Washington and Lee University
School of Law
Library
Emergency Response Plan

 

 

Updated March 24, 2011 by John N. Jacob

 

Introduction

 

The purpose of this plan is to provide a basic guide for response to emergencies, and recovery from disasters affecting the Law Library. It is coordinated and compliant with the University’s Emergency Management policies, including the Washington and Lee University Emergency Management Plan.  This broader plan incorporates procedures for the larger School of Law including Information Technology Services.  The ITS's plan specifically addresses response to, and recovery from computer systems emergencies. The e2Campus Alert System is also operated by Emergency Management.

 

This plan is available online at the Washington and Lee University website. Printed copies of the plan are located in the Director of the Law Library’s office, at the Circulation Desk, in the Powell Archives, and at the homes of the Director of the Law Library, the Circulation Supervisor and the Archivist.

 

This plan will be reviewed annually by the Archivist and, in consultation with the Director, updated or otherwise revised as needed.  Following each update, the plan will be circulated to the entire staff so that everyone can remain familiar with the plan and note any needed content changes.

 

Library staff need to be familiar with the following: operation of the fire alarm panel, operation of the fire extinguishers, location of plastic sheeting for covering books, the emergency numbers list, and evacuation procedures.

 

NOTE: Safety of human life is of paramount concern. If carrying out any of these procedures is likely to result in loss of life or serious injury, employees may refuse to perform these tasks and should leave the building to seek safety.

 

Response to Emergencies

 

Response to emergencies is based upon the following priorities:

 

1. Most importantly, safeguard human life. In instances such as fire or bomb threats -- when conditions allow -- telephone for help and evacuate others before leaving the building.
2. Assess and contain any damage to collections when it is possible to do so safely.
3. Salvage as many library materials as possible, beginning with the irreplaceable materials in the Powell Archives.

 

Emergency Telephone Numbers

 

 

Law Library Personnel

 

 

Law School Floor Plans

 

Evacuation Procedures

 

NOTE: Safety of human life is of paramount concern. If carrying out any of these procedures is likely to result in loss of life or serious injury, employees should leave the building to seek safety.

 

Evacuation will be necessary in a fire, major water emergency, bomb threat or other situation in which there is a danger to persons remaining in the building.  During regular business hours, the decision to deploy an evacuation team will be made by Caroline Osborne, the Director of the law library or, in her absence, a Law Librarian.  Outside of business hours, the fire department or Public Safety will determine the necessity of an evacuation and will carry it out.

 

DO NOT USE THE ELEVATOR: use stairs only.

 

During regular business hours, all available library personnel will report to the Circulation Desk on hearing the fire alarm to receive evacuation assignments. If the spread and intensity of the fire allow, they should return here after checking areas which they have been assigned.

 

During regular business hours, Bonnie Gates will be responsible for locating and assisting handicapped persons. If she is not in, Caroline Osborne will assign another person.

 

During regular business hours, Caroline Osborne or her designee will alert Darlene Moore, Head of Faculty Services, to evacuate all areas of the building other than the library.

 

Be sure that the evacuation team has checked every floor of the library.

    

Fire

 

Activate one of the fire alarms (located near all exits), if you observe a fire. If the fire alarm is activated spontaneously or by someone else, do not assume that it is a false alarm. When the alarm sounds, do the following:

 

• Identify the location of the activated alarm from the fire alarm panel on the wall above the library circulation desk. Either go yourself or send someone to investigate the area to see if there really is a fire. DO NOT USE THE ELEVATORS.
• IF THERE IS A FIRE--        
• Your highest priorities are to ensure your own safety and the safety of others in the building.
• Use common sense and don't panic. A minor, contained fire (trashcan fire, for example) can be extinguished with the fire extinguishers located on each floor.
• If a fire cannot be easily and safely extinguished
  Call 911 and evacuate the building. (See Evacuation Procedures above).
• FALSE ALARM - NO FIRE
  If there is no fire or if the fire has been extinguished, take the key from the alarm panel and go to Room 349 near the main entrance under the stairs and silence the alarm. (Instructions are in Room 349.) Notify those outside the building that it is safe to re-enter.  

