COMMUNICATION AND DISASTER RESPONSE. Denise O Shea Montclair State University

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1 COMMUNICATION AND DISASTER RESPONSE Denise O Shea Montclair State University

2 October My Background Librarian, Head of Access Services & Systems, Harry A. Sprague Library Montclair State University (MSU) -- a large, public institution located in Northern NJ Enrolled in the master s degree program in Public and Organizational Relations at MSU Background in Public, Special, Medical and Academic libraries

3 October Introduction One of the most critical, yet often overlooked, elements of a disaster plan is communication. Active communication and coordination of activities is fundamental for a successful resumption of services Kahn, M. (2012). Disaster response and planning for libraries. Chicago: American Library Association.

4 October Categories of Disasters Two types of Disasters Natural (e.g., earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, etc.) Human Negligence or human error Criminal Activity -- sabotage, terrorism, vandalism, computer virus, etc. Scope Small Scale / Local limited to an isolated area, disruptions are brief and mostly handled in-house. Large Scale / Wide Area

5 October Essential Communication Activities Let the following groups know what happened, what you are doing to recover, and what is needed, if anything: Staff and administration/board Suppliers, vendors, patrons Media and the general public

6 October Preparation Prepare library staff Make plans to keep library website, online resources, and social media accessible and updated. Develop a relationship with institution / community emergency responders Work with other community partners

7 October Elements of a Library That is Ready to Deal with a Disaster 1. Disaster Plan that is updated regularly. 2. Has a Disaster Team. 3. Communication plan that incorporates redundancy of communication (such as what to do if cell phones don t work) and procedures for updating website, Facebook, and/or Twitter, and situation reporting. 4. Conducts at least 1 training exercise or drill per year. 5. Library and/or librarians integrated into community/parent institution s disaster plan. 6. Core print materials available for use if the Internet is down. 7. Servers with core online resources on extended or unlimited emergency power. 8. Regular contact with emergency planners. 9. After-action Review within 7 days of a service disruption

8 October Situation Awareness Reporting Practice reporting: What When, and Where before, during, and after a service disruption

9 October Example of a Situation Report Please remember to dial 924-SNOW tomorrow morning before heading out to work. If the University is closed, all non-essential staff should not report to work. Essential staff will communicate with Tony, who will be communicating with Gretchen. Due to the many uncertainties of this storm, it's hard to tell at this time what conditions will be like during the morning commute. Most of the forecasts I've seen show snow throughout the day, so even if we can open the library we may be in an early closing scenario. However, we'll have to let it play out and make adjustments along the way. The Service Continuity Team (SCT) and essential services staff are now on standby. Essential services staff from the standpoint of staffing the library and the SCT from the standpoint of keeping our core services available from their homes. Since there is the potential for power outages, Bart will coordinate the SCT. If you are on the SCT and you lose power during business hours, please contact Bart. Bart will then notify a backup, if one is available. David Moody will be handling messages on the library's website, and will be in communication with our social media maven, Kimberly. Therefore it is essential that David is made aware of any changes to our hours. Questions? Please let me know.

10 October The Basic Response Plan Have a central point of contact Establish a Disaster Response Team Develop a strategy in advance Create basic scripts and practice Internal Response Plan: Phone trees and emergency contact lists Institutional and listservs Library and institution websites Campus, institution or township alert system

11 October Example of a Basic Plan EXAMPLE OF A BASIC DISASTER COMMUNICATIONS PLAN FOR A PUBLIC LIBRARY Staff: If Library closes due to major service disruption, Library Director will notify the Library Disaster Team. Director will use Staff phone chain and blasts if available. Public: Library Director posts status through Police & FEMA phone alert, digital sign and community broadcast alerts. Schools: Library Director contacts School Superintendent. Voic update: Library phone message has to be changed onsite using login codes. Library Website: Tech Coordinator will update the website and the staff intranet site for alerts. Social Networking: Communication Coordinator will post on Library s Facebook page, Twitter account and contact press. Library Communications: Library Director contacts the State Library, the state library association and local library consortia. Media Communications: The Library Director is authorized to speak with the media, with Library Board President as back-up.

