Disaster Preparation, Response and Recovery

Fire damage

Fire can be particularly destructive and traumatic. Disaster preparation and planning is vital to ensure the safety of staff and library patrons and the security of collections.

Disaster Preparation and Planning

• Storing collections in high bushfire risk areas / AICCM
• Bushfires: Protect your Precious Possessions - Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, University of Melbourne

Disaster Recovery

• Bushfire protection for precious possessions / Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation
• Caring for your mementoes: cleaning soot damaged items / Australian War Memorial
• Communities in need: bushfire disaster response by Canberra's cultural institutions - first steps / Australian War Memorial
• Fire affected audio / National Film & Sound Archive
• Fire affected photos / National Film & Sound Archive
• Fire affected video / National Film & Sound Archive
• Fire damaged memorabilia: advice for bushfire victims / Australian War Memorial
• Salvaging fire damaged belongings / AICCM

Case studies

2009 - Victorian bushfires

The ALIA Disaster Recovery Project began immediately after the Victorian bushfires in February 2009. It was originally an initiative around libraries helping distribute donated books to people in the bushfire affected communities. It developed into a wider collaborative fundraising effort and into the production of resources to help raise awareness and provide the tools for libraries to be more disaster prepared.

The project ended in May 2010 with the launch of a new ALIA Guide to Disaster Planning, Response and Recovery and ALIA Disaster Planning for Libraries templates.

Reports