Presents interim findings of a year‐long project examining disaster management policy and practices in British libraries and suggests areas which should be covered in a disaster training programme, having drawn on the experience of librarians, archivists, museum officers, heritage organizations, disaster salvage and recovery companies, commercial binders, fire service officers, loss adjusters and local authority insurers. Refers to the possibility of inter‐library co‐operation. Concludes that all libraries and information centres need to take practical measures to minimize the risk of disaster and be prepared to react quickly and effectively should a disaster occur. Disaster training is therefore an essential requirement of any disaster management programme.
Presents the preliminary findings of a one‐year British Library Research and Development Department‐funded project looking at disaster management in British libraries. Based on visits to some 30 organizations within and outside the library profession and analysis of 62 library disaster control plans, considers the terms “disaster”, “disaster control planning” and “disaster management”, highlighting the central role of the written disaster control plan. Emphasizes the need for these plans to be managed and supported by risk assessments and regular inspections of buildings and equipment, the identification and use of reliable expert advice, staff training programmes and contingency planning for temporary services, accommodation and storage. Undertlines the importance of personnel issues such as the careful selection of those responsible for disaster management and staff counselling following a disaster, and also the need to investigate insurance cover and to consider the installation of fire detection and suppression systems.
Describes the development and testing of a standard assessment method for the preservation needs of paperbased and photographic materials (including microforms) in libraries, which will facilitate an assessment of national preservation needs and priorities. After outlining how the research was carried out, it briefly describes the assessment method which was finally developed; explains why a sample-based approach was adopted and how libraries should choose their samples; discusses the core preservation management issues identified during the earlier part of the research and shows how a set of questions relating to these issues was developed for inclusion in the method.
Discusses the results of a questionnaire survey into preservation policies and practice in British libraries, focusing on responsibility for preservation, preservation policies, disaster control planning, staff training and user education, co‐operative initiatives, factors inhibiting preservation activity and spending on preservation. Findings indicate that preservation is considered most applicable to special collections and to rare or valuable items, and that funding is a major problem even in libraries with a strong commitment to preservation. Increased activity in areas such as disaster control planning indicate a greater awareness of preservation issues than in the past. Highlights the advantages of written preservation policies and the success of co‐operative initiatives such as Newsplan, suggesting that a national preservation policy would enable libraries to take a more rational approach to problems such as what to preserve and funding allocation, while helping to clarify their national heritage responsibilities.
Reports a British Library Research and Innovation Centre funded research project which aims to develop a method for assessing preservation needs in UK libraries and archives, and to develop the method in such a way as to facilitate an assessment of national preservation needs and priorities. Discusses what is meant by a preservation needs assessment, provides an overview of recent and ongoing preservation surveys and presents preliminary findings relating to key practical issues. Highlights the primary importance of good preparation and planning, the need to concentrate on "asking the right questions" to meet stated aims and objectives and the need to ensure that the assessment is not planned and carried out in isolation. The development of a national preservation needs assessment -fundamental to the development of a UK national preservation strategy -is considered in the light of these findings.
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