IELDRN Mission and History

Inland Empire Libraries Disaster Response Network

Mission:

The Inland Empire Libraries Disaster Response Network is a cooperative organization established for the purpose of mutual aid in preparing for and coping with disasters.

It will seek:

1) to assist member libraries in the development of their disaster and collection salvage plan;
2) to organize workshops and seminars to acquire the expertise needed to cope with disasters;
3) to acquire, on a cooperative basis, supplies and equipment to support the disaster preparedness and collection salvage programs of member institutions;
4) to prepare and disseminate to any interested library, lists of preservation and disaster services, supplies and suppliers, and resource persons, etc.; and bibliographies on disaster preparation and recovery;
5) to set up subcommittees and task forces to deal with specific, identified problems;
6) to serve as a model and encourage the development of similar networks.

History:

Northridge quake damage The Inland Empire Libraries Disaster Response Network Steering Committee first met in 1987. The charter members were the California State University, San Bernardino Library; the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Library; the Claremont Colleges Libraries; the Corona Public Library; the Inland Library System; the Loma Linda University Libraries; the Ontario City Library; the Riverside City & County Public Library; the San Bernardino County Library; and the University of California, Riverside, Library. The Colton Public Library, San Bernardino Public Library, La Sierra University and the University of Redlands Library joined later. The Riverside City & County Public Library divided into two independent jurisdictions in July 1997, but both remain charter members. Hemet Public Library and Riverside Community College Library joined in 1998; Azuza Pacific University joined in 2002; Upland Public Library joined in 2003; The Claremont School of Theology, the University of La Verne, and the Moreno Valley Public joined in 2004. The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum joined in 2005.

One of the group' early successes was in obtaining Library Services and Construction Act Planning & Implementation Grants from the California State Library during fiscal year 1989-1990. More than $3,000 of the grant funds were used to sponsor three workshops for library staff, covering such topics as earthquake preparedness, fire safety, library disaster plans, and the handling of wet books. The aim of the workshops was to create "experts for the region" in the words of Sheryl Davis of the University of California, Riverside, an expert in library resource preservation and disaster recovery. Ms. Davis served as the prime instigator behind the formation and early success of the network. The grant also provided $8400 to purchase supplies needed to pack and dry 50,000 wet books.

The supplies include a dehumidifier, special paper inserts to wick moisture out of books, boxes in which to pack books in preparation for freeze drying, a moisture meter to measure humidity in books, and chemically treated sponges to wipe soot from books. The supplies are divided into two caches, and housed in storage containers in the corporate yards at the University of California, Riverside and on the loading dock at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Library. Any IELDRN member library can draw from the supplies to recover from a localized disaster, with the requirement to replace them as soon as possible. Payment of a joining fee by the membership allow the cache inventories to be enhanced, and outdated supplies to be discarded and replaced. California State Library LSCA Coordinator Barbara Will commended the grant applications as groundbreaking models of multi-type library cooperation.

The grant also led the adoption of a mutual aid agreement among all the member libraries. The agreement has been invoked twice by libraries needing help in earthquake recovery. The Libraries of the Claremont Colleges requested help after the February 28, 1990 Upland quake, and San Bernardino County Library requested help at its Big Bear branch after the June 28, 1992 Big Bear/Landers quake. The membership responded to the Claremont request for help even though the final version of the agreement had not yet been signed by the member libraries' directors.

Becoming a Member of IELDRN:

To join IELDRN, the director/head of the library applying for membership must agree to the terms of the Mutual Aid Agreement and sign it. A one-time fee of $150 is required. Next, the head of the library must appoint a person to be the Library's representative on the IELDRN Steering Committee. The person
need not have prior knowledge of disaster planning, but they must be willing to participate and support in the Network's activities.

The Steering Committee meets once a quarter for regular meetings -- more often when a program is being planned.