Once the various disaster response components have been completed -- the disaster has been contained and the facility has been secured -- it is time to start the recovery process and attempt to salvage those materials which were damaged in the disaster.

Establishing Salvage Priority Guidelines
When the necessary permission to begin the recovery and salvage process has been received, study the condition of the collections carefully and select and prioritize materials for removal. The quick ranking of damaged items for the purpose of assigning treatment is sometimes called "triage," -- an approach which facilitates a quick response to the situation at hand. Triage categories will always depend on the amount of items affected and the severity of the damage. Some rough triage categories could include: 1) items requiring immediate attention, 2) those which are stable and can wait for further attention, and 3) those which are a total loss. [Even after materials have been selectively evacuated from the site for safety and protection, these materials occasionally might have to be re-sorted by condition and value, etc., for treatment purposes. This should consist of a simple revision or re-assessment of earlier decisions.]

It is important to remember that for most materials, replacement is usually less expensive than salvage and restoration. For this reason, don't freeze or spend a great deal of time working to recover materials which could just as easily be replaced.

Fire Damage Issues
Unfortunately, other than cleaning, trimming edges, or re-binding books, there is little that can be done for materials which have been subjected to smoke and soot damage. For valuable materials which have been fire damaged, an institution should seek the attention of a conservator.

Stabilization, Recovery, and Salvage Techniques: Books and Paper
First, it is necessary to determine how wet any given item actually is. Unless a moisture meter is available to quantitatively measure the moisture content of the item, "wetness" is usually going to be a subjective judgment by those individuals in charge. Once items have been roughly divided up according to their levels of wetness, based on the following information, proceed with drying of the materials. (Remember, however, that items on parchment, vellum, and leather should receive the immediate attention of a qualified conservator.)

Coated paper stock (or "glossy" paper) is the paper medium most susceptible to serious water damage. This is the type of paper most often used in art books and periodicals. If coated paper items from the collection are discovered to be wet, they should be frozen immediately. If wet coated paper is allowed to dry, pages will permanently adhere to each other, forming a solid, immobile text block. If these items cannot be frozen immediately, blank newsprint or paper towels should be interleaved between every glossy page.

Thoroughly soaked books should be frozen. Although this will not restore the book to its original condition, freezing does stabilize the item until it can receive the proper treatment. Seriously wet materials should be handled as little as possible. To prepare books for freezing:

• Wrap books in freezer paper (if available; otherwise, use wax paper), leaving the top and bottom of the book open for air circulation. The purpose of loosely wrapping wet books is to prevent them from sticking together during transport or during freezing. If paper is scarce or time is limited, only wrap every other book in the manner.
• Next, place books spine down in plastic crates to be transported. (If plastic crates are not available, use wax-coated cardboard boxes. Boxes lined with plastic garbage bags will also work, but do not seal the plastic bag. Whereas the plastic will prevent the cardboard from becoming wet and collapsing, sealing the bags would trap the moist air in with the books and could create an environment for developing mold.)
• Do not pack books in tightly, but make sure they are well supported, i.e., do not place large books on top of smaller books. Remember not to over pack crates or boxes: wet books are quite heavy.
• Once a crate is full, number it. It is important to keep a list of call numbers of the boxed books to be frozen (or record the authors and titles if materials are uncataloged).
• Once this information has been recorded, crates of books are ready to be transported for freezing.

Books which are only slightly damp or wet around the edges can be dried in the Recovery Area. Remember that the environment in this area should be cool and the humidity should be kept as low as possible. Open books carefully, and interleave paper towels or blank newsprint every 5-10 pages (or where water has seeped in) to help wick out the moisture. (As mentioned earlier, coated/glossy paper must have every page separated from the next.) Stand books on their drier end (wet end up), with pages fanned out.

Five Methods of Recovering Materials
Other than the techniques briefly mentioned above, there are several different ways of drying paper-based library materials and Sally A. Buchanan, a recognized expert in the field of library disaster planning and recovery, has provided the best definitions of these methods. The following excerpts from her work Resource Materials for Disaster Planning in New York Institutions (written in 1988) are quoted with her permission:

There are currently five ways to dry wet books and records. All have undergone at least some minimal level of testing under emergency conditions; several have been used extensively. These are described to assist you in making the best choice given your circumstances: cause of damage, level of damage, numbers involved, rarity/scarcity, personnel available, budget available, drying service available. Advice from a conservator or preservation administrator experienced in disaster recovery can be helpful before making the final selection(s).

