Disaster Prevention, Disaster Preparedness, and Disaster Recovery: Chapter 5Disaster Recovery ProcessThe salvage procedures described in the manual are relatively broad guidlelines for getting the salvage procedure started. Information contained here is derived largely from Peter Waters; booklet, Procedures for Salvage of Water-Damaged Materials, which may be obtained from the Preservation Office, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540. Also included is information from Basic Guidelines for Disaster Planning in Oklahoma, prepared by Toby Murray, University of Tulsa, Archivist/Preservation Officer, March 1985. Steps in Recovery ProcessThe following steps are recommended for an effective recovery operation: (1) The first step is to establish the character and degree of damage. The assessment of damage will determine the special facilities and equipment required. Speed is of the utmost importance but careful planning is equally essential. This means asking the questions: (a) How much damge has occurred? (b) What kind of damage is it-fire, smoke, clean water, dirty water, heat, humidity? (c) Is it confined to one area or is the entire building damaged? (d) What types of materials have damaged-books, document, microforms, photographs, computer tapes? (e) Are the damaged items easily replaced or are they irreplaceable? (f) can they be slavaged by the in-house recovery team, or will outside help be required? Contacts should be made at this time with the insurance carrier, sources of supplies and services, and the Disaster Recovery Team. Walk through the entire area and take extensive notes (use a pencil or water-proof pen). Photographs should be taken to document the damages. Each member of the Disaster Recovery Team should be knowledgeable on the labeling of boxes, packages, and/or items. Materials need to be inventoried as they are removed. The inventory information should include the location in which the material was found, its destination, and its priority. Remove wettest mateials first in order to decrease the humidity. Sample Label Format Damaged Library Materials Box #_______________________________________________________ (2) Stablilize the environment. The environment must be stabilized to prevent the growth of mold. The ideal conditions for a recovery operation are 65 degrees F and 35-40% RH. The temperature may be lowered by turning of the heat in the winter and turning on the air-conditioning in the summer. Dehumidifiers can help to lower the humidity, although they usually are only effective in small, enclosed areas, and tend to increase the temperature in a room. They can also freeze up in the lower temperatures required for salvage and recovery operations. Raising the temperature will not lower the humidity should be monitored continuously. The air should be circulated in the damaged area. This may be accomplished by running fans constantly. If possible, they should expel the humid air from the area. Any standing water should be pumped from the area. Extreme caution must be taken, as standing water can conceal fallen, live electrical wires and other hazards. The following equipment should be readily accessible to help stabilize the enviromment. a. Portable generators, in case a power failure occurs. b. Pumps, to remove large moisture from the air. c. Fams, to circulate the air. d. Dehumidifiers, to remove moisture from the air. e. Hygrothermographs and/or sling psychrometers, to measure the temperature and humidity. Different areas are needed for the different salvage procedures: drying, washing, and packing. Work rooms should be separated from the affected area. Debris should be removed frequently to keep the area as clean as possible. (3) Activate the in-house disaster recovery team. Work crews should be organized and their responsibilities clearly defined. No salvage activity should begin until a plan of action has been determined by the team leader. Disaster and recovery areas should be inaccessible to the public. Frequent rest breaks should be provided for workers. Food and/or beverages should be available. (4) Restore the area. After the damaged items have been removed and the environment has been stabilized, the area must be thoroughly cleaned. Walls, floors, ceilings, and all furniture and equipment must be scrubbed with soap and water and a fungicide. Carpeting and, especially, the padding under it, should be carefully examined, as mold will develop rapidly. Removal of smoke odor and fogging with fungicides or insecticides should be performed only by professionals. Salvage Procedures for Water-Damaged MaterialsThe most generally accepted and proven method of stabilizing water-damaged materials is by freezing and storing the materials at a low temperature (-20 degrees F). Rapid freezing is recommended to minimize damage from ice crystals (the faster the materials are frozen, the smaller the ice crystals will be). This not only buys time in which to plan and organize a controlled, coordinated drying operation, it also prevents further deterioration of the material by water and mold while awaiting treatment. Freezing will also help to eliminate smoke odor from materials. Materials can be left frozen for an indefinite time if necessary. Before freezing, it is preferable to wash away accumulated mud and filth, but this is rarely possible because of lack of time and the quantity of material to be handled. Washing should never be attempted by an untrained person as this may cause further damage. The general condition of the damaged materials will determine how much time can be spent in preparation for freezing. At the least, bound volumes should be wrapped in freezer paper, wax paper, or silicone paper to prevent their sticking together during the freezing process. Books should be removed and packed in the exact condition in which they are found. Open books will be swollen, but no attempt should be made to close