Water Emergencies

 

• If there is a serious leak, broken pipe, or a flooded area in building, call Facilities Management at -8490 and state that you are reporting an emergency water problem. After hours, notify Public Safety and request that they contact the appropriate Facilities Management staff.
• If water is leaking from the ceiling, cover the area below with plastic sheeting stored in the Reserve Room.  Place buckets under leaks. Buckets are located in the janitors’ closet.
• If there is water on the floor, remove books or records from lower shelves/file drawers onto higher shelves or tables well away from standing water. Do not place any material on the floor, even in a seemingly dry area, as the leak may spread.
• If possible, turn off electrical circuits to the flooded area, and unplug electrical equipment in the area if you can safely do so.
• If electricity in the building needs to be turned off, call Facilities Management
• The building needs to be evacuated only in case of major water damage and when structural damage can be expected. The decision to evacuate should be made by the Director of the Law Library, who will organize a team to assist in evacuation.

 

Bomb Threats

 

• If a bomb threat is received by telephone, activate a fire alarm, notify Public Safety at -8999, and evacuate the building. During business hours, the evacuation procedures will be set in motion when library personnel report to the circulation desk upon hearing the fire alarm. Also notify Public Safety if a suspicious object or package is found.

 

Criminal Behavior

 

• Disruptive, threatening, violent, or other criminal behavior (including vandalism) should always be addressed by first calling Public Safety at -8999, and then notifying the Law Library Director or a Law Librarian.

 

Tornadoes

 

Tornadoes may occur in Virginia from March to October. They are not as likely to occur in mountainous regions as in more flat terrain. Tornadoes move rapidly. Most likely, there will be little warning if there is a tornado; consequently, there will be little time to seek shelter.

 

• When a tornado occurs, the building should not be evacuated. If possible, persons in the building should move to the lowest level, such as the lower stacks, staying away from windows; or to an inner hallway or small inner room away from windows. DO NOT USE THE ELEVATORS. In the library, stay away from book stacks, if possible, since they may collapse.
• In addition to water damage, walls, ceilings, and shelves may collapse. When structural damage occurs, the person in charge of over-all building maintenance needs to assess the structural damage and determine when it is safe to enter the building. Then, damage to affected materials needs to be assessed.

 

Hurricanes

 

Hurricanes may occur on the Atlantic Coast of Virginia between June and November. Damage from heavy rain and flooding as well as high winds may occur. Hurricanes are slow moving so precautions can be taken before the storm actually strikes.

 

• Evacuation -- Because sufficient warning can be given in a hurricane emergency, the building can be evacuated and closed before the hurricane strikes. The following precautions should be made: rare and valuable materials can be moved to a safe place; the power can be turned off; windows should be taped to reduce the danger of flying glass; and doors should be closed. If there are people in the building when the hurricane strikes, they should move to the lowest levels of the building, such as the basement level or the lower stacks and not leave until the storm is over. A battery-powered radio should be available so that weather reports can be monitored.
• Most damage from a hurricane will be water damage, although there is a possibility of structural damage, broken windows, and collapsed shelving. If there is structural damage, the person in charge of the over-all building maintenance needs to assess the damage and determine when it is safe to enter the building. Then, damage to affected materials needs to be assessed. The recovery operation for library materials may include surveying water damage to books and other library materials, re-shelving, and deciding upon repair of broken windows.

 

Earthquakes

 

Earthquakes may occur in Virginia. The danger from earthquakes is caused by what they do to man-made structures--debris falling from damaged buildings, flying glass from broken windows, fires caused by broken gas lines, and flooding due to broken water mains. There is no warning before an earthquake occurs.

