Disaster Management in Archives, Libraries and Museums

Abstract

Matthews, Graham, Smith, Yvonne and Knowles, Gemma. Disaster management in archives, libraries and museums Farnham: Ashgate, 2009. xiv, 229 pp. ISBN 978-0-7546-7273-9. £55As the authors of Disaster Management in Archives, Libraries and Museums state themselves, 'disaster prevention and preparedness are activities which some may put off to a later date, the likelihood of experiencing a disaster thought to be remote, [with a] won't happen here attitude' This is of course a false belief: disaster prevention and disaster management are concerns which should be a high priority for every archive, library and museum professional. Disaster can strike at any time (take, for example, the ironically timed flooding of my own workplace during the reading of this book!). Yet it is virtually impossible for the disaster planner to imagine, in the abstract, and plan for all the possible disasters that could befall them, and as such any text which delves further into this topic is always warmly welcomed.The original research for this book was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and was undertaken by the authors between 2005 and 2006, taking the form of surveys, interviews and literature reviews, the results of which were published in 'Safeguarding heritage at risk: disaster management in UK archives, libraries and museums'. That report has now been expanded into this book, taking into consideration further developments that have occurred since the original publications. Their aim is to provide an overview of current disaster management practices both at home and abroad, in the hope that this will provide interested parties with both the background information and the 'support for advocacy' to help them to push forward with the creation and development of a disaster control plan (DCP). As such, the book is not intended to be a practical 'how-to' guide to creating a DCP from scratch, though it does contain many useful hints and tips for doing so. This aim, however, has led to a rather unusual, hybrid book; while its scope and content is broad, and it is a thorough, superbly researched and clearly written text, there is a certain discomfort about a book which is, in effect, a theoretical treatise on a very practical topic.After setting out its aims and its scope, the book divides itself into initially discussing the authors' research and setting out their results, before going on to consider the key themes, findings and advice that their research highlighted. The first chapter is introductory; the second chapter looks at the context from which the authors approached their original research, and serves as a highly practical explanation of the convoluted and overlapping responsibilities of the many UK institutions involved in disaster management. In terms of providing the intended 'support for advocacy', this section is indeed a perfect summary for professionals attempting to work out who they should be turning to for support and advice. There is also a very thoughtprovoking, if necessarily brief, analysis of recent developments in disaster management. I found the authors' discussion of the recent evolution in disaster management due to the coincidence of recent disasters such as the Iraq War, the UK floods, and Hurricane Katrina, with the new ease of information sharing via the Internet, particularly worthy of note.The reports on the original survey's findings contained in chapters 3 and 4 are something of a mixed bag. The authors' research on international practices is presented in a chapter of snapshot country-by-country guides and introductions to relevant international bodies. The authors believe that the recent proliferation of information, while helpful, can also make it difficult for a professional to even know where to start, and so for anyone with an interest or involvement in international disaster management this chapter alone would serve as a perfect introductory guide to current practice. …

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