2019 Joint Conference ILA/NLA/NSLA

Two members of Kansas State University’s Hale Library administrative team will share details regarding the devastating fire and water damage that struck Hale Library on May 22, 2018. K-State Libraries Dean, Lori Goetsch, and Michelle Turvey-Welch, head of the metadata, preservation, and aquisitions at K-State, will discuss the expected and unexpected damage suffered by the library, the impact on services, the disaster recovery process and services employed, the effect of the event on library employees, and the solutions and lessons learned. The presenters will also share their interactions with recovery teams, insurance adjustors, inventorying, and other issues, as well as the role of the K-State leadership team in handling the crisis and longer term adjustment period for faculty, staff, and students. Attendees will learn about the importance of an updated and rehearsed disaster plan, the unexpected challenges of evacuating a building, the serious effects of water and smoke damage on books, electronics, office files, etc., and the incredible service ethic of library personnel as they successfully relocated and provided services for students arriving for summer classes. Finally, attendees will hear about how a renewed Hale Library will rise up, phoenix-like, to become a fully renovated library for Kansas State University. Dave Richards will introduce the speakers and also relate the story of a much smaller fire and its consequences at the Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library at the University of Nebraska at Omaha in November of 2018.