Dear Colleagues,
I am an Information Officer (Law Librarian) for a Law Firm in London, UK.
I am undertaking to complete my Master's dissertation project. My topic is "Disaster Management and Business Continuity in Legal Libraries."
I am interested to hear of the experiences of any US and world-wide colleagues who have suffered some kind of disruption to their library or information service, whether a big disaster or a relatively minor event such as a power outage or a server failure.
I am mainly looking for people to 'interview' (by email) but would also welcome any anecdotes.
I appreciate that this topic can be sensitive, so am offering anonymity to anyone who should require it. I am also aware that events in recent years have meant that many people continue to suffer from the trauma they have experienced and I hope to be able to offer the compassion, sensitivity and respect that is needed in consideration of these circumstances.
Facets of this topic which I aim to explore include: the interplay of hard-copy collections and electronic services, and how the loss of one of these may mean a heavy reliance on the other; the availability of professional networks which provide practical support in times of 'disaster' (including pre-arranged reciprocal agreements); the effect of long-term contingency arrangements on a library/service; and also the fact that while the library may have recovered, the fact that staff members have been traumatised means that the ability of the library to offer a full service may be affected.
Any help will be appreciated. I have a good 'working' bibliography, but any suggestions for further reading or useful websites will be gratefully received.
If you require further information, please feel free to ask.
Best Regards,
Ailsa Scott
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