It is important to remember that no drying method restores materials. They will never be in better condition than the one they are in when drying begins. If time must be taken to make critical decisions, books and records should be frozen to reduce physical distortion and biological contamination.

1. Air-drying
Air drying is the oldest and most common method of dealing with wet books and records. It can be employed for one item or many, but is most suitable for small numbers of damp or slightly wet books and documents. Because it requires no special equipment, it is often seen as an inexpensive method of drying. But it is extremely labor-intensive, can occupy a great deal of space, and can result in badly distorted bindings and textblocks. It is seldom successful for drying bound, coated paper.

Wet records may be air dried if care is taken to follow guidelines suggested by preservation experts. The technique is most suitable for small numbers of records which are damp and 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. Stacks of documents on coated, or shiny, paper must be separated immediately to prevent adhesion. Or they must be frozen to await a later drying decision. Care must be taken with water-soluble inks as well. Records with running or blurred inks should be frozen immediately to preserve the written record. Conservators can then be contracted for advice and assistance.

If records must be air dried, the following steps will help achieve satisfactory results. Wet paper is extremely fragile and easily torn or damaged, so care must be exercised. Once wet, records will never look the same, and at least some cocking or distortion should be expected.

Equipment needed: flat surfaces for drying, fans and extension cords, clotheslines, sheets of polyester film.

1. Secure a clean, dry environment where the temperature and humidity are as low as possible. For best results, the temperature must be below 70°F and the humidity below 50%, or mold will develop and distortion will be extreme.

2. Keep the air moving at all times using the fans in the drying area. This will accelerate the drying process and discourage the growth of mold. If materials are dried outside, remember that prolonged exposure to direct sunlight may fade inks and accelerate the aging of paper. Be aware that breezes can blow away single records. Train fans into the air and away from the drying records.

3. Single pages 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.

4. If records are printed on coated paper, they must be separated from one another to prevent them from sticking together. This is a tedious process which requires skill and patience. Practice ahead of time will prove useful in case of emergency. Place a piece of polyester film on the stack of records. Rub it gently down on top of the document. Then slowly lift the film while at the same time peeling off the top sheet. Hang the polyester film up to dry on the clothesline using clothespins. As the record dries, it will separate from the surface of the film. Before it falls, remove it and allow it to finish drying on a flat surface.

5. Once dry, records may be rehoused in clean folders and boxes. Or they may be photocopied or reformatted on microfilm of fiche. Dried records will always occupy more space than ones which have not been water-damaged.

2. Dehumidification
This is the newest method to gain credibility in the library and archival world, although it has been used for many years to dry out buildings and the holds of ships. Large, commercial dehumidifiers are brought into the facilities with all collections, equipment, and furnishings left in place. Temperature and humidity can be carefully controlled to user specifications. Additional testing is being undertaken, but the technique is certainly successful for damp or moderately wet books, even those with coated paper, as long as the process is initiated before swelling and adhesion have taken place. The number of items is limited only by the amount of equipment available and the expertise of the equipment operators. This method has the advantage of leaving the material in place on the shelves and in storage boxes, eliminating the costly step of removal to a freezer or vacuum chamber.

3. Freezer Drying
Books and records which are only damp or moderately wet may be dried successfully in a self-defrosting fast freezer if left there long enough. Materials should be placed in the freezer as soon as possible after water damage. Books will dry best if their bindings are supported firmly to inhibit initial swelling. The equipment should have the capacity to freeze very quickly, and temperature must be below -10°F to reduce distortion and to facilitate drying. Documents may be placed in the freezer in stacks or may be spread out for faster drying. Expect this method to take them from several weeks to several months, depending upon the temperature of the freezer and the extent of the water damage. Coated papers may adhere with this technique.

