Recorder: Maryly Snow (AVRL)
Present: Lily Castillo-Speed (Ethnic Studies), Rita Evans (ITS), Ruth Girill (CEB), Ron Heckart (IGS), Terry Huwe (IILR), Dan Krummes (ITS), Waverly Lowell (ED Archives), Nick Robinson (IGS), Kathleen Van den Heuvel (Law), Linda Vida (WRCA).
Disaster Planning Library Preservation Office and Affiliated Libraries.
The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the possibility of the University Library’s Preservation Office providing disaster preparation assistance as well as actual disaster response assistance to affiliated libraries. Two people from Library Preservation Office met with TALAG:
Barclay Ogden, Head, 2-4946, bogden@library.berkeley.edu and
Cameron Olen, Department Office Manager, 2-4946 cfolen@library.berkeley.edu.
University Library’s disaster plan is available on the web at http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/preservation/disaster.html.
The University Library Preservation Department (PRES) has 20 people trained as first responders. If needed, call Library Preservation Dept, 2-8843 during hours. PRES has a plan, has trained people, and once a year they invite representatives of library units served by the plan to attend a two hour refresher course. PRES recommends that each library maintain a small cache of supplies at each location, to be paid for by each unit. PRES can provide us with a list of supplies to purchase. There are supplies at both NRLF and SRLF large enough to salvage 50,000 volumes per location. The PRES Disaster response plan includes confidential phone numbers, prioritized items to be salvaged and color-coded floor plans of each unit showing priority order.
Barclay mentioned that Tom Leonard was enthusiastic about PRES being able to invite Affiliated Libraries to participate at the annual refresher and to keep our emergency contact information updated annually. Barclay discussed what services would be financially covered through the campus Risk Management and which services would be covered by each library unit. Although there would be no cost for PRES preparedness assistance, if there were a disaster, labor costs involving PRES staff would be borne by the Affiliated Library. Risk Management could cover contractual services, less a deductible. Damage to facilities typically is covered by Risk Management. Because campus emergency response has been much improved over the years, any disaster might be responded to quickly and appropriately, thus possibly reducing costs and loss to collections.
If the University Library could anticipate reimbursement from various affiliated libraries for its first responder expenses, then the proposed collaboration could work. A letter of intent should be submitted by each participating Affiliated Library’s parent organization to the University Librarian. Barclay will send out standard language that should be used in the letter by the end of September.
PRES will need our contact information and priorities for salvage, and a color-coded floor plan, in both electronic and paper forms. Sample circulated. PRES will cover all on-going costs of maintaining the plan, providing training, and refresher training. We need to explain to our individual funding sources what costs there would be.
Kathleen suggests that the worst case scenario would be a disaster that hits all libraries at the same time, where PRES staff would be busy with the University Library. Barclay responded that TALAG would be trained by PRES as part of their disaster preparedness plan at no additional cost.
Waverly raised a question of about a water incident. Barclay responded that PRES has an ongoing relationship with an experienced book freeze-drier company. PRES will provide affiliated libraries with contact information.
Color coded floor plans should go to Cameron Olen. In order to train the Affiliated Libraries in this area, the Affiliated Libraries would need a half-day training session that will be scheduled this semester. Barclay will give us a list of supplies to have on hand. Barclay recommends we use the five components of the PRES disaster plan, and feed our information into their plan. An alternative is to develop our own plans. A state-funded program, California Preservation Program, is also available to assist units prepare their own plans (http://cpc.stanford.edu/). Another possibility is to get a student intern from SIMS or SJSU to write disaster plans.
Are there other preservation services for facilities and collections? PRES has a list of conservators. Barclay is willing to advise on disaster preparedness and overall preservation planning, and Barclay reminds us that we should feel free to call him. PRES cannot offer conservation treatment services on a recharge basis because it does not have sufficient staff. If there were enough recharge work to hire additional staff, then PRES would do so. Items to be used in exhibits might be treated; however, this would have to be handled on a case by case basis.
PRES is experienced handling film and unbound materials, but has little experience with digital files. The PRES disaster plan does not include computer servers and back-ups. Each affiliated library needs to find out where their servers are located, when backed up, how backed up. Offline back-up is problematic.
Discussion of floor plan. Post-earthquake sprinkler breaks. Color-coded floor plan is intended to show the correct part of the room for salvage because when stacks and cabinets collapse, it’s hard to know where you and items are. If choices have to be made, then top priorities will be targeted. Otherwise, disaster response crews normally begin with materials closest to the door. A rule of thumb: If an item is worth less than $10, it is not worth salvaging.
Training is offered once a year. Refresher training is normally one hour once a year. But to get started, might take longer to get us up to speed. Informal buddy system very useful. Need for additional book trucks, for example. University Library has its own 14’ truck, for bindery, NRLF, etc.
Summary of Action Items:
Barclay to ask Tom Leonard for language for the letters for affiliated libraries to use.
PRES will schedule special training up to half a day for TALAG and interested affiliated librarians before winter holidays.
PRES to provide list of supplies for each affiliated library to purchase.
PRES to provide list of information that each affiliated library needs to provide ULPO.
TALAG needs to begin discussions with their own administrators.
June 1, 2005 minutes.
Minutes of the last TALAG meeting were approved
Follow-up on TALAG September 2nd Chancellor’s meeting.
Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and Assistant Chancellor Beata Fitzpatrick met with TALAG at 4 pm Sept. 2, 2005 in the Ethnic Studies Library. We focused on the need to include Affiliated Libraries, as well as museum and archival collections, in the new Integrated Library System. We also stressed that when distributing special campus-wide funds for collection building the Affiliated Libraries should be considered. We believe we made our points clearly. How should we follow up? Discussion of ILS ensued. Finally, we agreed on an email letter to Birgeneau, and a separate email to Beata reaffirming our desire to be included in the planning of ILS and to “open up the planning process” beyond the University Library.
We also discussed bringing the same message to the Academic Senate Library Committee, with Lucia Diamond as the LAUC-B rep. We also decided to request a meeting with Bernie Hurley in conjunction with Tom Leonard, and the chair of Academic Senate Library Committee.
We could ask Beata if a member of TALAG could be included on the ILS planning committee.
TALAG relationships with California Digital Library (CDL).
Terry Huwe raised the question of our relationships with CDL. He has an idea that CDL has large groups of people who are liaisons for a variety of digital resources. This results in networking of which the affiliated librarians are not included. Linda Vida called John Ober, CDL. Associate University Librarian Isabel Stirling is our contact to CDL’s resource liaison groups. TALAG believes that at an organizational level, CDL needs to know that we exist, and that our collections are substantial and unique. The formal way to pursue this is through Isabel. The informal way is through our contacts and subject-based reflectors. Which subject reflectors/lists are available? Linda will ask Isabel which lists there are, which groups meet.
Affiliated Fall Assembly.
Rita Evans is planning this event, and is going to ask Laine Farley, CDL, to be our speaker.
TALAG letterhead.
Linda has gone through the appropriate channels, Maria Rubenstheyn, Director of Marketing and Management of Licensing and Trademarks, to determine that TALAG can have its own letterhead. It would be electronic, with the ability to change the chair. Linda circulated several formats. We selected style A.
TALAG Annual report.
Linda reported that it is in progress.
Suggestions for other meetings.
Oct 5. meeting with CAPA, 8:30 am, ITS Library. CAPA wants to meet with TALAG to discuss our roles as review initiators, so that affiliated contributions to “the Library” would be interpreted in a broad sense to include our libraries. Jan De Vries is our final decision maker.
We suggested a November meeting with Tom Leonard and Bernie Hurley.
Meeting was adjourned.
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