Disaster Management in Libraries in India

Libraries being memory and the cultural heritage institutions form an important component in the information infrastructure of a country. Any damage or destruction to them results in economic losses and affects the cultural identity and legacy for the future, disrupts the education processes and systems, and sets back knowledge creation. The present study focuses on disaster management issues in Indian libraries. There is very little knowledge about the damage caused by natural and man-made disasters to libraries, nor is it known how they coped with these situations. Have any lessons been learnt from these and are they prepared today to face disasters? Have any disaster management plans been prepared? The present research attempts to answer these questions. The book provides guidelines to libraries on the content and the preparation of a disaster management plan. The narratives of librarians who coped with disasters in past is an eye opener for others to know the difficulties faced by them and how they tried best to cope using standard practices and adopting local solutions. Many of the tips provided are useful for any library to adopt and be prepared for disasters.