4. Vacuum Thermal-Drying
Books and records may be dried in a vacuum thermal-drying chamber into which they are placed either wet or frozen. The vacuum is drawn, heat is introduced, and the materials are dried above 32°F. This means that the materials stay wet while they dry. It is a very acceptable manner of drying wet records, but often produces extreme distortion in books, and almost always causes blocking (adhesion) of coated papers. For large numbers of materials it is easier than air drying, and almost always more cost effective. This method is a solution for materials which have suffered extensive water damage.

5. Vacuum Freeze-Drying
Books and records are placed in a vacuum chamber frozen. The vacuum is pulled, a source of heat introduced, and the collections, dried at temperatures below 32 °F, remain frozen. The physical process known as sublimation takes place -- i.e., ice crystals vaporize without melting. This means that there is no additional swelling or distortion beyond that incurred before the materials were placed in the chamber.

Coated paper will dry well if it has been frozen or placed in the chamber within six hours. Otherwise it may well be lost. The process calls for very sophisticated equipment and is especially suitable for large numbers of very wet books and records as well as for coated paper. Rare and unique materials can be dried successfully this way, but leathers and vellums may not survive. Although this method may initially appear to be more expensive due to the equipment required, the results are often so satisfactory that additional funds for rebinding are not necessary, and mud, dirt, and/or soot is lifted to the surface, making cleaning less time-consuming. Photographs should not be vacuum freeze-dried.

Photographic Materials (photographs, negatives, slides, film, microforms)
If photographic materials at an institution are water-damaged, it is best to have them handled by experts at a professional drying facility or by a processing laboratory. If this is not possible, attempt the techniques listed below, but the disaster recovery literature surveyed for this section warns not to expect ideal results.

Some prefatory remarks on salvaging photographic materials reproduced with permission from John DePew's A Library, Media, and Archival Preservation Handbook (page 282):

"...Photographic media should be air-dried under most circumstances; however, any photographic medium will be difficult to salvage after a fire or flood. The image is held by the emulsion, which is destroyed by high temperatures, humidity, and steam. Emulsions will be softened if kept under water for long periods, and soft emulsions will stick to adjacent materials. The amount of damage wet photographic materials will sustain depends on the type of photograph, its physical condition, whether or not it was hardened during processing, the immersion time, and the water temperature....If attention cannot be given to materials within two or three days (two days for color), blast-freeze them until they can be salvaged. Freezing is chancy because if photographs are frozen slowly, the formation of ice crystals may rupture the emulsion layer and leave marks on the film. Freezing, however, does retard the growth of mold and allows time for rational decision making. Priorities dictate that prints should be salvaged first (film appears to be more stable), followed by freezing of photographs (if they cannot be cleaned and air-dryed immediately). Whenever water is used to help separate photographs, keep the immersion time to a minimum and the water below 72°F."

DePew also suggests that the best way to avoid having to recover photographic materials after a disaster is to have copy negatives made and kept at an off-site location.

[The following techniques for film are excerpted from: An Ounce of Prevention, pp. 69-70.]

For Black and White and Color Prints:
"Wet photographic prints should be placed in a plastic tray full of cold, clean water and agitated. Change the water and repeat procedure: about 15 to 20 minutes for color prints, and 30 minutes for black and white prints. Drain water and hang prints to air-dry or spread them out on blotter paper. (Note: If items cannot be salvaged within 48 hours, freeze for professional attention.)"

Processed Films:
1. Soak the films in clean, cold water 65°F (18°C) or below, containing 15 ml of 37% formaldehyde solution per litre of water. Carefully separate the films from their sleeves, enclosures, or from each other.

2. If there are few foreign particles on the films, rinse them for 10-15 minutes in the above solution. Otherwise, wash them for 30 minutes in this solution and gently wash their surfaces under water, preferably with a foam rubber brush or a soft sponge.

3. (a) Black and White Films and X-Ray Film: Dip the films in a wetting agent (e.g. Kodak Photoflo solution) or rinse them for one minute in a dilute solution of Photoflo. If Photoflo solution is not available, use a mild detergent and then rinse.
(b)Kodachrome Transparencies: Treatment as for 3(a).
(c)Ektachrome Transparencies: Rinse them for 10-15 seconds in Kodak E6 stabilizer.
(d)Color Negatives: Rinse them for one minute in Kodak C41 stabilizer.
(e)Eastman Colour Film: Should only be handled by a processing laboratory.