12 October Critical Components of Your Plan Cooperation & collaboration Communication before a disaster occurs Test your plan before a disaster occurs Meet your contacts face-to-face Communication technology Backup plans Alternate channels Redundancy

13 October Disaster Communication Issues Communication Breakdown Failed physical communication networks: Landlines and cell phone networks Institutional servers and intranets Library website, Ezproxy, electronic databases and other eresources Local ISPs Failed social networks: Staff displacement Chaos Information vacuum

14 October Human Resources Issues Staff may be affected by: Wellness issues Physical Emotional -- Stress, low morale Disaster Team members must: Be united Exercise efficient administrative & leadership skills: Be calm, frequent, and clear in all communication Be patient and flexible Forgive errors

15 October External Audiences Communication with: Local emergency response agencies, disaster assistance companies Vendors, suppliers, consultants Insurance companies Patrons, library consortia (both in and outside of your region) Media Contact info / business continuity , phone, fax and other contact info Physical address for temporary site Temporary hours of operation Redirect deliveries of print materials if necessary Know your vendor account info contacts, passwords

16 October Enhanced Basic Response Plan Redundant phone lists Alternate addresses Text messaging, IM and two-way radio Effective use of social media and Web 2.0 applications Screen shots of the Pocket Response Plan (PReP) that was developed by the Council of State Archivists (CoSA). This one page plan can be kept on a device, or in a purse or a wallet, so no matter where you are you will be able to manage a response. From

17 October Web 2.0/Social Media Applications Usefulness Used for internal & external response, recovery collaboration and backup Communication channel redundancy Enables remote updating of critical disaster documents, e.g., your disaster manual/plan Allows staff to contribute to disaster response & recovery from wherever they are Maintain a dialog with patrons and other stakeholders A few examples Use Twitter to seek volunteers to help with disaster recovery Use IM, chat, Twitter & Facebook for Reference

18 October Your Social Media Communication Tree Designate who will say what when disaster strikes, and account for their whereabouts: Primary contact for internal & external communication Staff that will update Twitter & Facebook Blog & Tumblr writers The traffic handler for your common accounts (like or Ensure that staff is trained and equipped to work remotely Issue regular status reports on where you are and what has been accomplished

19 October Benefits of Web and Social Media Apps Free or low cost Immediate Can be hosted at remote locations PR disaster early detection

20 October Drawbacks of Free Web 2.0 Apps Long-term viability of the app (persistance) Security Investment in time in setting up and learning when disasters are infrequent Users need to be familiar with apps before a disaster occurs Staff must keep social media skills current and Web accounts active Limited usefulness due to small number of library patrons that participate in library social media

21 October Tips for Using Web Apps and Social Media Go where your stakeholders are Pick easy-to-use apps that staff are familiar with Host at remote locations rather than on your own servers Make sure that the your stakeholders are aware of your alternate communication channels.

22 October Web Tools Collaboration & Documentation Google Drive Dropbox, Evernote Blogs, Wikis Google sites, LibGuides Synch Communication Skype Google Hangout IM, text Asynch Communication Free services & newsletters MailChimp, Gmail Social Media Tools Facebook Twitter Instagram, Flickr Tumblr

23 October After Recovery Thank your staff, supporters and volunteers Analyze your response for lessons learned, modify your plan as needed Market your successes Reopening of building and collections Restoration of services Importance to the community

24 October Wrap-up Plans look good on paper but Don t rely on an ideal scenario of physical communication and social communication networks In a disaster you work with the best resources available Thank you! oshead@mail.montclair.edu

25 October Resources / Examples Disaster information resources: Mid-Atlantic Resource Guide for Disaster Preparedness: New Jersey State Library Disaster Planning Resources: ning/ OPAL (One Page All Libraries): Penn State Emergency Response Guide: edit Roanoake Public Library Disaster Plan: