Library Disaster Planning and Recovery Handbook (review)

Library Disaster Planning and Recovery Handbook, Ed. Camila Alire. New York, NY: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2000. 614 p. $75 (ISBN 1-55570-373-9)

Camila Alire and the staff of Colorado State University have demonstrated an uncanny ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. They were not only able to recover effectively from a flood of massive proportions, but they also had the courage and tenacity to document their successful strategies, published here in a substantive handbook that should be found on the shelves of every academic library. This work is based on their recovery effort following the 1997 flood that damaged some 500,000 monographs and bound journals in CSU's Morgan Library. Dean of University Libraries Alire and her colleagues provide details, advice, and recommendations on all aspects of library disaster recovery based on the lessons they learned from the Morgan Library flood. Knowledge based on their experience is set within the context of information gleaned from literature reviews.

All libraries are potential victims of disaster, but few librarians and library administrators will have to contend with the scope of the disaster detailed here. A great deal has been published about disaster preparedness and recovery, and many libraries have invested in writing disaster preparedness plans and practicing disaster recovery procedures. This book takes such work out of the realm of an academic exercise and puts it in the context of a real library. In her preface to the work, Alire offers the handbook as "a way to prepare your library for a future filled with uncertainty." At 614 pages, the book is an unwieldy tome, and it is unlikely that many will read it start to finish. The contributing authors foresaw this possibility, however, and included some features that make the handbook both practical and highly useable.

The work is divided into six sections: managing a disaster; public services during disaster recovery; technical services during disaster recovery; gifts and donations; restoring the collection, and resource sharing during disaster recovery. Each section includes a review of the literature and concludes with key recommendations. These key recommendations are presented in a concise format and could be quite readily adapted for inclusion in a disaster preparedness plan for another institution. Useful and illustrative appendices, composed of CSU-specific forms and procedures, follow the recommendations.

While many publications provide fundamental information needed for disaster planning and recovery, this handbook includes coverage of topics beyond the usual scope of works in the field. A thorough discussion of human resources implications exceeds the general advice of being sure to provide donuts for hungry disaster response crews. Useful information includes considerations of federal, state and local regulations, employee assistance programs, and environmental health considerations. The strategies adopted at CSU for quickly and effectively gearing up the interlibrary loan operation to serve the campus community provides a model that warrants discussion in any academic library. Insights gained by CSU staff regarding gifts and donations are particularly valuable.

Most institutions will be spared a disaster of CSU's scale. For those who are not spared, the lessons learned at Morgan Library will help inform decisions and provide valuable guidance in helping others to cope with the unthinkable situations presented by a full-scale disaster. Much of the disaster recovery literature is published by preservation practitioners. It is interesting to note here that the contributing authors of Library Disaster Planning and Recovery Handbook come from every area of CSU's library organization. Their voices, their knowledge, their commitment, and often, their anguish ground their work within their areas of specialization. This depth of knowledge informs their perspective on disaster recovery and lends credence to this publication. The handbook is a thorough and substantive work that contributes to the literature in the field. I recommend it for inclusion in the collection of any academic library, and salute Camila Alire and her staff for their willingness to share their hard-learned lessons with the broader library community...