Note: In the case of color transparencies, rinse them again with running water for about five minutes. Then place them in Kodak SH- 1 Special Hardener solution for another five minutes. Remove excess solution with a soft sponge.

4. Dry the films or prints at room temperature in a dust free area.

Glass Plate Negatives
"Treat in the same manner as processed films (steps 1, 2, and 4). These negatives are often kept in boxes without envelopes or interleaving of any kind. Consequently, it may be difficult to separate them without transferring gelatin from one plate to another."

Motion Picture Film and Microfilm: These two media require film processors for recovery and drying. It is recommended that treatments of these items be handled by a professional at a processing lab. Keep these types of film in clean, cold water until arrangements can be made with experts; color negatives and film should only remain in water for 48 hours. If they cannot receive treatment within this period of time, freeze these items until professional attention is available. Be warned, however, that stabilization by freezing can damage the item.

Audiotapes, Videotapes, and Computer tapes (Magnetic media)
In tests, magnetic media have been able to withstand heat up to 160-200°F for upwards of one hour without significant damage. If materials in the collection have been exposed to more intense heat (i.e., fire), it is likely that they have been damaged beyond repair. Likewise, seriously water damaged magnetic media may not be able to be fully recovered.

From his work entitled A Library, Media and Archival Preservation Handbook, John DePew offers the following technique for salvaging magnetic tapes:

...If no back up is available, wash the exposed edges with clean water and leave the tapes to dry without heating. After it is dried, fast wind the tape against a felt pad (without the tape contacting the heads) to remove dried dirt and soil from the oxide and base surfaces....After the cleaning is completed, re-record the information onto a new tape and discard the old one. Be careful to identify the tapes during the cleaning process, and do not lose or switch labels. A wax crayon can be used to temporarily identify the tapes while they are being cleaned. (p. 286)

Although there are more specific recovery techniques for computer tapes, they require the use of very specialized equipment by experienced personnel. Therefore, as for most damaged magnetic media, expert advice is recommended. Again, the best plan of action is to maintain off-site copies of all magnetic media in the collection.

Floppy disks
If the disk is only slightly wet (i.e., water does not seep from the sleeve when gently pressed), it can be dried with a hair dryer on the AIR or NO HEAT setting. Hold lining away from the disk inside, dry both sides of the disk and the lining. Once dry, the disks should then be able to be re-copied, but proceed with caution as it is possible to damage disk drives when re-copying such disks, especially if dirt has gotten on them.

For disks which are very wet (i.e., dripping), remove the disk from its sleeve: pop open using gentle pressure, or if necessary, tap sleeve to position disk away from edge so that sleeve can be cut. Once removed, wipe diskette dry with a soft, absorbent cloth, then hang the disk to dry. Do not allow hanging disks to come into contact with one another, or with other contaminants. Cut open new, dry disks by trimming 1/16" of the write-protect edge with a paper cutter (putting aside dry disks). Next, replace the previously wet disks into the dry, empty sleeves. The disks should then be ready for re-copying, but proceed with caution as it is possible to damage disk drives when re-copying such disks.

Sound Recordings
(record albums) If albums are wet, but undamaged, remove them from their jackets and liners. If surface deposits of cardboard or paper are present, disks may be washed with clean water. Wash vinyl, shellac and acetate disks separately. Dry carefully with a soft, absorbent cloth. Wait until jackets are dry before reinsertion, and use new liners if possible. If surface deposits are more severe, albums should receive professional attention.

Electronic Equipment
Be very careful when working with electronic equipment (such as computers). If emergency is still not under control (i.e., continued leaks or standing water), DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WORK WITH ANYTHING ELECTRICAL; don't even try to unplug equipment. Wait until all hazards are eliminated before proceeding.

For computer equipment, if there is no threat to human safety and equipment is not wet, save in process documents to disk, store in a safe area, and turn machine off. Computer terminals which have suffered water or fire damage may not be salvageable

DISASTER SUPPLIES

Included in the following section is a listing of recommended supplies that every institution, regardless of size, should have available on-site. Also, additional disaster supplies are available to libraries, archives and repositories in the North Country and are stored at three regional depot sites across Northern New York. These depots typically contain items that are too expensive for most institutions. If, however, an institution can afford these items, it should definitely make efforts to acquire them, as such items will significantly speed up its reaction time in a disaster situation.

