has also made their own resource page which is full of pointers as well as comments from notable Japanese librarians. People who read Japanese will probably get a lot of information from the Savelibrary wiki which has up to date information and a lot of links. The photo comes from this thread (original thread in Japanese) where librarians were posting photos of their institutions just after the earthquake. If you continue to scroll, you’ll see some better photos now that recovery work has started.

Louisville Public Library needs help and good thoughts

Posted on 05Aug09 by jessamyn

I was following the Louisville Free Public Library disaster/flooding yesterday via Greg Schwartz’s tweeting and twitpics but I was travelling home. Today, there’s been time for more recapping and reflection from the online community including this very good and succinct post from Rachel Walden: How You Can Help the Louisville Free Public Library Recover from Disaster. Upshot: don’t send books, consider contributing to the LSW fundraising drive. Send Greg and the other employees your best wishes

how to deal with a tornado @ your library

Posted on 14Mar0614Mar06 by jessamyn

According to Heritage Preservation, the National Institute for Conservation 80% of U.S. collecting institutions do not have an emergency plan that includes collections, with staff trained to carry it out. The LiveJournal libraries community has an interesting thread about how to deal with emergencies at the library in the wake of the tornados that went through Kansas this weekend. Read one librarian’s story and the follow up discussion about other library’s disaster plans. Remember Greg Schwartz’s first day as supervisor when the tornado warnings hit. We’ve been learning a lot about how libraries deal with flooding in light of Hurricane Katrina, 9/11 and other recent catastrophes, but many of us may not know what our disaster plan is, or where it is kept. Today’s list of links is on disaster planning.

Conservation OnLine’s list of disaster plans for libraries
Mary Finley’s Disaster Planning for Libraries bibliography
Writing the Disaster Response Plan: Going Beyond Shouting “Help! Help!” by Stephen Henson
SLAs Disaster Planning Portal
The Public Library as a Community Crisis Center by Barbara Will
Digital Libraries – Coping with Disasters by Roy Tenant

librarian finds peace, leaving New Orleans

Posted on 29Nov05 by jessamyn

Just got an update that New Orleans Public Library resumed circulation of books today at the Nix and Hubbell Branches. Weekly bloggish updates of the recovery efforts are on this page. This all, however, just a feel good intro to this heartwarming librarian story Evacuated librarian lends hand, finds peace

When Xavier University’s library director decided to leave New Orleans hours ahead of Hurricane Katrina, fate put him on the road to a mutually beneficial relationship with a library miles away.