 

• If an earthquake occurs, do not attempt to evacuate the building. Persons in the building should stay in the inner core of the building away from windows. Shelter should be taken in a doorway, in a narrow corridor, or under a heavy table, desk, or bench. Exits which lead into stairways should not be used because they may have collapsed or be jammed with people. Also, be aware that after-shocks may follow for several hours or days after the earthquake. A battery-powered radio should be available so that instructions concerning the earthquake can be monitored.
• Damage from an earthquake may include structural damage to the building, collapsed shelving, damage to equipment and furniture, water damage from broken pipes, and fire and/or smoke damage caused by broken gas lines. All damage will need to be assessed by the person in charge of building maintenance before re-entering to begin recovery operations.

 

 

Recovery and Salvage

 

For 24 hour emergency consultation, call the Northeast Document Conservation Center (978) 470-1010, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Review Damage & Establish Priorities

 

• Rapid response is essential for an effective recovery effort. Paper-based collections begin to distort physically immediately after becoming wet. Books swell and distort; paper cockles; inks and pigments run; coated papers begin to adhere.
• The Director of the Law Library, the Archivist, and appropriate department heads or library subject specialists should evaluate damage and establish salvage priorities. Consult Yolanda Merrill, (Washington & Lee University, Leyburn Library) who is the only locally available conservation expert.
• Archival records, rare books, records vital to the operation of the School of Law, and any other irreplaceable items should receive the first attention.
• Determine the kind and degree of damage that materials in each location have sustained. Depending on the extent of the disaster, this may be as broad as a room-by-room designation or as narrow as an item-by-item review.
• Determine whether the salvage operation can be handled by staff or whether a disaster recovery specialist is required. Consult experts as needed.
• After reviewing the extent of the damage, the Director of the Law Library, should set up a disaster recovery team and assign personnel as needed.

 

Handling and Removal of Material

The most common emergencies (fire, flood) involve water damage. If possible, loosely sort materials according to degree of wetness (soaked, damp, dry). Pack like materials together, e.g. damp records in one box, soaked in another etc. See also specific instructions below relating to water damage and fire damage.

• Materials must be removed from affected areas, either to a salvage/drying area within the building, or to another area on campus. Likely locations are a classroom or gymnasium.
• Files: Place folders in boxes or milk crates. Place the folders vertically in boxes (standing as they would in a file drawer.) Fill boxes only about 75% full to allow for swelling.
• Bound Volumes: Load onto metal book trucks, or into boxes or plastic milk crates for transport. Place normal-size volumes in a spine down position. Pack large volumes flat in boxes. If time allows, loosely place sheets of freezer paper or waxed paper around every volume. Boxes should be packed only about 75% full to allow for swelling.
• To ensure inventory control and for insurance purposes, it is necessary to know the condition and disposition of materials. As materials are removed, a staff member should be assigned to label each container with a brief designation of its contents (by call number range; cabinet/drawer, record group etc.); damage type (wet, dry, smoke etc), and salvage priority; and destination.
• Media Services should document the damage and the salvage operations by photography or videotape.

 

 

Water Damage

 

Evaluate the situation and decide whether the materials can be air-dried on-site or if they must be removed to a freezer facility. Refer to list of consultants for outside assistance in evaluating the disaster. If the damaged materials are not too numerous or too thoroughly soaked, air-drying will be a viable option and a drying area will be required.

 

Secure a clean, dry environment where the temperature and humidity are as low as possible. The temperature must be below 70 degrees F. and the humidity below 50%, or mold will probably develop and distortion will be extreme. Keep the air moving at all times using fans in the drying area. This will accelerate the drying process and discourage the growth of mold.

 

• Books
• Thoroughly soaked books, and books with coated paper should be frozen as soon as possible. Wrap them loosely in freezer paper or wax paper and pack them flat in boxes, preferably plastic mail crates, for transport to a freezing facility. If they cannot be frozen before they dry, interleave the pages with unprinted newsprint or paper towels. Keep an inventory of books packed and removed to freezer facilities.
• Wet books with covers intact can be air dried.
• Interleave every few pages, starting from the back of the book, turning pages carefully. For interleaving, use paper towels or clean, unprinted newsprint. Be careful to avoid interleaving too much or the spine will become concave and the volume distorted.
• When books are dry but still cool to the touch, they should be closed and laid flat on a table or other horizontal surface, gently formed into the normal shape, with convex spine and concave front edge (if that was their original shape) and held in place with a light weight. Do not stack drying books on top of each other. In no case should books be returned to the shelves until thoroughly dry; otherwise mold may develop, particularly along the gutter margin.

