Two Fires and a Flood: Lasting Impact on a Public Library, Its Staff, and Community

Background

No two disasters are identical. There are differences in the degree of surprise; sometimes there may be advance notice. Thanks to modern meteorology, there are often warnings prior to the arrival of tornadoes and hurricanes, although their intensity may not be as expected; the approach of wildfires is also often known in advance. Other disasters, such as burst pipes and earthquakes, give no time for preparation. There are differences in the magnitude of disasters, with pandemics encompassing entire countries, and explosions demolishing perhaps only one building. To the people affected, a disaster, whether large or small, has a lasting impact on their view of the world and their place in it. To an affected library and its staff, disasters, even small-scale ones, are not soon forgotten. Priorities are shifted, and the library’s view of its place in its community is forever changed.

Literature that is specific to disasters and libraries tends to be practical in nature. There are detailed monographs (Halsted, Clifton, and Wilson, 2014; Kahn, 2012) containing complete guides and checklists for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery; as well as numerous instructive journal articles on steps libraries can take to write a disaster preparedness manual. Wilson, Yowell and Holst (2009), for example, have written a very concise guide covering all the basic steps in creating such a manual. In addition, there are websites specifically for libraries that contain many resources to help in the creation of a disaster preparedness manual (Lib2Gov, 2013; Northeast Document Conservation Center, 2006).