Updated Hurricane Web Training Video

The Information Institute has updated a short instructional video about its Hurricane Preparedness and Response for Florida Public Libraries web portal that demonstrates its most useful features, including a quick how to session on accessing a broad range of hurricane-related information. The updated video discusses the new service role, “Get to Know Your Local EOC,” as well as the other key features of the hurricane web portal. These training videos will help users exploit all the various resources, information, and services that are available from the website.

The video is available at our web portal or from YouTube.

• Video from the hurricane web portal.
• YouTube hurricane video.

- Information Institute

Information Institute Research Coordinator Presents on Public Library – Emergency Management Agency Partnerships at OCLC’s WebJunction, August 3, 2010

The Information Use Management & Policy Institute’s (Information Institute) Research Coordinator, Lauren H. Mandel, presented an online webinar to 60 attendees on August 3, 2010 through OCLC’s WebJunction. The webinar provided a brief introduction to theHurricane Preparedness & Response for Florida Public Libraries web portal, an overview of the eight service roles identified on the portal, an introduction to the new Get To Know Your EOC service role, and a discussion on the importance of partnering with emergency management.

Webinar attendees interacted with the presenter through real-time chats, with discussion focusing on success stories from participants’ libraries on working with local emergency managers and ways to improve these cooperative relationships.

Lauren Mandel noted that with the oncoming hurricane season it is essential for public librarians to be as prepared as possible to assist local communities and partner with their local emergency management offices. Furthermore, the new instructional module on working with your local EOC is an excellent strategy to coordinate services and assist your community. Details on how this can be done are on the Hurricane Preparedness & Response for Florida Public Libraries web portal.

View the archived webinar, slides, chats and related links.

- Information Institute

New Hurricane Flyer Now Available!

Now that hurricane season is here again, allow us to reintroduce a few of the products and services that have been developed for public libraries by the Information Use Management & Policy Institute (Information Institute) at Florida State University. These services were developed from a project designed to help public libraries to better assist their communities during hurricane disasters.

WEB PORTAL: The Information Institute’s web portal captures many best practices to help you better prepare for hurricane season. This web portal also includes access to a comprehensive collection of hurricane information resources. Please visit the homepage of the web portal located at:

http://hurricanes.ii.fsu.edu

HURRICANE FLYER: A new color flyer has been provided to all Florida public libraries for display and is available from the homepage of the web portal or click on the image below for a downloadable version of the flyer.

NEW SERVICE ROLE WITH INFORMATIONAL VIDEOS: We have also created a series of information videos about a new service role – Get to Know Your Local EOC that explains how a public library can develop a working relationship with the local emergency operations center, and why this relationship is beneficial to the library and the EOC. The new service role and those videos are available at our web portal or from YouTube at:

• From web portal: Get to Know Your Local EOC
• From YouTube: Information Institute Channel

Public Libraries, Get to Know Your Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

Getting to know your local Emergency Operations Center (EOC) can result in the public library and EOC working together to best provide for the community needs.

Best practices may include:

• Videos: Make the case to your local Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
• Mitigation strategies and preparedness funding
• Ensure facilities and equipment will meet disaster recovery demands
• Write a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

- Information Institute