 

• Records
• Air drying is most suitable for small numbers of records that are damp or water damaged only around the edges. If there are hundreds of single pages, or if the water damage is severe, other methods of drying will be more satisfactory and cost-effective.
• Single leaves can be laid out on tables, floors, and other flat surfaces, protected if necessary by paper towels or clean, unprinted newsprint, or clotheslines may be strung close together and records laid across them for drying.
• If records are printed on coated paper, they must be separated from one another to prevent them from sticking. This is a tedious process that requires skill and patience. Place a piece of polyester film on the stack of records. Rub it gently down on the top sheet. Then slowly lift the film while at the same time peeling off the top sheet. Hang the polyester film up to dry on a clothesline using clothespins. As the document dries, it will separate from the surface of the film, so it must be monitored carefully. Before it falls, remove it and allow it to finish drying on a flat surface.
• Once dry, records may be re-housed in clean folders and boxes, or they may be photocopied or reformatted in other ways. Dried records will always occupy more space than ones that have never been water damaged.

 

• Microforms and Photographs
• Microforms subject to water damage should be professionally cleaned and dried within 48-60 hours. It will need to be sent to a processing laboratory. In most cases, the film should not be used again, but a duplicate copy should be made and the damaged one discarded. If the film is dirty/muddy, put in a bucket filled with clean cold water and agitate lightly to removed major dirt deposits. Pack for shipping. If film cannot be salvaged within about 60 hours, it can be frozen.
• Photographs. Images can separate from mounts, emulsions can dissolve or stick together, and staining can occur. Mold can grow within 48 hours at 60% RH and 70°F, and it often causes permanent staining and other damage to photographs. For these reasons photographs need to be dried as quickly as possible. If photographs cannot be dried they should be frozen.

 

Fire Damage

 

If there is a fire, materials will suffer fire and smoke damage in addition to water damage. It is necessary to consult conservators and other experts listed in this plan. In the absence of professional help, handling of charred items should be avoided if possible, since handling will result in further damage. Rare, archival, or special collections materials must be evaluated by a conservator. For quick local assistance, contact Yolanda Merrill at Leyburn Library, Washington & Lee University.

 

 

Basic Emergency Supplies

 

Following is a list of supplies, most of which will be in-house supplies, except for large items such as dehumidifiers. This list should be checked once a year by Joan Kasper to be sure that it is current.

 

 

Experts and Consultants

It is useful to maintain a list of experts and consultants with specialized skills and interests in preservation/conservation. They can be called upon for advice in case of emergency and can often suggest other specialists as necessary. To identify resource people in the immediate area, contact the Solinet office at 1-800-999-8558.

 

·         Marlee Givens
Field Services officers Solinet Preservation Department
1438 West Peachtree Street N.W. , Suite 200
Atlanta, Georgia 30309-2955
1-800-999-8558
404-892-7879 fax

·         LYRASIS Regional Response Networks

robin.dale@lyrasis.org

·         Carl Dumbauld  
Eastman Kodak Co.
Photo Information Dept.
343 State St.
Rochester, NY 14650
716-724-4000

·         Lori Foley
Northeast Document Conservation Center
100 Brickstone Square
Andover, MA 01810
978-470-1010         
nedcc@nedcc.org

·         Preservation Officer University of Virginia
Alderman Library
Charlottesville, VA 22903
434-924-1055

·         Library of Virginia
Suzy Szasz Palmer
Interim State Archivist
suzy.palmer@lva.lib.va.us
804-692-3600

·         Yolanda Merrill
Conservator, Washington & Lee University Library
If available, can provide immediate expert assistance.
Office: 463-8662 Home: 463-6995

 

 

Equipment and Services

 

Following is a list of types of services which may be needed in case of emergency. The list should be checked once a year for accurate names and telephone numbers.