McClure and Ryan Present Hurricane Project at Conferences

The Information Use Management & Policy Institute (Information Institute) was invited to participate in a number of conferences related to the Use of Public Libraries in Hurricane Response and Preparedness in April and May, 2009. These conference participation opportunities relate to ongoing research efforts by the Institute regarding the Public Libraries in Hurricane Preparedness and Response Project. This project is a grant effort obtained through the Florida Catastrophic Storm Risk Management Center at Florida State University’s College of Business, and extends through December 31, 2009.

The first was the 2009 National Hurricane Conference, held April 6-April 10 in Austin, TX. This conference is the nation's forum for education and professional training in hurricane preparedness. The primary goal of the National Hurricane Conference is to improve hurricane preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation in order to save lives and property in the United States and the tropical islands of the Caribbean and Pacific. This conference serves as a national forum for federal, state and local officials to exchange ideas and recommend new policies to improve Emergency Management. The complete program from the 2009 National Hurricane Conference can be downloaded here. The 2010 National Hurricane Conference is scheduled for March 29-April 2 in Orlando, Florida.

At the National Hurricane Conference, the Information Institute was represented by Mr. Joe Ryan who served as the Project Manager for the Public Libraries in Hurricane Preparedness and Response Project. Mr. Ryan’s presentation was entitled Public Libraries Hidden Assets in Community Disaster Response and was part of a panel discussion that covered Empowering Your Citizens to Be Part of Your Disaster Preparedness/Response Program. This discussion addressed the county and municipal partnerships and tools necessary to develop a disaster preparedness program for neighborhood associations, as well as some techniques for keeping evacuated residents informed of hurricane information.

On May 6, Dr. Charles R. McClure, the project Principal Investigator made a presentation at the Florida Library Association in Orlando that introduced the project website and discussed the various service roles that public libraries can provide their local community in hurricane preparedness and response. McClure also made a presentation May 14 in Fort Lauderdale at the Governor’s Hurricane Conference to emergency management officials that introduced them to the activities and importance of public libraries in hurricane preparedness and response. The Governor’s Hurricane Conference is the premier hurricane conference in Florida and brings together a broad array of participants in hurricane emergency management. The ideas and roles regarding public libraries were very well received.

The Information Use Management & Policy Institute is directed by Charles R. McClure, Ph.D., Francis Eppes Professor at the College of Communication & Information, Florida State University (FSU). Dr. McClure has created a collaborative partnership with state libraries in the Gulf Coast, libraries in Florida, and others that continues to gather extensive research on the role and use of public libraries in hurricane preparedness and response throughout the Gulf Coast region.

Extension Grant Awarded to the Public Libraries in Hurricane Preparedness and Response Project

The Information Use Management & Policy Institute was awarded an extension to its grant from the Florida Catastrophic Storm Risk Management Center at Florida State University’s College of Business to continue work on the Public Libraries in Hurricane Preparedness and Response Project. This extension brings the total grant value to $311,000 and extends the effort through December 31, 2009.

The Information Use Management & Policy Institute is directed by Charles R. McClure, PhD, Francis Eppes Professor at the College of Information, Florida State University (FSU). Dr. McClure has created a collaborative partnership that continues to gather extensive research on the impact of hurricane on public libraries throughout the Gulf Coast region. This cooperative effort has included such key contributors as the State Library and Archives of Florida, directed by Judith Ring, Lyrasis directed by Kate Nevins, and Florida’s Multi-type Library Cooperatives and public libraries throughout the region as well as federal, state, local and community agencies concerned with Florida hurricane preparedness and response.

Additional and expanded tasks to be completed during the extension period include the following.

• Expand project web site content and capabilities.
• Conduct marketing and promotion of the project and website.
• Develop statewide joint planning and training opportunities.
• Integrate public libraries into local emergency management.
• Explore additional public library service roles during hurricane disasters.
• Hold a statewide conference.

