Zach S. Henderson Library

Disaster Recovery Workshop

Joggers and pet walkers at M.C. Anderson Park on Wednesday morning, July 21 noticed what appeared to be vandalism going on at the Pavilion: shelves of books, photographs, microfilms, and file folders were being soaked with water. Instead, Zach S. Henderson Library personnel were simulating the effects of a disaster on library materials in order to practice salvage techniques. Fifty librarians and staff members from Georgia Southern’s Henderson Library, the Statesboro Regional Library, Savannah State University, and Armstrong Atlantic State University gathered in Statesboro for a one and a half day disaster recovery workshop taught by preservation experts from the Atlanta-based Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET).

The materials used in the simulation were old textbooks and other outdated resources no longer useful to any area library.

In cases of fire, flooding, burst or leaking pipes, or a host of other disasters, library personnel must be prepared to execute a salvage and response operation in order to avoid extensive loss of information resources. For example, the July 2003 fire at the University of Georgia’s main library resulted in more than $1.5 million worth of fire, smoke and water damage, mostly to the government documents collection. Librarians and staff must therefore be knowledgeable and experienced with salvage options and drying techniques. Through discussion and hands-on experience, the SOLINET workshop focused on assessing the extent of disaster damage, responding to a mold outbreak, and applying salvage techniques and options for water damage, including air-drying books, rinsing muddy books, separating and drying manuscripts, packing materials for freeze-drying, and drying records, photographs, and magnetic media. As a result, participants will be better prepared to deal with everything from a minor emergency to a major disaster.
Henderson Library staff member Peggy Lee displays a muddy, water-logged book.


Statesboro Regional Library director Lois Roberts reviews the supplies used for packing wet books for freeze-drying.
A team assessing the damage to materials.  SOLINET receives support for the disaster recovery workshop from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Preservation and Access.

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Last updated 8/4/04.