Disaster Recovery for Archives, Libraries and Records Management Systems in Australia and New Zealand

163 Pages·1997·12.09 MB·English

by  Judith Doig (Auth.)

CENTRE FOR INFORMATION STUDIES
The Centre for Information Studies at Charles Sturt University supports
and commissions research and publications in library and information
science and related areas. It also provides seed grants to assist in the
preparation of titles, and undertakes cooperative publishing ventures
where appropriate. Centre publications include the following:
Preservation in Australian and New Zealand Libraries: Principles,
Strategies and Practices for Librarians.
Ross Harvey
Libraries in Australia
Peter Biskup with Doreen M. Goodman
Australian Children's Literature: An Exploration of Genre and Theme
John Foster, Maureen Nimon and Em Finnis
Australian Library Supervision and Management
Roy F. Sanders
Charting the Future: Strategic Planning in the Australasian Library and
Information Industry
Angela Bridgland and Helen Hayes
Religion and Theology: A Guide to Current Reference Resources
Lawrence D. Mclntosh
Introduction to Information Management
J. Michael Britrain (Ed.)
Disaster Recovery for Archives,
Libraries and Records Management
Systems in Australia and New Zealand
Judith Doig
Topics in Australasian Library and Information Studies, Number 12
Centre for Information Studies
Charles Sturt University - Riverina
Wagga Wagga New South Wales
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-PublicationD ata
Doig. J.
Disaster recovery for archives, libraries and records management
systems in Australia and New Zealand.
Bibliography .
Includes index.
ISBN 0 949060 35 6
1. Libraries - Safety measures. 2. Archives - Safety measures.
3. Records - Management - Safety measures. 4. Library materials -
Conservation and restoration. 5. Archival materials - Conservation
and restoration. 6. Records - Conservation and restoration. 7. Emergency
management. I. Charles Sturt University - Riverina. Centre for
Information studies. 11. Title. (Series : Topics in Australasian
library and information studies; 12).
1025.82
Copyright 0 J. Doig
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
ISBN 0-949060-35-6
ISSN 1030-5009
This edition published 1997
Centre for Information Studies
Locked Bag 660
Wagga Wagga NSW 2678
Fax: [phone]
Cover design by Alive Graphics
Preface
This is a book about disaster recovery for archivists, librarians and
records managers. It discusses the history of disaster recovery and
attempts to identify disasters which have occurred in Australia and New
Zealand. Despite the lack of publicity which attends most disaster
affecting libraries and archives, more than sixty such disasters have been
identified, and it is accepted that there are many more which have not
been reported. The book aims to persuade the reader that disasters may
happen in even the best run institution, to alert the reader to what is
involved in developing a disaster recovery plan, to guide the reader in the
development of such a plan, and, finally, to discuss ways in which staff
may be trained in the procedures and skills involved. The book covers,
primarily, paper-based files, books and records, but, as much modern
communication is through various forms of multimedia, these are also
included. The book does not seek to deal with textiles, paintings or
artefacts.
There are many management issues which must be considered before
a plan is developed. The environment in which the institution is located
will affect the likelihood of disaster. There may be nearby rivers which
may flood after heavy rain, cyclones or earthquakes may be common, or
there may be danger of deliberate damage from disaffected people. The
institution must decide what its priorities will be if disaster strikes. Are
there specific items which must retrieved because their existence is vital
to the institution or to the national heritage? Is the restoration of service
the main priority? Decisions must be made and must be accepted by staff.
The costs of recovery must be considered as must the extent and nature of
insurance. The choice of a disaster controller needs careful thought. The
Disaster Controller must be capable of organising and directing the
recovery and must be able to consult with members of any wider
institution and with the emergency services. Staff must be involved in the
development of the plan so that they know of its existence and accept the
decisions which it makes. Once the plan is written, the staff who will act
as team leaders must be trained so that they will be able to act effectively
if disaster does strike. Once written, the plan must be regularly reviewed
as changes to procedures or organisation may render it ineffective
x Preface
Training must be run on at least an annual basis. Even if there is not staff
turnover with new members to be trained, the existing team members may
find that their knowledge of the plan becomes vague as other activities
take precedence. Training may be run internally by the Disaster
Controller, or a decision may be made to send selected members to some
of the external workshops which are available.