If a situation develops at the institution which merits additional resources beyond that which it has at hand, do not hesitate to rely upon the supplies available at the regional depots, using whatever is necessary to assist in the recovery from the disaster.

In-House Supply Stores
Proximity speeds reaction and recovery time. Having the right disaster supplies at hand will facilitate saving library collections and might even save lives.

Location & Security of In-House Supplies
A frequent problem in disaster situations is that supplies have been purchased for just such a situation, but they cannot be found when needed most. To avoid these situations, everyone should be made aware of the disaster supply location, it should be clearly marked, and it should be mapped out somewhere in the disaster manual. But, it should also be made secure from daily pilfering (possibly using a lock and key system) and the location should have a sign-out sheet if items are made available for borrowing.

Inventory and Replacement of In-House Supplies
Immediately following recovery and rehabilitation, inventory what supplies were used, borrowed, or acquired during these efforts. Reorder and replace those items which are missing, damaged, or were consumed as soon as is possible. As previously stated, the problem with disasters is that they can happen at anytime usually when least expected and when least prepared to handle them (for example, while still trying to recover from a previous disaster). Remember to replenish disaster supplies in a timely manner, as well as those borrowed from other institutions or individuals.

"RECOMMENDED" IN-HOUSE DISASTER SUPPLIES

Batteries -- for flashlights
Book trucks -- for transporting materials and evacuating books
Boots/Galoshes -- in case of flooding
Brooms
Buckets
Cardboard cartons -- for packing up materials
Camera (and film) -- for documentation of disaster damage
Cutters (those with blades are superior to scissors for plastic sheeting)
Dehumidifiers
Disinfectant
Extension cords (grounded and waterproof)
Eye protection (plastic goggles)
Fans
First aid kits
Flashlights
Freezer paper -- for wrapping books before freezing
Gloves
Hand tools -- i.e., hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches
Hazardous materials absorbing compounds
Mops
Packing tape -- for sealing boxes
Plastic garbage cans -- for washing dirty materials
Plastic milk crates -- for transporting wet materials
Plastic (polyethylene) sheeting -- for covering and protecting shelves from water
Respiratory protection (simple filter masks)
Two-way radios/walkie-talkies -- for communication in a large disaster if phones are out
Unprinted newsprint (or paper towels) -- to put in between pages of wet books
Waterproof pens or markers -- for marking boxes
Wet/Dry vacuum

In-House Disaster Supply Inventory Form
Form 13 (HTML printable format)
Form 13 (PDF fillable format)

SHARED REGIONAL SUPPLY DEPOTS

Depending on the severity of the emergency, in-house supplies may be depleted and it may be necessary to draw upon the shared resources available at the regional supply depots. The regional depot system has been designed so that no library or archives suffering a disaster will be further than one hour from a regional supply depot. Each depot will be accessible twenty-four hours a day, seven days per week through each host college's campus security office.

Depot Procedures
Please adhere closely to the following protocol when utilizing the regional supply depots:

Transportation of Supplies During an Emergency
In the event of an emergency, it is the responsibility of the disaster-stricken institution to travel to the nearest regional supply depot and pick-up whatever supplies are needed to handle the situation. It is recommended to drive to the supply depot in a vehicle (or fleet of vehicles) large enough to transport the materials necessary to handle the disaster. Consideration of a truck rental is recommended should the disaster be substantial.

Note that there are no assigned depots for the NNYLN's institutions. It is left to the judgment of the institution's Disaster Team to decide which institution is most convenient at that point in time, given prevailing weather conditions or other mitigating circumstances.

Access Procedures
The phone numbers and addresses of the three depots are included in this manual, so expedite matters by calling the depot site before leaving home. In this phone call, make arrangements with the campus security office to meet at the depot to unlock it.

Phone the designated 24 hour contact number, identify oneself and request access to the supply depot. If the person answering the telephone is unaware of the nature of the request or is not fully cooperative, request to be transferred to the officer in charge of the shift. Personnel at these numbers should be aware of the nature of the call and they should cooperate in providing access to the disaster supply depot.

