MLA 2024 Conference

“We’re a small library; we can’t plan for every disaster. Besides, a flood will never happen to our library; it’s not even near a river.” On one of the coldest weekends of the year, a sprinkler head burst in our library breakroom and flooded the entire library. Overnight our world was turned upside-down. And, unfortunately, we did not have a flood disaster plan.

In this presentation, we will detail our response to the flood, discuss what went well and what did not at each stage of recovery, and highlight how we ultimately turned a disaster into opportunity. We will share our experience and the lessons learned along the way in each aspect of the process, including coordinating with multiple insurance companies, providing services when operating out of a limited space, maintaining clear communications with the public, fostering patron engagement with the library through social media, and using this opportunity to re-envision the library space and furniture needs. Attendees will leave with clear strategies on how to plan for disaster before it happens, how to cope when it does, and how to turn your worst experience into something positive.

This presentation is geared towards library directors, staff members, and anyone interested in how one small library thrived after a disaster.