Abstract

Are you prepared? Whether you work with a special collection in a local archive or museum, in a large national library or managing records for the NHS, an emergency plan is critical to your organisation's future. Dadson draws on a decade of experience and award-winning training in this essential practical toolkit, enabling you to respond quickly and effectively to flood, fire and other emergencies. Expert advice is interwoven with cross-sectoral and international case studies drawn from high profile and smaller and medium sized organisations offering a breadth of relevant experience and advice. Regardless of your time or cost constraints this text will outline exactly how to minimise risk, tackle real emergencies and ensure business continuity. Each chapter guides you through the essentials including: an introduction to emergency planning in the information and heritage sectors; getting started on your plan; alarm raising and incident containment; the recovery operation; salvaging collections critical documents such as priority lists, floorplans and disaster kits; business continuity and IT recovery; ensuring the plan's efficacy; risk management and disaster prevention. This is the ultimate resource for all those who work with collections in libraries, archives, museums and historic houses internationally, whether large or small. It's also an invaluable tool for those working with records, in councils or with the NHS. Lastly it offers a concise introduction to emergency planning and response for international students of LIS.
"This book is a must for anyone working in the heritage sector! It’s a realistic and practical primer on all aspects of emergency planning. Emma Dadson is the perfect person to write it, because of her in-depth experience of helping all kinds of organisations in all kinds of emergency, from floods to power outages. There is plenty of useful advice on emergency roles, salvage procedures, service continuity, and forming effective relationships within the parent organisation. The book’s value is enhanced by candid case studies in which those involved share lessons learned." - Alison Cullingford
Emma Dadson is widely known in the library and heritage sectors as an expert in emergency recovery and response and has worked with the UK's leading document restoration service, Harwell, for 12 years training over 2,000 individuals. She has been the chairman of the British Damage Management Association and was named Business Continuity Consultant of the Year 2007.
"The phrase ‘if you only buy one book on this subject, make sure it is this one’ is all too often over-used these days. However, in the case of Emergency Planning and Response for Libraries, Archives and Museums, this statement is entirely justified. This book is a true pearl. It is a Masterclass that is a standard text in waiting. The question is not whether or not to buy this book but rather how many copies to buy? Should it be one? Or should it be one for each Disaster Box?" - Meic Pierce Owen