Post on 26-Mar-2015
Is Your Library Ready
For a Disaster?Disaster Recovery Planning
Melissa LefebvreBibliomation, Inc.
mlefebvre@biblio.org
Background Information
Bibliomation is on of the library consortiums in the state consisting of:
49 Public Libraries24 School Libraries
Servers:14 including E-Mail, Web, Anti-virus,
and ILS8 onsite 6 at ISP location
Getting Started
What’s a Disaster Recovery Plan anyway?
“A disaster recovery plan (DRP) or a business continuity plan (BCP) is a comprehensive set of measures and procedures put into place within an organization to ensure that essential, mission critical resources and infrastructures are maintained or backed by alternatives during various stages of a disaster.
-Paul Chin“Introduction to Disaster Recovery Planning” http://intranetjournal.com/articles/200503/pij_03_24_05a.html
Getting Started
Why do I need a plan?
If you’ve thought through various scenarios before they happen, it will make it far easier to recover from the disaster.
If a disaster does occur
Your plan will guide you step by step to recovery. You won’t have to think, the steps will already be laid out for you.
Getting Started
Questions to ask:
If there is a disaster, how do we rebuild?
What will it cost to get our library back up and running?
What will it take to restore our services to the public?
Where do we start and how?
Murphy’s Law
“If something can go wrong, it will”
Disasters occur when:
▪ Key people are on vacation
▪ It’s a holiday
▪ It’s least convenient
Basic Steps
Your Disaster Recovery Plan should:
Outline initial action to be taken in event of a disaster
Outline long-term steps to complete a recovery effort
Provide contact information essential to a successful recovery
Writing the Disaster Plan
Steps:
Survey the library building and grounds
Take a complete inventory
Outline the disaster recovery plan
Write the plan
Revise, revise, revise
Outline the Disaster Plan
I. Emergency telephone numbers and a list of contractors and service providers
II. Disaster team members and duties
III. Emergency Instructions
IV. Priorities for salvaging materials
V. Recovery procedures
VI. Inventory of the disaster response closet
VII.Disaster reports
Disaster Recovery Team and Duties
Examples:
• Team Leader
• Recovery Specialist
• Crew Manager
• Supplies and Transportation Manager
• Recorder
• Photographer
• Communications Manager
A Word about Mold
Mold WILL grow within 48 hours unless the environment is stabilized
Damp books in temperatures above 70°F and 70% humidity will be subject to mold
Undisturbed archival files will not be so quickly attacked by mold
Very wet books or those still submerged in water, will NOT develop mold
A Word about Freezing
Freezing water-damaged materials below zero degrees will stabilize mold growth
Freezing will NOT remedy mold damages and it will NOT harm the materials further
Priorities for Salvaging Materials
• Mold
• Questions to ask when setting priorities
• Categories
• First Priority (salvage at all cost)
• Second Priority (salvage if time permits)
• Third Priority (salvage as part of the general clean-up)
Most Common Salvage Methods
• Air Drying
• Freezing
• Vacuum Freeze Drying
• Vacuum Drying
Special Problems during a Disaster
Electric equipment
Mold and Mildew
Asbestos
Recovery Procedure Steps
1. Assess the damage
2. Stabilize the environment
3. Activate the disaster recovery team
4. Restore the area
Tips
DRP procedures must be written clearly and concisely
Assume that the people carrying out the DRP procedures will not be the same people who wrote it
Avoid the use of acronyms
Reference the title of the person not a name
Maintain an up-to-date calling tree
Be consistent with word usage and page layout
DRP ResourcesDisaster Recovery Journal (http://www.drj.com/new2dr/samples.htm)
“Introduction to Disaster Recovery Planning” Paul Chin http://intranetjournal.com/articles/200503/pij_03_24_05a.html
“Writing the Disaster Response Plan: Going Beyond Shouting “Help! Help!”Stephen Hensonhttp://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/proceedings/00pro28.html
Preservation and Conservation for Libraries and ArchivesNelly Balloffet and Jenny Hillehttp://www.alastore.ala.org
Society of Rocky Mountain Archivists (http://www.srmarchivists.org/preservation/publications/disasterrecoveryplan.htm)
“Disaster Recovery Plan”Michael McColginColorado Preservation Alliance(http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/cpa/articles/disaster/disasterplan2.html)