them. Interlocking plastic mild crates make excellent containers fro packing wet materials. They offer the most efficient unit for freeze- or vacuum drying. If interlocking crates are not obtainable strong cardboard boxes may be used. Cut freezer paper in the approximate length of the size of the volume. The paper should be placed around the outsede of the book, with the waxed side next to the book. Place the book, spine down, into the carton. Materials should no be packed tightly. Faster freezing and subsequent drying will be accomplished if the cartons are packed approximately three- quarters full. Books that are wet and found open should be wrappe in the open state and placed on top of a packed container. A layer of freezer paper needs to be placed as a barrier between the packed volumes and the open volumes to prevent staining from binding dyes. It should be possible to move the wet materials directly from library to a freezing facility in refrigerated trucks which can be drawn up to the loading site. For small collections of books and documents, dry ice may be used to freze the material fro transport in unrefrigerated trucks to long-term freezing facilities. Volumes to be reclaimed need to be evaluated in terms of the amount of restoration needed and probable costs. Replacement is nearly always cheaper than restoration. After materials have been sent to freezing facilities, the next consideration is the choice of drying methods. By far the most successful method for drying large collections is vacuum or freeze-drying. Materials must be frozen when they are placed in a sublimation chamber. This type of chamber operates under high vacuum and high heat, and turns the ice crystals in and on the frozen materials to water vapor. The vapor is then collected on a cold panel that has been chilled to at least -200 degrees F. If the materials are not frozen when they are put in the chamber, they will freeze on the outside and the water molecules on the inside will be forced through the frozen barrier as the vacuum is pulled. This action can cause the books or documents to explode. If the water-damaged materials wre infested by mold at the time of freezing, they should be sterilized. This can be easily accomplshed with a treatment of theylene oxide while the materials are still in the vacuum chamber. When the materials are removed from the chamber, they will be very dry and should acclimate for at least one month before they are opened to avoid cracking the spine and/or binding. They may be placed in a high humidity room to facilitate this process, but must be monitored closely for signs of mold. Materials so treated will not look like new, but will show signs of swelling and distortion. All returned, dried materials should be placed in an open-shelving area, in a ventilated and air-conditioned section, well separated from the main collections. It is necessary to monitor the materials as a check against the effectiveness of sterilization and to identify any potential for mold growth before the material are returned to the main collection. The rehabilitation aarea should be maintained between 35-45% relative humidity and at a temperature below 65 degrees F. The material should be kept in the rehabilitation area for a period of at least six months, if at all possible. No materials should be returned to the main library shelves without very careful inspection. If materials are only slightly wet, the books may be fanned open slightly
and stood upside down in a flow of warm air. Air-drying should be performed
only in a stable environment to inhibit the growth of mold. The ideal
environment for air-drying is 50-60 degrees F and 25-35% RH. This process
is not recommended for coated stock materials. An alternative method
is to hang the books, using one-line of monofilament string per half-inch
thickness of the book. Never hang a book if it wiights more than six
pounds or if it is very wet. Just before the book is dry, weigh it in
a flat position, with the spine gently shaped to be convex. Do not stack
drying books. If the books are very wet, begin interleaving with newspaper sheets at intervals of 25 pages. Interleaving should no exceed 1/3 the total thickness of a volume. As the books begin to dry out, follow procedure stated above for partially wet books. If a washing area is needed, it must be set up where good drainage is possible. For extensive washing, six to eight plastic garbage cans (20-30 gallon size) will be necessary. Provide a continuous supply of running water in each can. Always keep the books tightly closed when washing them. Sponge the books under water. Squeeze out remaining water by hand, no mechanical press shuld be used. Stand books upside down on several sheets of absorbent paper. Interleave and allow to dry in the manner outlined above. After the materials have been removed and treated, important steps need to be taken to prevent future damage by mold infestation. The storage area must be repaired and sterilized before the materials are returned. Water-Damaged Microfilm Once it has become wet, silver halide microfilm should be immersed in clean water until treatment is possible. If it becomes drey, the emulsion may separate from the base. Also, the film will stick together and solidify. Black and white film can be left for up to three days in water before the emulsion will separate from the film backing. Color film must be processed within 48 hours. If Diazo or vesicular film has been wet, it can be dried with a soft, lint-free cloth. Monochromatic Materials Wet and muddy black-and-white negative film and prints should be sealed in polyehtylene bags and placed in plastic garbage cans under clean, cold running water. They can be left under such conditions for up to three days. Color Slides and Color Negative and Positive Film Unless color materials can be transported to a professional photographic service within 48 hours after immersion in water, colored layers will separate and the dyes will become weak or will be lost altogether. After this time, the best way to save a large collection is to freeze it until special arrangements can be made. For further, detailed instructions, consult the Waters publication. Brief Guidelines for RecoveryBriefly, guidelines for the recovery process are: I. Volumes to be Frozen: A. Removal 1. Clear the floors and aisles first. 