The following information is courtesy of SOLINET’s Check it out blog.

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Background:  Florida State University’s Information Use Management & Policy Institute has been awarded a grant to assist communities to better prepare for and recover from hurricanes by better utilizing public libraries. Note the emphasis on how can a public library help their community rather than how can the library restore itself.  See a project summary, LibraryJournal.com article or radio interview for further information.  A key part of the project is to identify public libraries that have helped their communities to better prepare for and recover from hurricanes, and document the roles the libraries played so that other libraries may learn from their experience.

How You Can Help

Initially the project team is looking for three types of information:

Are you experienced? Do you and your public library have experience assisting your community prepare for and recover from a hurricane?  If so, send an e-mail to Project Manager, Joe Ryan <jzryan@earthlink.net>, with the following information: public library contact information [public library name, website url (if the library has), postal address, phone, fax, contact name <e-mail>, job title, phone (if different than library’s)] and a brief description of the role(s) your public library played when helping your community prepare for and recover from a hurricane.  Note: a project team member may contact you for further information.

Experienced library roles that help communities prepare and recover: Can you describe a key role your public library played assisting your community prepare for and recover from a hurricane so that another library could emulate your good work?  If so, send an e-mail to Project Manager, Joe Ryan <jzryan@earthlink.net>, with the following information: role descriptor, paragraph description of the role, what is involved (a step-by-step, chronological, checklist of key tasks to be accomplished), key contacts and resources (including any materials you may have developed, see below), advice, other (anything we forgot to ask you to include) and for additional help (include your contact information­ only if you are willing to be contacted by other libraries). Include your contact information [your name, <e-mail>, job title, phone, public library name, website url (if the library has), postal address, phone, fax] in case we need to contact you.  The project team is trying to identify the range of roles public libraries have played and provide enough information on each role so that other public libraries might play similar roles.

Hurricane preparation & recovery materials: Can you send the project team any materials (or links to them) your public library developed or found useful when assisting your community prepare for and recover from a hurricane?  The materials might include: plans, checklists, policies, procedures, forms, standards, guidelines, recommendations, descriptions, newspaper articles, and best practices.  If so, send an e-mail to Project Manager, Joe Ryan <jzryan@earthlink.net> with material in electronic format or send paper material to Joe Ryan, FSU Information Institute, 142 Collegiate Loop, P.O. Box 3062100, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2100.  Be sure that the material’s author and library name appears on each document.