The author should register a source of bias. She has been a member of
the CAVAL (Cooperative Action by Victorian Academic Libraries)
Disaster Management Group since its inception and has been a co-author
of publications produced by that group. This has, inevitably, influenced
the content of this handbook. This should not be seen as a claim for the
superiority of CAVAL methods to those used by others; it is just that
these are the methods with which the author is most familiar. The
important roles played by other individuals and organisations are
acknowledged and are discussed in this book.
A note: the Disaster Controller has been spoken of throughout this
work as 'he'. This is not to suggest that many women do not serve as
Disaster Controllers (the author did, for one), but the practice is followed
because an attempt to be gender neutral proved so clumsy that the effort
was abandoned.
Acknowledgments
Many people have assisted in the preparation of this book and their
assistance is gratefully recognised:
Eric Archer, who read the chapters as they were written and whose
expertise and experience in disaster recovery enabled him to
provide valued guidance. He also provided some of the illustrations
which have been used.
Marion Taylor, who also read the chapters as they were written, and
Pamela Nay lor, who read the completed manuscript. Their
comments and criticisms were valuable and often salutary.
Ann Miller, La Trobe University, whose knowledge of government
documents tracked down the Australian government's contribution
to the Florence Flood restoration.
Dr Don Schauder of the RMIT Libraries for giving me space to pursue
this project prior to my retirement.
CAVAL Ltd for permission to use material originally produced on
their behalf, including some photographs from their training
workshops.
For responding to queries with valuable comments and suggestions:
Jeavons Baillie, State Library of Victoria
Bob Ballard, Relectronics-Remech
Julian Bickersteth, International Conservation Services
Max Borchardt, late CAVAL Ltd
Tim Butler, Munters Ltd
Tony Clarke, Museum of New Zealand
Grant Collins, State Library of Queensland
Christopher Deane, Brambles Record Management, Auckland
Tom Dixon, National Gallery of Victoria
Elizabeth Donovan, Australian Archives
Mark Fischer, Fischer Steamatic/BMS/Cat
Helen Halley, Artlab
xi i Acknowledgments
Alan Howell, Conservation Access, State Library of New South
Wales
Cathie Jilovsky, CAVAL Ltd
Lyndsey Knowles, National Gallery of Victoria
Tamara Lavrencic, Conservation Access, State Library of New South
Wales
Dr Jan Lyall, National Preservation Office
Alan McLachlan, Relectronics-Remech
Guy Petherbridge, Australian Archives
Denis Richardson, University Librarian, University of Melbourne,
1975-9 1
Marion Roubos-Bennett, Conservation Access, State Library of New
South Wales
Sarah-Jane Rennie, Artlab
John Strafford, Australian Archives.
Those who responded generously to enquiries on the Internet:
Julie Amott, SOLINET
John Dean, Cornell University
Willie Jones, University of Missouri
Toby Murray, University of Tulsa
Randy Silverman, University of Utah
Deborah Stewart, Canadian Conservation Institute
Christine Wiseman, SOLINET.
And those who shared their experiences of disasters:
Patricia Arguado, Gardener Library Service
Andrew Braybrook, Great Lakes Library
Ann Bywater, Macquarie Regional Library, Dubbo
Jenny Carter, Aboriginal Affairs Authority, Perth
Peter Durey, University of Auckland Library
Suzanne Hall, Santos Ltd
C.E. Haughton, Rockhampton Municipal Library
K.J. Henderson, State Archives, LISWA
Stephanie McDonald, Archives Office of Tasmania
Roxanne McIvor, Yooralla Society of Victoria
Judy McLean, Hunter Water Corporation
Janet Martin, Monash University, Gippsland Campus
Margaret Plooy, Hunter Institute of Technology
Jon Prance, CSIRO Black Mountain Library, Canberra
...
