The Learning Resources Standing Committee (LRSC) of the Council of Instructional Affairs (CIA) is concerned with preserving the learning resources in Florida community college libraries. We also believe that it is important to protect and preserve the repository of any materials that aid to the cultural development of a community. In this spirit, we compiled an online list of resources and helpful guidance for preventing the destruction of these collections.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Florida: Library Disaster Preparedness - Plans, Manuals, Procedures, etc.


Barry University
Brevard Community College
Florida Atlantic University
FAU Continuity of Operations Plan
Florida International University
Miami Dade Public Library System
Nova Southeastern University
Palm Beach Community College
School District of Palm Beach County
St. Thomas University
University of Florida
University of North Florida

At the request of the Florida Department of Education, Office of School Library Media Services, the media specialists prepared the Disaster Preparedness Resources for Florida School Library Media Centers, a listing of recommended web resources.

Beyond Florida: Library Disaster Preparedness - Plans, Manuals, Procedures, etc.

The Generic Disaster Plan Workbook by the Californian Preservation Program provides a framework to assist libraries in writing a disaster plan. In addition the workbook, they also have a Library Disaster Plan Template to be used in conjunction with the Disaster Planning and Preparedness Guidelines to prepare institutional emergency plans that include collections priorities and disaster response procedures.

The State Library of Ohio designed a disaster preparedness manual, A Disaster Preparedness Plan for Small Public Libraries – 2002.

dplan - Free Online Tool for Writing Disaster Plans

dPlan, a free online tool to help you write a disaster plan, provides a fill-in-the-blank template that guides you through the necessary steps for an effective disaster plan specific to your library that can be updated continuously.

Pocket Response Plan (PReP)™

The Pocket Response Plan (PReP)™ , a concise document for recording essential information, is a great tool for every person who has response-related assignment. It can be customized for each institution and staff member. Printed on both sides of a legal-size sheet of paper then trimmed, it can be folded to credit card size that fits easily into a wallet. Information includes an Emergency Communication Directory and an Emergency Response Checklist. It is designed to complement, not replace, the library's disaster plan, providing managers and staff with the essential information at all times.

Libraries and Disaster Preparedness & Recovery (Power Point presentations)

Darcel Bryant from Howard University, Washington, DC, has a PowerPoint presentation, Libraries and Disaster Preparedness and Recovery: Making Your Library a Safer Place to Be during a Natural Disaster and Making It Easier for Your Library to Recover from a Natural Disaster.

Holly Robertson from University of Virginia created a PowerPoint presention -- Fire, Water, or Worse: Disaster preparedness Plan.

Helpful Links (January 2008)


The American Library Association has numerous links to disaster planning, collection preservation and recovery, as well as other resources.


SOLINET provides a number links to classes on preservation and disaster planning; a database of vendors who provide supplies, equipment, and services for disaster preparedness and recovery; disaster mitigation and recovery resources; publications on disaster planning; and a bibliography, Disaster Preparedness and Recovery: Selected Bibliography, that includes materials that would be useful in developing institutional disaster plans.


The IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf is intended to provide small and medium-sized libraries and museums with essential resources needed to improve the condition of their collections. The Bookshelf includes books, DVDs, and other collections resources, as well as a Guide to Online Resources and a User’s Guide to all of the materials. It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues.


Southeast Florida Library Information Network's list of disaster planning resources include plans from SEFLIN member libraries, resources for library organizations & consortia, information from both the Federal and Florida government, plus numerous other websites.


LibrarySupportStaff.com provides useful links on collection care and disaster planning.



Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, WebJunction focused on disaster planning and recovery for libraries.




The Disaster Recovery Journal , a journal of reliable information on disasters, services, trends, products and more is free to anyone involved in disaster planning and recovery.


Austin Community College in Texas has a collection of articles, audio files, and web resources in their Online Library - Business Continuity and Disaster Preparedness.