From "Outwitting Calamity"
Note: All of the terms here are "defined" in the very limited sense in which they are used during this program. These are not broadly applicable definitions and are provided only to give attendees of this program a means of quick reference. Always check the other handouts for more complete information!
Air-drying: drying technique used for small numbers of damp or slightly wet books or documents. This technique often results in distortion of materials being dried are more than slightly damp.
Blocking: a type of damage to wet paper, particularly clay-coated paper, in which wet sheets of paper fuse together as they dry.
Cockling: a type of damage to wet paper in which the paper as it dries becomes wavy instead of flat.
Dehumidification: Drying technique for use in limited circumstances, involving use of large dehumidifiers to dry damp to moderately wet books and furnishings in place. Must be initiated within 24 hours of disaster to prevent mold growth.
Disaster: An emergency situation of natural or human causes which threatens the library building and its contents and inhabitants.
Disaster plan: A document which outlines procedures to be used and resources to be called upon in the event of a disaster or collection-threatening emergency.
Emergency procedures: A plan of action to respond to an emergency situation.
Environment stabilization: Bringing the environment under control so that the temperature and humidity remain in the desired range in order to minimize further damage to library materials.
Fire detection: System designed to sense the outbreak of a fire and then issue an alert and/or activate a fire suppression system.
Fire suppression: System designed to be activated when a fire detection system senses a fire, and then to put out the fire (e.g., a sprinkler system).
Freezer drying: Drying technique involving use of a self-defrosting blast freezer to dry wet books and documents. Drying may take weeks to months.
Freezing: The response activity of choice for stabilizing most types of wet books or documents; freezing items stops swelling and other distortion and prohibits the growth of mold. Once items are frozen, decisions can be made about how to dry them (such as, vacuum freeze drying).
Hazard assessment: Survey done in order to identify and address circumstances posing actual or potential vulnerability or danger.
Interleaving: placing something, usually paper towels, clean newsprint, or sometimes waxed paper between the pages of a book or between sheets of paper. This is done to help dry the item or to prevent pages from sticking together, or both.
Mold: Fungal growth which can occur on wet materials within 48-72 hours of disaster if conditions are favorable: high heat, high humidity, and low/no air circulation. Very difficult to control or recover from, so mold growth is to be prevented at all costs.
Offsite storage: A site away from the library building where backups of files, documents and other materials are kept as a security measure.
Packing out: Packing and removing wet or otherwise affected materials from the scene of a disaster. In some cases, unaffected but threatened materials may also need to be removed.
Preparedness: Planning and preventive measures taken to reduce the likelihood of damage in the event of a disaster by increasing your readiness to respond to an emergency effectively.
Preventive measures: Activities undertaken in order to minimize damage to collections by eliminating hazards.
Recovery: The phase in which one performs salvage operations and initiates actions to recover damaged materials.
Rehabilitation: The phase in which one performs the post-recovery processing necessary to return recovered materials to the shelves in usable condition.
Response: The phase in which one responds to a disaster by performing an initial assessment of damage and mobilization of resources to recover materials that are threatened or damaged.
Salvage: Rescuing damaged materials.
Vacuum freeze-drying: Drying technique involving use of a vacuum chamber in which wet items are frozen and dried at temperatures below freezing; the items remain frozen until dry and are dried through sublimation, a process in which the ice crystals vaporize without first melting. This is the recovery method of choice for most bound material, but is not recommended for leather or vellum.
Vacuum thermal-drying: Drying technique involving use of heat in a vacuum thermal-drying chamber; items go through successive cycles of freezing and thawing, or are dried at a temperature just above freezing. This will distort bound materials severely and will allow coated paper to fuse, but can be used on unbound papers.
Vital records: Records or documents necessary for the ongoing operation of the library.
Compiled by C. Tancin, rev. October 1998