A library's worst nightmare - a fire, flood or other natural or man-made disasters - can never be completely prevented but a disaster situation can be more quickly remedied and recovered from with a well thought-out plan of action developed before disaster strikes. Katherine Marschall shared some of the advice she culled from developing a disaster plan for her library. Prevention, response and recovery are the three major elements to be addressed in an effective disaster plan. Each library's plan will be as individual as its collection development policy, taking into account the nature of each collection and each library building.

Careful advance planning is required in order to be prepared to handle a disaster situation. Assigning responsibility for the plan, finding experts in disaster situations, and detailing first response and prevention measures are all important. Setting priorities for disaster response, determining in advance which are the most important materials in the collection and how will they be saved, also needs to be considered. Disaster preparedness can make the difference between total loss and a recoverable situation. Such measures as assembling a "disaster crash cart" (supplies for water damage control), conducting in-house disaster drills and regular inspection of the building are all integral to an effective disaster plan.

A wealth of information on disaster planning is available in books, articles and websites. A good place to start is the Conservation Online website which has links to many organizations, how-to papers and vendors.