After dispensing the supplies and securing the depot site, a security officer will notify the individual in charge of the regional depot in a timely manner that someone has withdrawn disaster supplies, and will provide that party's name, address and phone number, and possibly even the nature of the disaster. The security office will be responsible for passing on this information for two reasons: 1) so as not to distract the party in the midst of the emergency from their business at hand; and 2) to eliminate the possibility of individuals pilfering supplies without notifying the depot supervisor.

In each regional depot, there will be a three-part checklist of all disaster supplies stored in the depot. The victim/borrowing party will simply check off what items they are taking (stating numerical amounts, where applicable). The victim is to keep one copy of the form; one copy should stay in the depot; and one copy will be mailed to the depot supervisor by the security office. This checklist system saves the stricken party time by not having to list borrowed items from scratch, and it also acts as a record to guarantee the return and replacement of materials borrowed from the depot. After a reasonable period of time, a member of the NC3R's Preservation and Conservation Committee nearest that depot will inventory the supplies to assure that all had been replaced by the stricken institution.

Replacement of Regional Depot Supplies
Once supplies have been taken from the Regional Supply Depots, it the responsibility of the borrowing institution to replace materials at their own expense and to do so in a timely manner. It is important that individual institutions replenish supplies at the regional depots as quickly as possible, because another emergency situation could occur at another institution in the region at any time.

Disaster Supply Inventory
A current inventory of disaster supplies should be kept at each individual institution, as well as at each of the three regional supply depots. This should be a responsibility of one of the members of the Disaster Team. Such an inventory should be conducted periodically (once or twice a year), to make sure the necessary supplies are indeed in hand. If not, re-order immediately, and make an effort to find those responsible for the missing items. In the case of the regional supply depots, supplies should be replenished as soon after a disaster as possible. Waiting too long to restock the depot could result in being caught without the necessary supplies in the event of another disaster.

Depot Locations

NNYLN's 10,000 square mile area will be served be three Regional Disaster Supply Depots. As previously stated, institutions are not limited to using specific depots.

The following is the listing of supplies (including quantities) kept at each of the regional depots and a blank checklist to keep track of supplies borrowed from them in emergency situations.

Brooms (2)
Clean newsprint (5 rolls)
Clipboards (10)
Cutters for sheeting (3)
Dehumidifier (2)
Extension cords (7)
Filter masks (2 packs of 5)
First Aid Kit ( 1)
Flashlights (12; with 4 spare "D" batteries)
Floor fans (2)
Freezer paper (1 roll)
Gasoline can (1; 5 gallon capacity)
Hand trucks (2)
Hard hats (12)
Hospital disposable gloves (1 box of 100)
Hygrometer (1)
Light bulbs (6; 100 watt)
Monofilament fishing line (3 reels)
Mops (2)
Mop buckets (2)
Pens (15)
Pedestal fans (4)
Plastic clothespins (3 packages)
Plastic crates (50)
Plastic garbage cans (6)
Polyethylene sheeting (3 rolls)
Portable generator (1)
Rubber aprons (10)
Safety goggles (1)
Scissors (3)
Sling psychrometer (1)
Squeegees (2)
Waterproof markers (15)
Wet/Dry Vacuums (2)
Work lights (4)
Yellow pads (15)

Disaster Supplies Borrowed From Regional Supply Depots
Form 14 (HTML printable format)
Form 14 (PDF fillable format)

When the emergency is past, piece together exactly what happened and how the situation was handled. Critically assess how the emergency was dealt with. Make sure to record this information in writing. Document times; describe those procedures which were successful, explaining how and why, and discuss those that were not. Learn from mistakes, and make an effort to share experiences with others. Also, do not neglect to replenish disaster supplies used in the effort.

Attached is a post-disaster report form to help keep track of incidents and document any problems that might occur over time. (Also, some institutions might find it useful to record the amount of staff time used to recover from the disaster.)

Post-Disaster Report Form
Form 15 (HTML printable format)
Form 15 (PDF fillable format)

Continue On To Chapter 5: Resources Available

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