Service Role

The community counts on the library before and after a storm to offer access to various communication equipment, to be a trusted provider of accurate, reliable information, to produce needed information aids where they do not exist, and to deliver this information using whatever technology the community uses and can afford.

Best practices may include:

Become an Emergency Communication Hub

Prepare Information & Booklets

• Prepare Resident Hurricane Preparation Information or Evacuee and Resident Hurricane Recovery Information Booklets
• Dashboards: E.g., Pinellas County Emergency Management. Hurricane preparedness. Web booklets. E.g., Jefferson Parish (LA) Public Library. Hurricane Katrina and Rita links.
• Houston (TX) Public Library. Hurricane Preparedness.
• Dashboards: E.g., American Library Association. (2008). Disaster preparedness and recovery. Chicago: American Library Association. Retrieved March 9, 2009, from
  http://www.ala.org/
• E.g., Catastrophe Readiness Clearinghouse (2006). Emergency Preparedness and Management. Retrieved October 13, 2008, from
  http://www.catastrophereadinessclearinghouse.org/

Preparation Events

• Offer a resident hurricane preparation event. E.g., see Terrebonne [LA] Parish Library System;

Preparation Videos

• Offer resident hurricane preparation training or a video
  • Delap, Ellen. (2008). Hurricane preparedness (YouTube video). Houston: Harris County Public Library. (may need to page down to see it) http://www.hcpl.lib.tx.us/ref/fihurricane.htm

Blogging & Social Media

• Provide an emergency blog or wiki Web 2.0 application, or use social networking

  • FEMA.gov. Hurricane help. http://www.fema.gov/blog/Hurricanes

  • Harris County Public Library. Hurricane Ike relief information. http://www.hcpl.net/content/be-aware-be-prepared

  • Tinker, Timothy and Fouse, David. (2009). Social media and risk communications during times of crisis. Washington DC: Booz Allen Hamilton. http://www.boozallen.com/media/file/Risk_Communications_Times_of_Crisis.pdf
  • Promote local emergency management’s efforts on the library’s web site. E.g., Alachua County Public Library’s website includes a note that says: Receive automatic updates from the Alachua County Emergency Management on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Alachua_Co_EM

Back Home Web Page

• Offer a /BackHome web page

Business Recovery Resources

• Florida Division of Emergency Management. Get a business plan.
• Florida International University. Business Continuity Information Network.
• Florida business disaster survival kit.
• Scully, Mark. (2005). Hurricane-ravaged businesses maintain critical communications. Disaster Recovery Journal, 18(1). Retrieved February 27, 2009, from http://www.drj.com/pre-2006/winter-2005/hurricane-ravaged-businesses-maintain-critical-communications.html
• Small Business Administration.
• American Red Cross Capital Area Chapter. (2008). Prepare yourself – Protect your business. Tallahassee, FL: Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross.
• Pinellas County Emergency Management. Business recovery.

Secure Information Infrastructure

• See the public library potential needs list in order to provide a secure information hub.

Information Hub Best Resources

• Information Hub Best Resources