Is your library in an emergency? Follow these steps, or contact us right away.
- Consult your disaster plan.
- Contact the library's insurance agent.
- Ensure that you have been given permission to access the building by the fire and/or police department(s) for safety reasons [if applicable].
- Assess the extent of the damage with the insurance agent unless you are given permission to proceed without the agent. If so, document all actions taken.
- Determine what action should be taken to recover the affected materials and what supplies are needed.
- Make a decision as to whether you feel you can handle the situation alone or whether you need outside assistance.
- If the amount of affected materials is not large, and the staff feels able to handle the salvage themselves, contact the nearest site listed below for recovery supplies (Rescubes and ReactPaks).
- Using the supplies, institutional staff should proceed according to the procedures outlined in their disaster preparedness plan, if there is one. Otherwise, seek advice from the designated Board staff.
- Contact the MBLC for telephone and/or on-site assistance.
- If MBLC assistance is not available, call the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) at 855-245-8303 (24 hours a day) for telephone and/or on-site assistance.
If the amount of damaged materials is substantial and beyond the capabilities of the library's staff, designated MBLC or NEDCC staff can authorize a call to the contracted recovery vendor for packing, freezing, and drying the materials.
Storage Sites for Recovery Supplies
Memorial Hall Library, Andover | (978) 623-8400 |
Boston Public Library | (617) 536-5400 |
Maxwell Library, Bridgewater State University | (508) 321-1392 |
Falmouth Public Library | (508) 457-2556 |
Fitchburg Public Library | (978) 829-1780 |
Greenfield Public Library | (413) 772-1544 |
Hamilton-Wenham Public Library | (978) 468-5577 |
Nantucket Athenaeum | (508) 228-1110 |
New Bedford Free Public Library | (508) 991-6275 |
Forbes Library, Northampton | (413) 584-8550 |
Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield | (413) 499-9484 |
Thomas Crane Public Library, Quincy | (617) 376-1300 |
Springfield City Library | (413) 263-6828 |
Wellesley Free Library | (781) 235-1610 |
West Tisbury Free Public Library | (508) 693-3366 |
Worcester State University Library | (508) 929-8027 |