2. Begin with the wettest materials. These will usually be on the lowest shelves, unless water has come in through the ceiling. 3. Ideally, dirt and mold should be removed and treated before freezing. Howevr, time may not permit these activities. Dirty/moldy books may be frozen (mud will easily brush off when it is dry). 4. Pack materials on-site, if possible. If not possible, remove by human chain. 5. Keep accurate records of the locations from which materials are removed. 6. Pack items in the condition in which they are found. Do Not Attempt to Close Open Volumes or Open Closed Volumes that are Wet. B. Packing 1. Remove volumes from shelves in order. 2. Wrap freezer paper around each volume (waxed side next to the volume) and place in plastic crates spine down. 3. pack crates on layer only, snuggly enough that volumes will not slide or lean. 4. Wrap open books as found and place on top of a packed container. Do not place more than one open volume in a container. Be sure there is a freezer paper barrier between the packed volumes and the open volume to prevent staining from binding dyes. 5. If books are stuck together, do not attempt to separate them, but pack them as one volume. C. Record-keeping 1. Label each container with the institution's name and assign it a number. 2. On a separate sheet of paper, record the box number, call numbers of the first and last volumes packed, and the total number of books in each container. 3. If the containers are sent to more than one freezer, not which container numbers are sent where. D. Transporting 1. Materials should be placed in a freezer facility as quickly as possible to prevent the grownth of mold. Care should be taken that containers do not fall over during transport, as further damage may result. 2. Refrigerated trucks may be utilized if the materials cannot be frozen within forty-eight hours. II. Volumes to be Air-Dried A. Washing Procedure (to be performed off-site only) 1. Keep the book tightly closed and immerse it in the first washing tank. 2. Dab the binding gently with a sponge while holding the book under water, removing as much mud as possible. Do not rub or use brushes and do not sponge the pages or edges, as these actions can force the mud into the spine or onto the wet pages, causing further damage to the volume. Let the motion of the running water clean off the dirt. 3. Repeat in other washing tanks, progressing to the final rinse tank. 4. Hold the book under a gentle spray rinse. 5. Squeeze the book gently and with even pressure to remove excess water and to reshape the binding. 6. Do Not wash a. open or swollen volumes b. vellum or parchment bindings or pages c. leather bound volumes (full or partial bindings) d. fragile materials e. works of art on paper f. water-soluble components (inks, watercolors, tempera, dyes, charcoal, etc.) g. manuscripts h. non-paper materials B. Saturated volumes 1. Do Not Open--wet paper tears easily! 2. Set volumes on their heads on absorbent paper. Pages tend to droop within the binding when a volume is shelved upright, so setting it on its head will counteract this tendency. Plastic sheeting should be placed under the paper toweling or unprinted newsprint to protect table tops. Turn the volumes right side up when changing the paper beneath them. The position should be reversed each time the paper is changed and the wet paper removed from the area. 3. Covers may be opened to support the volume. 4. Aluminum foil may be placed between the cover and endleaf to prevent staining from the binding dyes. 5. Continue to change the paper underneath and remove from the area. D. Slightly damp volumes/volumes with only wet edges 1. Stand volume on its head and fan open slightly. Paperback books may support each other with a barrier between them or they may be wedged with stryofoam pieces. Position volumes in the path of circulating air. 2. When almost dry, lay the volumes flat and place weights (not other drying books) on them to minimize distortion. If regular book weights are not available, cement blocks can be used to weight the books. Do Not Stack Wet Volumes. 3. Lightweight volumes (less than six pounds) may be hung on a line to dry. a. Use monofilament nylon, not more than 1/32" diameter, not more than five or six feet long, and spaced approximately one- half inch apart. b. Do not line-dry a saturated volume as the monofilament will cut
through the wet paper. Do not attempt to air-dry wet books with coated stock paper as the pages will permanently bond together. Almost all attempts to separate stuck pages by rewetting them have failed. The only chance of saving such materials is to interleave and air-dry them immediately, or to freeze them while wet and then vacuum freeze-dry them. A. Handle with care, as the print will slide off the wet page. B. If not frozen immediately, keep them submerged until they can be separated. Interleave every page and air-dry. IV. Documents/Unbound Materials A. Freeze as found 1. Do not remove the document cases or folders. 2. Do not turn file cabinets or document cases upside down to empty or drain. B. Separation of wet sheets. 1. Place a sheet of polyester film on top of a stack of wet, unbound papers. 2. Rub gently with a bone folder--surface friction will cause the wet paper to adhere to the film. 3. Peel back the top sheet and place it on top of a piece of polyester web. 4. Remove the polyesterfilm. 5. place anther piece of polyester web on top of the wet sheet. 