Innovating and Adapting in the Face of Disasters
From the Texas power grid to the public library system, major climate events have become unwelcome guests, degrading our infrastructure and leaving soggy wreckage in their wake. Unfortunately, with each new climate study released, it seems that the problem is only going to get worse. The bad news is that our extreme weather is only going to become more extreme and occur more frequently. This has forced public libraries to innovate and adapt in ways we never thought we would have to, but fortunately, we've got the right people on the job.
We’re Innovators – Even in Areas We Don’t Want to Be
Harris County Public Library recently received an award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for “significant and exceptional contributions to their communities.” This was a huge honor, and at its core, it confirms our innovative spirit and our ability to embrace creative ideas to benefit our community. Of course, we are very proud of the work we do here; however, we've become unwitting experts in an area that we would rather have nothing to do with—Disaster Preparedness and Recovery.
Just How Many Disasters Are We Talking About?
We are not quite one-quarter of the way through the 21st century and we've felt the wrath of Tropical Storm Allison, the Memorial Day flood, the Tax Day flood, Winter Storm Uri, and, of course, Hurricanes Rita, Ike, Harvey, and now Beryl. Each natural disaster takes its toll on the community's favorite third destination—its libraries.
Each disaster has its own unique personality, and each one has given HCPL staff valuable experience and taught us new lessons that we have built into an ever-evolving array of procedures and policies, While all HCPL staff play a significant role in safeguarding the library's materials and facilities against the damage Mother Nature can wreak. However, the responsibility for protecting our community’s educational and entertainment resources falls most directly on the very talented, very capable, and very busy shoulders of the HCPL Collection Development Team.
What Does the Collection Development Team Do?
In an oversimplified definition, the Collection Development Department in a public library system is responsible for acquiring, managing, and organizing all the books and materials, both physical and digital. But to say that their job is just shopping for books and putting them in alphabetical order on a shelf would be the understatement of the century. Within the constraints of a never-large-enough budget, Collection Development staff focuses on every aspect of the community's needs, including diversity, inclusion, culture, language, location, and a whole host of other concerns that 99% of the patrons who walk through our library doors will never think about. And that is the way it should be. The Collection Development Department's job is to make sure that our shelves offer a seamless selection that satisfies the needs of everyone who comes through the library doors.
What Exactly Have We Learned in Regard to Dealing with Natural Disasters?
I sat down with Amber Seely, the Division Director of Collections and Technical Services at Harris County Public Library, and we spoke at length about some of the lessons learned during her tenure thus far and how we are moving forward in the face of the increasing risk that humidity poses to our collections.
Amber talked about how each hurricane or flood is different, given the weather and power availability after the events.
“Every storm is unique, and those variations make a substantial difference in what happens to the collection. In the case of Ike, we didn’t lose any books to humidity, even though we did not have power in the libraries. This was likely due to cooler temperatures after the storm. But in the case of Beryl, we did lose materials because after the storm, not only was it still humid, but it was also really hot. Without electrical power to run the air conditioning, the humidity in some locations created the perfect environment for mold growth and substantial collection loss."
On Storm Prep Procedures to Mitigate Humidity Damage:
Amber also discussed how our standard operating procedures in preparing for a hurricane or flood have evolved over time.
“For example, before Harvey, we recommended that all branches move their books off the bottom shelves and up to higher shelves just in case there were a few inches of water in the building. The procedure now is to get all the books as high as we can on the shelves to keep them out of a zone of humidity and to keep them pressed together on the shelf to prevent any airflow from allowing mold particles to spread. We've learned that paperback books are in more danger than hardback books, so we place them in the middle of the shelves with hardback books on either side.”
These might seem like small adjustments, but given that HCPL has 27 branches, the number of books saved can add up if the humidity in a building remains high enough for a sustained period.
On the Difficult Math in Assessing a Cost-Based Analysis for Making Decisions Post-Water Damage:
“Our public library books aren’t meant to last forever...the average lifespan of a book in our system is somewhere between 7 and 10 years. Although the technology exists to save water-damaged books, it might not be worth it financially. How much money should we spend to save a readily available James Patterson book that will be gone in a few years anyway? Obviously, prevention of exposure to high humidity and water is the ideal scenario for collection preservation.”
Listen to my conversation with HCPL's Division Director of Collections & Technical Services on the "Using Our Library Voices" podcast.
And Finally...
Climate change is obviously an ongoing problem and will not slow without worldwide concerted effort. More frequent severe weather events must be expected. For HCPL's part, there is a considerable amount of thought going into how we can more effectively use the funds granted to the library by the public and how we can continue to successfully serve Harris County in the face of natural disasters. What that looks like going forward will change and evolve, but fortunately, Harris County Public Library is blessed with staff at all levels committed to learning from the circumstances dealt to us and adapting to a changing environment.
Books on Climate Change from HCPL's Collection
How to Avoid A Climate Disaster
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