1. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 1 Pari J. Swift Local Government Records Archivist Ohio Historical Society

2. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 2 General Topics b Basic Records Storage b Environmental Controls b Disaster Prevention b Disaster Protection b Disaster Recovery Plans b Disaster Response b Recovering Wet Records

3. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 3 Records Storage b Keep records flat b Use minimal metal fasteners b Use minimal adhesives scotch tapescotch tape b Acid-free folders permanent documentspermanent documents

4. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 4 Records Storage b Metal Shelving or microfilm cabinets Shelves should be at least 6 inches off floorShelves should be at least 6 inches off floor b Standard-sized storage boxes Permanent records-acid free if possiblePermanent records-acid free if possible b Fire alarms and extinguisher b Locked storage room Intrusion alarm systemIntrusion alarm system Monitor record usersMonitor record users

5. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 5 Environmental Controls

6. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 6 Environmental Controls-Paper b Temperature= 70 F or lower b Relative Humidity= 35%-40% b Constant Air Circulation Reduces mold, mildew, insectsReduces mold, mildew, insects b Lighting Remove/Filter florescent lightsRemove/Filter florescent lights Keep lights off in storage areasKeep lights off in storage areas

7. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 7 Environmental Controls- Microfilm/fiche Master Negative b Off-site storage limited accesslimited access protection from fire, water, chemicalsprotection from fire, water, chemicals 40%-50% Relative Humidity40%-50% Relative Humidity 60-70 F60-70 F Do not mix different types of film in same cabinetDo not mix different types of film in same cabinet Roll Film b Reels made of non-corrosive metal or inert plastic Fiche b inert metal, plastic or acid-free paper cartons Office/Use Copies b Normal office temperatures b Closable drawers/cabinets b Do not mix different types of film in same cabinet

8. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 8 Environmental Controls- Computer Tapes b Temperature=65 F (+/- 3) b Relative Humidity=30%-40% b Avoid dust, smoke, magnetic fields b Store upright on grounded metal rack b Plastic canisters that support reel at the hub b Use a visible label for identification

9. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 9 Computer Tape Maintenance b Prevent sagging by turning reel one- quarter turn on storage rack every 6 months b Text read for errors once a year transfer to new tape if necessarytransfer to new tape if necessary b Look for physical damage to tape and storage containers once a year b Clean and precision rewind every 2 years

10. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 10 Disaster Prevention b Assess potential sources of emergencies to your offices records Natural Disasters-tornadoes, floods, fireNatural Disasters-tornadoes, floods, fire Housekeeping Hazards-old roof, scheduled construction, old wiring, no fire suppression systemHousekeeping Hazards-old roof, scheduled construction, old wiring, no fire suppression system b Put into effect all possible preventive measures

11. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 11 Disaster Protection b Water detection equipment b Fire detection/suppression equipment b Supplies for protection and recovery b Planning and Training b Control of environment b Enclosures, housing, storage of records

12. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 12 Disaster Recovery Plan Contents b Telephone numbers of emergency response team Report TreeReport Tree b Contact information for local emergency response agencies Fire, Rescue, PoliceFire, Rescue, Police Disaster Recovery Services/ConsultantsDisaster Recovery Services/Consultants b Location of supplies (on and off-site) b Detailed recovery/rehabilitation techniques for materials

13. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 13 Disaster Recovery Plan Contents b List (map)with locations of high priority items vital recordsvital records b Prevention and Protection assessment and recommendations b Appendices Supply providersSupply providers Service providersService providers MapsMaps b Bibliography

14. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 14 Vital Records b Vital Records 3-5% of your offices records (average)3-5% of your offices records (average) contain information needed to keep your office functioning in the event of or to rebuild after a disastercontain information needed to keep your office functioning in the event of or to rebuild after a disaster needed to re-create your offices legal and financial statusneeded to re-create your offices legal and financial status determine rights and obligations of employees and citizensdetermine rights and obligations of employees and citizens irreplaceable-copies do not hold same value as originalsirreplaceable-copies do not hold same value as originals only format admissible as evidenceonly format admissible as evidence Not the same as historical recordsNot the same as historical records b Examples: contracts, insurance policies, personnel information, executive orders, minutes of governing boards, order of succession

15. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 15 Electronic Records Backup b Regular electronic records backups Rule of Thumb-every 8 hours of computer useRule of Thumb-every 8 hours of computer use Scheduled backups (weekly, monthly, etc.)Scheduled backups (weekly, monthly, etc.) b Clearly label backups Name of department/officeName of department/office Descriptive contents titleDescriptive contents title Dates of creationDates of creation Security classificationSecurity classification Identification of hardware and software usedIdentification of hardware and software used

16. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 16 Electronic Records Backup b Keep copies of… Application softwareApplication software Operations manualsOperations manuals System documentationSystem documentation Program documentationProgram documentation Operating systems tapes or disksOperating systems tapes or disks b Backup should have… Previous generation of dataPrevious generation of data Active dataActive data Copy of active dataCopy of active data b Store backups off-site!

17. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 17 Disaster Recovery Plan b Give copies of the plan to: All members of the office response teamAll members of the office response team Fire and PoliceFire and Police b Store copies of the plan off-site b Update annually b Be sure it is in writing!

18. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 18 Disaster Response b Look to person in charge for guidance Predetermined in disaster recovery planPredetermined in disaster recovery plan b What is the extent of the disaster? What and how much was affected?What and how much was affected? b How serious is the damage to the records? b Is the cause of the disaster being addressed? b Are the collections not affected being protected from potential damage? b Has everyone on the disaster plan been notified?

19. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 19 Disaster Response b What supplies and services will be needed? Are required supplies and services available? Will more have to be ordered?Are required supplies and services available? Will more have to be ordered? Is extra space required for air drying or storage?Is extra space required for air drying or storage? Will you need more staff to assist?Will you need more staff to assist? Will records need to moved off-site?Will records need to moved off-site? b How are the affected records going to be dealt with? b When will office service and access to records be restored?

20. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 20 Disaster Recovery b Remove standing water and contaminants b Set up cleaning methods b Protect undamaged collections b Remove and pack wet materials b Remove, clean, and pack contaminated materials b Record and document all activity b Stabilize materials b Begin recovery method or methods b Be sure volunteers and staff are supervised

21. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 21 Recovery Hints-Wet Records Wet records must be stabilized to prevent mold and physical distortion b Keep temperature as low as possible b Keep relative humidity at 40% or less b Provide good air circulation b Remove wet furnishings or carpet

22. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 22 Recovery Hints-Wet Records b Moderate to heavily wet records should be frozen ASAP to prevent mold and distortion until further decisions can be made about how to dry them. Blast freezing best-temperatures below -25FBlast freezing best-temperatures below -25F Any freezer with temperatures below 0 FAny freezer with temperatures below 0 F Do not freeze photos and negatives!Do not freeze photos and negatives! b Several methods of freeze drying to actually dry books b Contact specialized drying companies for computer and AV equipment b Dehumidification for buildings and furnishings

23. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 23 Drying Techniques Dehumidification b not good on coated paper b good on damp materials b freeze some records, leave others in place for dehumidifacation saves money Air Drying b physical distortion as books continue to swell more space requiredmore space required b mold b recovery cheap, rehabilitation expensive (rebinding) b Use on small amounts of wet records

24. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 24 Packing Wet Records b Do not attempt to straighten or fix mishapen pages b Pack bound records spine down b Pack books one layer deep Records can remain in folders or boxesRecords can remain in folders or boxes Records in file drawers or archival boxes can be transferred to freezer as isRecords in file drawers or archival boxes can be transferred to freezer as is b Loosely wrap every other book in wax paper to prevent adhesion or ink transfer b Do not stack boxes more than 3-4 high b Try to keep the material in order

25. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 25 Document Irretrievable Records b If possible, make copies of records before disposing of the originals b Document records disposal using the Application for One-Time Disposal (RC-1) Give as much detail as possible as to which records were lost and whyGive as much detail as possible as to which records were lost and why

26. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 26 Summary b Cool b Dry b Constant b Stabilize

27. November 2001Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery 27 Pari J. Swift Local Government Records Archivist Ohio Historical Society (614) 297-2553 1-800-510-9676pswift@ohiohistory.orghttp://www.ohiohistory.org/lgr