6. Repeat the entire process, separating the wet sheets one at a time and interleaving them with polyester web. (Materials may be frozen at this stage). 7. Air-dry the sheets (supported by the polyester web) by placing them on absorbent paper on tables or on closely spaced monofilament lines. Air in the room should be kept circulation, but fans should not blew directly on the materials. 8. The papers may be flattened when they are almost dry by placing them between two sheets of blotting paper (to remove excess moisture) and applying even pressure with weights. V. Non-book Materials A. Photographic materials (prints, negatives, slides, film) Do not expect to salvage color photographs, as the colored layers will separate and the dyes will fade quickly. However, if you wish to attempt to salvage color photographs, freeze them immediately or transport them to a professional photographic laboratory. Photographic materials should not be allowed to dry out after they become wet as they will stick to their envelopes or to each. Any attempt to separate them after they have dried together will result in damage to the emulsion or the image. Remove the materials from their protective enclosures and wash off any mud or dirt under cold, clean running water. The following options are available for salvaging photographic materials: 1. Air-dry either flat or on lines of monofilament (plastic spring-type clothespins may be used to hang them on the lines). 2. If there are too many to air-dry, they may be stored in cold water (65 degrees F or below--cold helps to preserve the emulsion). Ice mayy be added to the water, but do not add dry ice or allow the material to remain under water longer than three days. Formaldehyde may be added to the water (fifteen milliliters to one liter) to help prevent the gelatain from swelling and softening. Black and white film could last three days in this solution before the emulsion begins to separtate; color film could las forty-eight hours. Transport them (in sealed polyehtylene bags inside plastic garbage pails) to a professional laboratory within twenty-four hours, if possible. 3. If time does not permit air-drying, the materials may be frozen as in I above. As the emulsion may be damaged by the formation of ice crystals, freezing as quickly as possible is recommended. (Smaller ice crystals will cause less damage). B. Microforms 1. Silver halide micorfilm a. Keep under water. b. Send to microprocessing laboratory. 2. Vessicular and diazo microfilm a. Wash off mud or dirt under cold, clean running water. b. Air-dry or dry with cheesecloth. 3. Microfiche a. Treat the same as halide microfilm. C. Tapes (audio, video, computer) and floppy disks. Water is especially damaging to magnetic tapes. The longer these materials have been wet, the greater the damage will be. Do not attempt to play any damaged tapes, as they can damage the equipment on which theu are being played. The following procedures are recommended if you wish to attempt to salvage tapes: 1. Break open the cassettes. 2. Wash in clean or distilled water. 3. Air-dry or dry with cheesecloth 4. Wind against a felt pad to remove excess water. D. Sound Recordings Clean water probably will damage sound recordings, but flood water carries silt, which will scratch a disk. Disks should be washed and dried with cheesecloth or a soft, lint-free cloth. Record jackets or paper protective sleeves should be discarded as they can trap moisture and may develop mold.. The record jacket may be photocopied to preserve the information on it. VI. Mold Mold and mildew are interchangeable terms for fungi. They can never be killed and can remain dormant for many years. Spores are always present in the air and will grow when the environment is warm and humid. Freezing will inhibit the growth of mold and is recommended if time does not permit immediate treatment. A. Mold can develop withing 48-72 hours in an environment where the temperature is over 75 degrees F and RH is overs 60%. B. Separate the affected materials to prevent spreading. C. If the materials are wet and mold is beginning to develop, interleave the volumes with papers impregnated with a fungicide. D. Keep the air circulating in the room. E. Mold is easier to remove when it is dry. Vacuum or brush it off and remove the spores from the area. F. Fungicidal fogging should be done only by a professional chemist or conservator. VII. Don't Just Do Something--Stand There! Do Not under any circumstances: enter an area until it has been declared safe to do so. attempt to open a wet book. attempt to close an open book that has swollen. use machanical presses on wet materials. attempt to separate books that are stuck together. write on wet paper. use bleaches, detergents, water-solution fungicedes, staples, paper clips, adhesive tapes, or adhesives of any kind on wet materials. use colored paper of any kind during slavage and recovery operations. pack newly-dried materials in boxes or leave unattended for more than two days. Material Damage ReportPart A- To be filled out as soon as possible 1. Location of damaged material __________________________________
2. What kind of damage? (water, smoke, mold, etc.) _________________
3. Amount of items damaged (cubic feet, number of materials) 4. When did damage occur ______________________________________ 5. Temperature and relative humidity of affected area _________________
Part B- To be filled out later 6. When was damage reported? __________________________________ 7. Who initially discovered the damage? ___________________________ 8. Describe what caused the damage _____________________________ 9. Items and value of damaged material (attach list if possible) _________________________________________________________
10. Items and value of unsalvageable material (attach list if possible)
_______________________________________________________ List step taken to save materials __________________________________
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