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DISASTER RECOVERIES IN LIBRARIES AFTER HURRICANE KATRINARebekah Cousins, Jen Scott, Katie Stevens and Anna Weinberger
IST 624
Imaged Accessed at http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=howard+tilton+memorial+library+tulane&qs
HURRICANE KATRINA
Occurred during the Atlantic Hurricane Season of 2005
Hit the Gulf Coast, including Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas
Over 1,800 confirmed casualties
Cost over $125 billion dollars in damages Considered the costliest hurricane in the United
States to date
DAMAGE TO LIBRARIES AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA
LIBRARIES WITH MINIMAL DAMAGE
Set up shelter libraries, including access to computers and internet
Hosted community programs on how to handle debris and mold
Temporarily house other collections until their home libraries were considered safe
TEMPORARY SHELTER LIBRARY AT THE BATON ROUGE SHELTER
DAMAGE TO LIBRARIES AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA
MARTIN LUTHER KING LIBRARY, LOWER 9TH WARD, NEW ORLEANS
LIBRARIES WITH HEAVY DAMAGE
In New Orleans, of the thirteen branch libraries, five were completely submerged
NOPL system shut down and fired 90% of their employees
Those that did open did so temporarily
Every library in New Orleans required some repair by 2012
DAMAGE TO LIBRARIES AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA
Libraries in Mobile, Alabama fared a little better than those in New Orleans
Librarians reported to work just days after the hurricane, despite subpar conditions at home
With the help of relief workers, librarians were able to transport untouched books from the ruined buildings to a safer location
Mobile Public Library had a hurricane preparation program All of the stacks were wrapped in plastic
Only a few hundred books were lost
This kind of plan is rare in public library systems
DISASTER RECOVERIES IN LIBRARIES: TULANE UNIVERSITY
Libraries have taken an enormous hit from
Hurricane Katrina.
One of them being the
Howard-Tilton Memorial Library. There are 2 buildings: The Howard-
Tilton building (the main library) and Jones
Hall (Special Collections).Between the 2
buildings, over 2 million pieces of printed
material, media and electronic archives were salvaged,
but damaged by the storm. However, almost half of those items have been restored.
All of the restored collections are located in the Tulane Libraries Recovery Center.
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DISASTER RECOVERIES IN LIBRARIES: TULANE UNIVERSITY
Not only were collections a concern but the interior structures of the buildings proved tasking, as well.
Walls, floors, and wooden artifacts, furniture, and shelving take a demanding amount of time to clean and restore.
The company BELFOR helped make this happen.
Image Accessed at http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=belfor&qs
DISASTER RECOVERIES IN LIBRARIES: TULANE UNIVERSITY
In order for BELFOR to salvage the materials, they had to follow 5 steps created by FEMA
1) AIR OUT the entire building. This helps prevent bacteria from growing inside.
2) REMOVE materials not affected by the flood. Any other item that has been soaked should be covered with plastic before removal. Protective gear should be worn to prevent the contraction of bacteria. Protective coverings on floors should be used for the same reasons, as well.
DISASTER RECOVERIES IN LIBRARIES: TULANE UNIVERSITY
3) TEAR UP floors, walls, and carpets that were affected by the storm. Always be aware of the nails or tacks that are beneath carpets.
4) CLEAN UP the building once tearing up is complete. Brooms, shovels, shop vacuum cleaners and pressure-washers are excellent cleaning tools. Once everything has been clean, it is time to disinfect with bleach. Make sure to not use bleach where there is dirt, otherwise, it will not be effective.
DISASTER RECOVERIES IN LIBRARIES: TULANE UNIVERSITY
5) DRY OUT the building and various objects from the building. The time it takes to dry varies, depending on the outside temperature. Air conditioners, heaters, and fans are the best tools to speed up the process. Once everything appears dry, it is time to use a wood framing instrument to test the moisture content of the walls, floors, and objects, and then decide whether it is time to open up the building to the public or not.
DISASTER RECOVERIES IN LIBRARIES: TULANE UNIVERSITY
To this day, the 2 buildings of the library have air conditioning units with inflated tubes connected to the ceilings and windows on each floor to prevent bacterial growth.
Although the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library is not the same since pre-Katrina, Tulane University gives much of their gratitude to BELFOR and archivists for their tremendous work and dedication to salvation and restoration.
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COLLECTION RECOVERY
Moving the Collection
• Frazar Memorial Library moved their collection to the 2nd floor of the library
• Howard-Tilton Memorial Library has an off-site storage facility to store their collection
• Dillard University transferred their collection to a storage facility.
Howard-Tilton off-site storage facility
COLLECTION RECOVERY
Mold Infestation
• Mold begins to grow within 24-48 hours
• Southern University at New Orleans’ collections was completely destroyed by mold
• BMS Catastrophe worked quickly to prevent mold infestation.o Gutted first flooro Piped filtered air through libraryo Used multiple dry wipes to stop mold spores from
growing
COLLECTION RECOVERY
Steps Libraries Took to Recover Their Collections:• Prioritization: Restore
only items that cannot be replaced
• Sort Materials: Based on what treatment they need
• Freeze-Drying: Prevents mold, minimizes damage
• Rebinding: Books were sent to bindery companies for rebinding
EMERGENCY PLANNING
80% of cultural heritage institutions and 78% of libraries do not have a written disaster plan
Threat response vs. Management response plans
Importance of training staff
Inventory list, ability to prioritize certain items in the collection
RESPONSE
No infrastructure in place to provide assistance to cultural institutions after disasters.
First volunteer team did not arrive at the scene until four weeks after Katrina.
Mold growth
Restricted access to the city
RESOURCES AND COMMUNICATION
Delay in reinstatement of electricity – inability to dry/stabilize climate
Majority of aid came from volunteers
Smaller institutions may not have resources/experience to respond appropriately
Rest of community recovering as well
Difficulty of communication – scattered, separated
THE IMPORTANCE OF LIBRARIES AFTER DISASTERS
After Katrina, libraries were people’s main resource for information services
People used libraries to fill out FEMA disaster-assistance forms, look for missing loved ones, send emails to reassure loved ones, look at aerial photos, and make use of the telephone and fax machine.
Needed to be able to handle hundreds of patrons