Disaster plans: Who needs them?

Abstract

Disaster response planning appears to be a hard concept to sell. It is suggested that most reasons put forward for avoiding or postponing such planning are not valid. A disaster management workshop was held at Ballarat University College on 11-12 February 1993- Those attending were later contacted and asked what the main value of the workshop had been to them and what action they expected to take as a result of attending the workshop. Reaction was positive and all appeared to be taking action of some kind; some were preparing disaster plans, some running training sessions and some reporting to their management and recommending that action be taken. Some possible scenarios for likely disasters are put forward and a library’s responsibilities for its collections and to its clientele suggested. © 1994 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.