The statewide conference is planned for November – December 2009, and will provide a forum for public librarians, local and state officials, and emergency managers to become familiar with the project activities; share disaster response best practices, evaluate the extensive information and resources provided by the project website; and discuss the next steps that should be taken to extend and sustain this important project.

For further information, please contact Chuck McClure charles.mcclure@cci.fsu.edu Principal Investigator at the Information Institute.

Hurricane Preparedness: The Importance of Planning

It’s simple right? Like the kids cartoon/story about the grasshopper and the ant. The grasshopper goes through life partying without a care. The ant plods and plans. When bad times come (like a hurricane), the grasshopper hurts and the ant survives. The moral: planning for hurricanes is not glamorous. But, as every library manager who has been through a hurricane will tell you, having a plan helps. Specifically, a plan can:

• Enhance our abilities to mitigate potential hazards;
• Enable us to better respond to emergency situations; and,
• Make us quicker to begin to recover from disasters.
  

A hurricane enables to more quickly respond through the cycle of emergency planning, crisis reaction, and recovery.

The Alabama Public Library Service, State Librarian, Rebecca Mitchell, believes that public library hurricane disaster planning function is so important that she has re-directed one of her consultants, Jim Smith, to work full time with Alabama public libraries on developing their plans. Jim is using D-plan developed by the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC). Contact Jim Smith Jim.Smith@apls.alabama.gov for further information. The Southeast Florida Library Information Network (SEFLIN) has collected member disaster plans and resources as an aid to other libraries planning efforts. Take a look at the University of Texas, Austin’s Hurricane and Related Disasters Emergency Plan and the Library of Virginia’s Workbook for Disaster Planning.

How You Can Help: This blog post is provided by the Florida State University’s Information Use Management & Policy Institute. The Institute has been awarded a grant to examine how public libraries can aid their communities to better prepare for and recover from hurricanes. See a project summary, LibraryJournal.com article, or radio interview for further information. One aspect of the recently awarded FSU Information Institute’s project is to develop a model public library hurricane/disaster plan. To do a good job we need to draw on the plans libraries have already developed as good examples. Help us all out by sending your library’s hurricane or disaster plan – as well as any other related experiences – to Charles R. McClure charles.mcclure@cci.fsu.edu or c/o FSU, Information Institute P.O. Box 3062100, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2100.

Information Institute Launches Public Library Community Hurricane Preparedness & Recovery Project

Background: Florida State University’s Information Use Management & Policy Institute has been awarded a grant to assist communities to better prepare for and recover from hurricanes by better utilizing public libraries. Note the emphasis on how can a public library help their community rather than how can the library restore itself. See a project summary, LibraryJournal.com article or radio interview for further information. A key part of the project is to identify public libraries that have helped their communities to better prepare for and recover from hurricanes, and document the roles the libraries played so that other libraries may learn from their experience.

How You Can Help

Initially the project team is looking for three types of information:

Are you experienced? Do you and your public library have experience assisting your community prepare for and recover from a hurricane? If so, send an e-mail to Charles R. McClure charles.mcclure@cci.fsu.edu, with the following information: public library contact information [public library name, website url (if the library has), postal address, phone, fax, contact name , job title, phone (if different than library’s)] and a brief description of the role(s) your public library played when helping your community prepare for and recover from a hurricane. Note: a project team member may contact you for further information.


Hurricane preparation & recovery materials: Can you send the project team any materials (or links to them) your public library developed or found useful when assisting your community prepare for and recover from a hurricane? The materials might include: plans, checklists, policies, procedures, forms, standards, guidelines, recommendations, descriptions, newspaper articles, and best practices. If so, send an e-mail to Charles R. McClure charles.mcclure@cci.fsu.edu with material in electronic format or send paper material to Charles McClure, FSU Information Institute, 142 Collegiate Loop, P.O. Box 3062100, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2100. Be sure that the material’s author and library name appears on each document.

Project Update

The project team looks forward to using this blog to share what we find and provide periodic updates to you on this project.