Acknowledgments Xlll
Jim Sinclair, State Library of New South Wales
Bruce Symondson, Auckland City Records and Archives
Janet Thompson, CSIRO Building Construction and Engineering
Library
David Tyler, Department of Justice
Chris Williams, Newcastle Regional Library.
1 An Historical Overview
Ever since man first scratched on the walls of his cave he has sought to
create a record of his world and of his part in it. While a record may
outlast its creator, that record has always been vulnerable. Clay tablets
will break, papyrus and paper will bum or will be affected by water.
Climate and pollution will hasten decay. Film will bum, and electronic
records may be corrupted by magnetic forces. In addition to the threat
imposed by nature, man himself may cause destruction. Records may fall
victim to carelessness, or to deliberate or random destruction in war. They
may be destroyed by those who feel threatened by the content, or they
may be lost to mindless vandalism.
In Protecting the Library and Its Resources there is a chronology of
library fires.[l] The earliest listed occurred in 612 BC when, it is
indicated, the library at Assurbanipal was laid waste by the Medes, while
the latest cited occurred in 1962. Two hundred and fifty occurrences are
given, including the most famous of early library disasters, the destruction
of the library at Alexandria in the third century AD. Other noteworthy
losses include those libraries burnt in the Great Fire of London, the
Library of Congress, burned by the British in 1812, libraries in the great
Chicago fire and those lost in the fire following the San Francisco
earthquake of 1906. Millions of volumes were lost during the Second
World War. This list was, however, published in 1963 and thus pre-dates
the most significant library disaster of recent times, that caused by the
Florence flood in 1966. It was the almost unbelievable extent and severity
of this disaster that provided the impetus for what is currently described
as 'disaster recovery'.
The Florence Flood
Florence's ordeal began on 4 November 1966 when, following nineteen
inches of rain in forty-eight hours, a 'wall of water' descended on the city
2 An Historical Overview
of Florence as the Arno River broke its banks.[2] The narrow streets of
Florence exacerbated the speed of the flood waters. Carolyn Horton said:
The great force of the floodwater also compressed air in some
basements so powerfully that the ceilings were burst open,
causing the floor above to collapse into the room below. In
addition to its inherent destructiveness the flood water was laden
with fine mud which seeped into and was precipitated on books
and other objects. ...[3 1
Horton also notes that much material remained stored in basement areas
where it had been placed as a safety measure during the Second World
War when German artillery bombarded the city. In the Biblioteca
Nazionale Centrale nearly 1.2 million volumes and pamphlets were
flooded and a great part buried in mud. Much newspaper material, most of
it unique, was affected as was the computer used for publication of the
national bibliography as well as the catalogue of 8 million cards. Other
libraries suffered similarly. It was estimated that, throughout the city, 2
million volumes were under water.[4] The Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale
was fortunate in the leadership provided by its director, Emanuele
Casamassima, and he impressed all those who worked on the disaster
recovery. Arthur Hamlin says:
Until at least the last days of November, he had not once gone
home. Dressed in a coverall like Churchill. wearing the rubber
boots of every Florentine, he was always there, directing the
salvage operation, preparing the reports, marshalling the
equipment, and perfecting the plan for the future.[5]
While those in Florence battled to recover from the floods, help came
pouring in. The disaster was reported worldwide and, in addition to
humanitarian relief supplies, conservators, bookbinders and other experts
came from Italy, from Europe and the United States, and were joined by
thousands of students and other volunteers. As Horton says: 'Because the
problem that Florence faces in saving almost two million wet books is
unprecedented, it has commanded the attention of many of the
conservators of the world.'[6]
It has been suggested, indeed, that conservation can be seen in terms
of 'before the flood' and 'after the flood'. Sherelyn Ogden has said:
The emphasis of conservation work in Florence was physical
treatment. Conservators from many countries met in Florence to