#  Collections Emergency Response Training 2024 

 





April 01, 2024

 

 

 Preservation Services recently hosted hands-on training sessions for library staff. The topic was Collections Emergency Response, focusing on what to do in the first few minutes after an emergency is detected.

 In the past we have staged metaphorically and sometimes literally immersive, full-day training. Participant feedback emphasized how overwhelming emergencies are. Yes, that is often true, but we didn’t want that to be the main takeaway from training. So, this year we re-tooled the experience to de-emphasize shock value. Instead, we focused on the skills that participants will, we hope, use confidently when a real emergency happens.

   ![decorative](/sites/g/files/omnuum11066/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/library-preservation/files/202401cert2024waterdropletsinstacks.jpg?itok=q0RxaIFI) 

 

 Instead of garden hoses dousing stacks overnight, we used a strands from a beaded curtain coming out of a light fixture to imitate dripping water and safety hazards.

 To shorten the in-person program, we asked participants to do some pre-work. We replaced live discussions with experts with an asynchronous but equally compelling video case study from an [incident that occurred last summer](https://harvardwiki.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/HLPP/pages/151912456/2023%20CERT%20HUID%20links) (Harvard University ID required). It was recorded by a high-functioning team of collections managers, adminstrators, facilities managers, and preservation staff. We also asked participants to take an interactive online course on Library Safety (available on the [HR/CWD Training Portal](https://trainingportal.harvard.edu), HUID required) so we could focus on collections-related skills in the hands-on training.

 Participants practiced three key skills:

   ![decorative](/sites/g/files/omnuum11066/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/library-preservation/files/202401_cert2024_brittleassmt.jpg?itok=bCNjJxkS) 

 

 They assessed a variety of non-collection formats including super brittle newspapers to determine if they were wet, damp, or dry.

   ![decorative](/sites/g/files/omnuum11066/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/library-preservation/files/202401_cert2024_watercurtain_oversizedmoving.jpg?itok=vBoJFrQN) 

 

 Taking on several challenges, they moved oversized items out of harm’s way, through narrow doorways and ducking under beaded curtain “streams of water.”

   ![decorative](/sites/g/files/omnuum11066/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/library-preservation/files/202401_cert2024_plasticoverstacks.jpg?itok=xm3EM1Fd) 

 

 They covered bookshelves with plastic sheeting in a non-wet environment and learned that it’s still not as easy as it looks!

 Each group of participants were somewhat intimidated but managed to make a practice call to the Library Collections Emergency Team (LCET) 24/7 advice line (617-240-2500). It’s just as scary for LCET to receive those calls because it’s usually bad news and usually happens on a Friday night when we all are heading home! We're all in this together.

 The participants clearly got the message! How do we know? Their feedback and takeaways align with the instructive themes of the training: safety first, communication, teamwork, collaborating with experts, and planning ahead.

 What did we forget? Well, documenting the initial stages of an emergency (cell phone photos!) is important both for insurance purposes and for recording lessons learned. We need to reinforce this message better next time. If we had, this blog post would have been a much more entertaining slide show. ;-)

\--Priscilla Anderson with Lauren Telepak and Carie McGinnis



 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ Prevention ](/hlps-tags/prevention)
 
 

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