Librarian
Funding Recovery Operations
Funding recovery operations can far exceed your normal budget. There are grants and other funds available to help with these operations. In addition to the resources listed here, check with your state library, state emergency management agency, and local governments. They may have funds available for exactly this purpose. Local nonprofits may also be a good resource. Don't forget to read up on grant writing before you start.
Photo by Sylvia Poggioli, courtesy of NPR.
- Federal Grant OpportunitiesThis list of grant opportunities is from Northeast Document Conservation Center. These grants may help finance recovery operations if they are outside of your operating budget.
- Foundation Grants for Preservation in Libraries, Archives, and MuseumsThis PDF guide to grants for preservation from the Library of Congress offers a variety of funding sources.
- Guide to Navigating Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Aid for Cultural InstitutionsThis PDF guide from the Library of Congress aims to walk you through the funding options from FEMA and the SBA.
- Institute of Museum and Library Services GrantsEach year the Institute for Museum and Library Services gives out grant money to libraries across the nation.
- Grants.govThis is the hub for all federal government grants.
- Preservation Technology and Training GrantsThese grants come from the National Park Service's National Center for Preservation Technology and Training.
- Catalog of Federal Domestic AssistanceThis resource from Rutgers University in New Jersey gives instructions and tips for writing a successful grant proposal.
- Grants, Fellowships, and Scholarships: Grant Writing ResourcesThis LibGuide from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Scholarly Commons gives resources for finding opportunities and writing grant applications.
General Recovery Resources
- FloodingThis page, from the Chicora Foundation, covers how to handle a flood in a cultural heritage site such as a museum or library.
- Archaeology DisastersThough this page is titled "Archaeology Disasters" the information on it is applicable to any cultural heritatge institution. It covers the importance of human safety in a disaster.
- Fire & Smoke DamageThis webpage from the Chicora Foundation explains the various ways that fires can damage materials and library buildings. They cover both burning and smoke damage, as well as recovery efforts.
- Field Guide To Emergency ResponseThese videos and guides from the Foundation For Advancement In Conservation walk you through disaster preparation and recovery.
Damaged Items
- Damaged Item WorkflowThis PDF from the Library of Congress shows a workflow for deciding how to proceed with items damaged in a fire, flood, or other emergency.
- Salvage at a GlanceThis PDF guide provides a brief "at a glance" summary of how to handle damaged items.
- What To Do When Collections Get WetThis guide from the Library of Congress covers multiple kinds of materials and how to handle water damage in each. Fires in the library are often accompanied by sprinklers or water used to put out the fire.
- Tip SheetsThese Tip Sheets from the National Heritage Responders cover Long Term Recovery, Mold, Removing Large Paper Items from Flat Files, Drying Wet Collections and Buildings, Collections Evacuation, Health and Safety for the Public, and Recovery Companies.
- Rapid Collections AssessmentThis PDF is a part of the Field Guide To Emergency Response developed by the Foundation For Advancement In Conservation. It gives you a starting point for assessing the damage to your collection.
- Salvaging BooksThis downloadable PDF pamphlet from Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts explains how to salvage damaged books.
- A Simple Book Repair ManualThis manual from the Dartmouth College Library introduces simple methods of repairing damaged books. It is available in both HTML and PDF formats.
- Magnetic Tapes Can Survive Flood ExposureThis page describes how to salvage magnetic tape, including VHS and cassette tapes that may be in your collection.
Disclaimer: Specs Bros, the sponsor of this page, is a for-profit company. - Salvaging Hard DrivesThis guide from the National Archives walks you through salvaging hard drives that were damaged in a library emergency.
- Salvaging CDs and DVDsThis guide from the National Archives explains how to salvage damaged CDs and DVDs from a library emergency.
- Salvage Operations for Water Damaged Archival Collections: A Second GlanceThis guide to salvage operations, also by Betty Walsh, covers the same topics as the above link, but in more detail.
Learning From Other Libraries
- When Disaster Strikes: Lessons from the Kansas State University library fireThis article from American Libraries magazine, written by Lori A. Goetsch, discusses the circumstances surrounding the 2018 fire at the Kansas State University library. The fire on their roof left the library with water and smoke damaged materials, as well as a damaged building.
- Responding to Community CrisisIn this article for Public Libraries Online, Rebecca Cruz describes what her library did in response to a crisis in their community. This article reminds us that crises affect not just our building and collection but our patrons as well.