Rarely, if ever, have I enjoyed so much one of the titles from the Haworth Press, and I have reviewed a fair few. Not that their titles are un‐enjoyable, just that collections of articles of a practitioner nature on professional topics are not, generally speaking, riveting reads: interesting and useful, yes, but exciting, no. But I found this collection of 17 articles on dealing with, recovering from, and preparing for, natural disasters, a right riveting read from start to finish. Disasters in libraries might not seem a likely topic for enjoyment, and the experience of the authors was anything but enjoyable, but the fortitude and commitment shown by library staff in overcoming massive setbacks not of their making, was inspirational and made me proud to be a librarian!
Consider the following:
At approximately 10.40 p.m. on July 23, 2003 someone set a fire on the second floor of the Ilah Dunlop Little memorial Library at the University of Georgia … The fire spread to the ceiling tiles … and rained down on the assorted material below … massive quantities of smoke were produced and sucked into the building air‐conditioning system, circulating the smoke … up to the seventh floor and then down from there (p. 72).
And from smoke to water:
… on Saturday, January 7, 2006, a steam pipe burst … forcing steam into the library basement [in the Sterling Memorial Library at Yale University]. The excessive heat set off four sprinkler heads … soaking bound and unbound collections in Circulation, the Manuscripts and Archive collection, the Slavic Reading Room, and one of the Near East catalog backlog areas (p. 90).A flash flood … hit the University of Hawaii at 8 p.m. on Saturday, October 30, 2004. In the Library it created a powerful set of waves surging up to nine feet on the ground floor, throwing desks, book trucks, books, boxes, map cases, shelving and files against the building's supporting walls. The floodwater carried mud and debris through the campus (p. 101).
As the Yale writer observed: “The Law of Water Emergencies in Libraries is… [that] water disasters will happen on the weekend, over or near a holiday recess … ” Less dramatic, though no less stressful, were the following:
“On Tuesday staff noticed mould while retrieving a book … and immediately contacted the Preservation Department … Even our brief exposure without protective gear was hazardous. The assistant conservator developed a sore throat and brief fever and I was ill for six weeks” (p. 128). But my heart went out to Richard Widdicombe's 20‐year‐long‐term battle against Sick Building Syndrome and the indifference of his peers before the evils of “SBS” were better understood. The innovative air circulation system at the Stevens Institute of Technology, Utica, ducting air through concrete, was a disaster!
More dramatic are the accounts of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Of note here was not just the physical damage caused to libraries, but that the region's infrastructure. In some places the water, electricity, security and telephone services were also wiped out. Not to mention the fact that library staff had their own problems with damaged homes.
The tales of woe and heroism are dramatic enough, but the focus of the book is how such disasters were, or should have been, dealt with. The libraries featured were not unprepared, they had disaster plans, but the real event, the disaster, will always throw up the unexpected. Contributors give advice on restoration and forward planning. How prepared is your library for a disaster? Hurricanes and tsunamis may be a rarity, but many of us will have experienced burst pipes, fires and other damage caused by vandals, and leaking fumes from faulty equipment or spillages. One potential problem that struck me forcibly was the need to safeguard computer systems in the event of flood or fire.
The index is a good introduction to some the many topics covered in the book: Biocides; Cellulose – thermal drying – related damage to; Dew point, for condensation; Disaster recovery companies – overcharging by; Dye, as map damage cause; Freeze‐drying; Gamma‐radiation, as mould control; Insurance claims; Ink “bleeding”, from Post‐it NotesTM; Sewage; Looting; Media releases; Drains, shut‐off valves on; Odor, of fire‐damaged materials and Genealogical materials, priorities for salvage of. What a lot of thing we librarians need to know! The entry for Khmer Rouge was a surprise, but it related to a damaged collection of books on the subject, not to the disaster of war – a disaster not featured in this book on US experience.
In places the index is a touch overdone: Sloth; Envy; Greed; Gluttony; Anger; Lust and Pride are not, I would have thought, sought terms. They relate to an article on “The seven deadly sins of disaster recovery” about subversive factors at work in the disaster domain and the need for continued good staff management to combat the “headless chicken” scenario. On second thoughts, maybe “Anger, as obstacle to recovery process” earns its keep. Supplementing the accounts is a useful bibliography.
The mix of first‐hand accounts and reflective thinking works well. We can all empathise with the authors’ experiences. Disasters happen, pray not to me, but what if … ? A reading of Dealing with Natural Disasters in Libraries will encourage us to face the fear. By its eminent practicality and personal touch – jackets off, roll up your sleeves – we are encouraged to believe that we, too, can succeed in taming a disaster! A book recommended for all library managers.
