Preservation
What's New in Preservation
Calling All Volunteers
Preservation Field Services of the Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET) is gathering the names of individuals who are willing to volunteer their time and talents in the event of a disaster. We are gathering the names and contact information of those interested in aiding institutions that have been affected by a flood, fire, tornado, hurricane or other disaster. We are seeking two kinds of volunteers:
1) Participants in this program can volunteer to go on-site and help with salvage (such as packing materials out of a damaged environment, cleaning moldy materials, removing debris, air drying materials or reshelving them after they have been dried).
2) We are also looking for volunteers who are willing to serve as preservation consultants (either on-site or over the phone.) Signing up to volunteer on SOLINET’s new disaster website does not commit you to volunteer should an institution need you. It only provides us with a list of possible resources for institutions in need.
Register as a volunteer using the online form. While you are on the disaster Web site, check out the disaster planning and recovery resources. The disaster recovery page provides information by type of disaster as well as type of format. You can find links to other organizations that provide disaster recovery information and assistance there as well.
The disaster planning page takes you through the disaster planning process step-by-step and includes links to useful planning materials. There is also a special section on hurricane preparedness.
If you have any questions about SOLINET’s disaster volunteer program, please contact Preservation Field Services Librarian Kara M. McClurken. Please share this message with anyone else who may be interested.
Disaster Recovery Assistance 24-7
The Preservation Services staff is now available seven days a week, 24 hours a day to help institutions suffering from disasters. Staff will provide telephone and email consultation regarding disaster recovery that is available to both members and non-members. Our Preservation Librarians can tell you how to dry out flood-damaged materials and advise you on steps to take to prevent further water damage. In addition, the SOLINET Web site offers free leaflets that cover drying techniques, mold prevention, referrals to disaster recovery services and suppliers and other disaster recovery resources.
To find out more or to volunteer your services, please visit our new disaster Web site.
To speak with one of the SOLINET Preservation Librarians, please call 800.999.8558. You may also email your questions or request for assistance to disasterresources@solinet.net.
Online Disaster Planning Tool
The Northeast Document Conservation Center and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners have developed dPlan, a free web-based fill-in-the-blank program for writing disaster plans for libraries and cultural institutions. You fill in the information specific to your institution, such as emergency contact numbers and types of materials, and the program supplies the language for the final plan. The program creates a disaster plan customized to your institution with checklists for disaster procedures, salvage priorities, preventive maintenance schedules, current contact information for personnel, insurance, and IT help, as well as lists of vendors of disaster supplies and services. Once completed, the information is stored on a secure server, and an email is sent out every six weeks to remind you to update your plan. For more information on this free program, please see the dPlan Web site.