Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Digital & Preservation Services Learning Objectives After this class, participants will be able to do the following: Identify threats to collections Name ways to minimize potential damage Understand the components of a Disaster Plan Apply response and recovery techniques Plan basic salvage methods for their collections Disaster = any collection-threatening threatening event 1
Disaster Protection Elements of fire safety Pre-disaster actions Protection from water and wind damage Protection from mold damage Protection of electronic records Elements of Fire Safety Building design Security Detection and signaling Suppression Staff awareness and training Building Design Minimize air passages between floors Concrete flooring prevents fire from spreading Beware of concealed spaces Keep exits unobstructed 2
Building Design (cont d) Inspect electrical wiring Inspect storage areas Make use of Fire Inspector visit Security Surveillance of public areas Exterior lighting Develop rigid closing procedures Limit & protect book drops 40% of all fires are caused by arson 3
Performance of Modern Sprinkler Systems 1 per 1,000,000 fail Heads are individually activated 93% of fires extinguished by 3 or fewer heads On/Off heads sprinkler head 20 -- gal/min fire hose -- 200 gal/min Pre-Storm Actions Secure building and collections Notify sources of assistance Clarify expectations to staff Assemble and protect recovery supplies Backup electronic records 4
Protection from Water Damage Structural considerations Storage practices Environmental and housekeeping hazards Wet Books Uncoated Paper Plastic Sheeting Coated Paper 5
Staining and Losses Mold Permanent stains to book cloth Weakening of materials Losses on paper Irreversible damage to photographs Active or Inactive? Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Call an expert when in doubt Occupational Safety and Health Administration http:www.osha.gov Identification Mold Removal Inactivate mold Clean the affected items -- Vacuum residue using a HEPA vacuum -- Take proper health precautions Clean and disinfect storage area Follow-up by monitoring affected materials and the environment Aspergillus ustus Top view of petri dish 6
Salvage Options Discard Air dry Dehumidification Freezing Freezer dry Vacuum freeze dry Vacuum thermal dry Air Drying Advantages Low cost No specialized equipment Only option for optical media Disadvantages Space and labor intensive Books with coated paper may block Not recommended for extremely wet materials Air Drying: Books Remove mud or debris before drying Interleave every 20 pages with unprinted newsprint or paper towels Damp items may be stood on end with the pages fanned open slightly Small pamphlets may be hung on a clothesline or fishing line Air Drying: Documents Single sheets can be spread out on flat surfaces Coated sheets must be separated to prevent blocking Uncoated papers can be dried in small stacks Separate wet sheets of paper using dampened Mylar or Reemay Freezing Advantages Widely available Relatively low cost Buys time for air drying or other treatment Disadvantages Materials may be unavailable for a long time Does not actually treat items; stop-gap measure only 7
Freezer Drying Advantages Can be done in-house with the right equipment Less expensive than vacuum freeze drying Disadvantages Usually takes months to dry Results vary with reaction time Coated paper may block Salvage: Computer Media Check with systems personnel for undamaged backups Media may be air dried or vacuum freeze dried Air drying techniques may risk damage to the disks and to the hard drive Back up, back up, back up Triage and Sorting Prioritize according to degree of wetness, fragility of material, type of damage Set up sorting area within close proximity to disaster site, with as much table space as possible Keep detailed written records to track disposal of materials When Disaster Strikes Prevention is key to reducing damage Store materials off the floor & away from exterior walls Don t store collections in the attic or basement Be familiar with recovery procedures Be familiar with recovery services Disaster Plans Information gathering Implementation Ongoing maintenance Information Gathering 1. Establish planning structure 2. Assess risk 3. Establish recovery priorities 4. Collect response, recovery, and rehabilitation procedures 8
Information Gathering (cont.) 5. Sort information 6. Develop resource lists 7. Assess financial resources 8. Evaluate insurance policy 9. Know about Emergency Management Organizations Information Gathering: Evaluate Insurance Policy Take precautions to reduce premiums Be aware of exclusions from coverage Take photos or videos of valuable items and store them off site Appraise the building and its contents at least every 5 years Types of Insurance Self-insurance vs. Insurance Policies Actual Cash Value: Cost of replacing at time of loss minus depreciation Replacement Cost: Cost of replacing all owned/leased property with new at time of loss Information Gathering: EMERGENCY Management Know the Emergency Management structure of your agency County State Federal Information Gathering: Develop Business Continuity Plan Identifies the critical business functions Prioritizes order of processes to recover Establishes minimum resources necessary for essential functions Develops alternate sources of the critical resources Business Continuity Planning: Back Up Procedures Plans for server failure What is the most current backup available? Are the backups stored offsite? Is my current system configuration documented? Is there a call tree? What if access to the building is denied? 9
Business Continuity Plan: Back Up Procedures (cont.) Hardware Recovery Plan Store copies of software and documentation offsite Have a list of applications running on each server Label back-ups accurately Implementation: Writing a Disaster Plan Introduction Establishment of authority Body Appendices Body of Disaster Plan Appendices in Disaster Plan Recovery team contact info Collection priorities Maintenance reports and schedules Checklist of pre-disaster actions Instructions for response and recovery Phone trees In-depth recovery and response Floor maps/building plans Resource lists Emergency information sheets Quick checklists/yes & no flow charts Insurance information Implementation Ongoing Maintenance Get the Disaster Plan ADOPTED Write and distribute plan Order and distribute supplies Educate and train staff Recovery Team Assess the plan and evaluate disaster plan Update plan and re-stock supplies Once a year After each emergency 10
Resources mentioned in class can be found at Questions? http://www.delicious.com/eduserv/ddp Contact Information Preservation Field Services 1438 West Peachtree St. NW, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309-2955 1-800-999-8558 x4876 http://www.lyrasis.org/preservation 11