Issues & Trends in Library Science: Resilience

Updated: Feb 4, 2021

Resilience is an issue in library science that has far-reaching implications for our past, present, and future.

ABOVE: Picture of the Courtyard of the Central National Library of Florence (Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze) after the flood, 04 November 1966. Photo credit: RAFFAELLO BENCINI/AFP via Getty Images.

“It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life's story will develop.” ― Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Introduction

The topic of issues and trends in librarianship has gained momentum in recent decades. Natural disasters, political and social change, and economic upheaval have all contributed to a growing awareness of challenges facing the library profession. Although there has been a recent acceleration in this awareness, the foundational instability causing these problems has existed for decades, perhaps even centuries. Specifically, the subject of resilience in libraries has grown as a topic of research. The roles that libraries play in resilience efforts have evolved just as their communities have, forcing both libraries and communities to evaluate their responsibilities to act when a need arises or disaster strikes.

ABOVE: Students help gather damaged books following the Florence flood, 01 November 1966. Photo credit: Bettmann via Getty Images.

Resilience in Research Literature: Historical Context

Early major salvage efforts served as a template for the current resilience movement, sowing the seeds of organizational resilience and response that would eventually evolve into a community-wide effort.

On November 4, 1966, the city of Florence, Italy suffered a major flood of the Arno river in Tuscany. The flood caused extensive damage, destroying millions of priceless artworks, rare books, and artifacts. Documents at the National Gallery and the Uffizi Gallery were affected, generating a mass collaborative effort of conservators from around the world to form with the goal of evaluating, treating, and preserving the most at-risk materials affected in the flood (Ogden, 1979, p. 1). This disaster and its subsequent salvage efforts remain a pivotal event in the history of library preservation and conservation efforts. (See a video of 1968 conservation efforts here).

The work done by conservators and preservationists following this disaster caused a fundamental shift in libraries’ approach to disaster planning and management. The work done by conservators and preservationists following this disaster caused a fundamental shift in libraries’ approach to disaster planning and management. This event signaled an evolution in the preservation movement in modern librarianship. Sherelyn Ogden makes the following analysis of 1966 flood’s impact on conservation and preservation practices:

The net result was that the Florentine salvage operation, rather than changing the direction of the field, accelerated the development of conservation in directions in which it was already moving (Ogden, 1979, p. 28).

Due to its emphasis on disaster planning and management, this event is also a genesis in organizational resilience, which is the first step toward achieving urban resilience outside of the library organization and its buildings (Ogden, 1979, pp. 1-4).

ABOVE: Students attempt to save books at the National Library in Florence, 1966. Photo credit: Giorgio Lotti/Mondadori Portfolio by Getty Images.

Similar events contemporary to the Florence flood also occurred with similar outcomes, reinforcing the idea that resilience is not a novel concept. In November of 1978, the Cecil H. Green Library at Stanford University suffered some flooding after the sprinkler system malfunctioned. The steps taken immediately after the disaster proved beneficial to the success of salvage efforts.

Steps that were taken included (a) removing as much humidity from the air as possible, (b) assessment of the space and materials damaged to formulate appropriate action, (c) acquisition of freezer space and other emergency equipment to aid the recovery process, (d) regular contact with emergency services, administration, and volunteer coordinators. Following the completion of recovery efforts, an assessment for success was conducted. Among the list of subsequent suggestions were (a) have a disaster plan preformulated, (b) keep emergency contact information current, and (c) be aware of outside resources (i.e. freezer companies, etc.) (Leighton, 1979, pp. 454-455, 457-458).

This emergency, though manmade and not natural, occurred only twelve years after the Florence flood, and incorporated many of the techniques that conservationists discovered in 1966. The added step of post-assessment and the Green Library’s use of outside resources is a clear sign of both the preservation and resilience processes evolving, and that community involvement is a necessary component of successful resilience projects (Leighton, 1979, pp. 452-453).

Recent Developments and Current Status

The 100 Resilient Cities coalition, also known as 100RC, quoted in a 2016 press release, defined urban resilience as:

…the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within a city to survive, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience (100RC, 2016).

This definition mirrors that of the American Library Association which states that resilience “incorporates preparations for and rapid recovery from physical, social, and economic disruptions, including environmental disasters, terrorist attacks, or economic collapse” (ALA, 2020; Vock, 2014).

More recent initiatives put into place include those incorporated following Hurricanes Katrina in 2005 and Rita in 2006. These disasters impacted libraries such as the library at the Holy Cross School for Boys in New Orleans, Louisiana. Librarian Beth Patin describes these disasters as pivotal to her perspective on librarianship and its responsibility to the community.

Patin’s research contradicts prior FEMA research indicating that libraries were not actively sought out either during or immediately following these disasters. Instead, Patin maintains that the decrease in library visitation during these times was minimal and that a “variety of services” was being offered by these institutions to aid in rebuilding efforts (Patin, 2015, p. 61).

Assessing both economic change and cultural shift is another way in which libraries can help communities adapt to those changes smoothly. Maceviciute (2014) cites several inter-organizational changes that can affect special libraries, in this case, a research library: (a) changes in higher education, (b) technology and digital scholarship, (c) big data and data sharing, and (d) scientific communication. Maceviciute maintains that these changes cause substantial upheaval to the infrastructure of a library, but that proper planning can preemptively eliminate some of the common downfalls that libraries experience in times of change (pp. 284-287).

Maceviciute also offers “new approaches and solutions adopted by research libraries” in the following areas: (a) changes in understanding library infrastructure, (b) acquisition, collection management, and knowledge organization, and (c) access provision and services (Maceviciute, 2014, p. 288).

Future Impacts, Challenges, and Changes

The future of effective resilience efforts lies in continuous progress and adaptation. As resilience has moved out of the confines of the library as an organization and into the larger community, there have been numerous benefits to both libraries and their surrounding communities. Paul T. Jaeger cites the services most widely provided in the wake of the 2004-2005 storm season as “(a) helping communities prepare, (b) providing emergency information, (c) giving shelter, (d) providing physical aid, (e) caring for community members in need, (f) working with relief organizations, and (g) cleaning up the damage after the storms” (Jaeger et al., 2006, pp. 202-203). Though these services are specific to their related disasters, they also provided a framework for other libraries to formulate a plan to help their communities.

A big challenge ahead for the resilience movement in libraries is to keep their relationships in the community strong and continuous. Communities are continually evolving and so are their needs. Keeping a strong presence in the community through different outreach efforts even in the good times will help libraries to remain at the forefront of city leaders’ minds when those good times turn bad.

In terms of economic change, the literature suggests that libraries would be well advised to closely monitor the economic situations which can directly affect their acquisitions processes through their vendors. Citing Holden’s views on acquisitions, Maceviciute asserts that “acquisition practices have developed by addressing change in a gradual, evolutionary manner, contrary to the nature of paradigm shift” (Holden, 2010 as cited in Maceviciute, 2014, p. 289). This suggests that change must be adapted to over time, rather than in a reactionary manner that could undermine a library’s efforts to implement resiliency measures effectively. This reinforces both Jaeger’s and Patin’s calls for thorough planning and preemptive measures being taken.

Conclusion and Reflections

The issue of resilience is important to me because of the vital role libraries play within community infrastructures. As a hub of information and learning, libraries can also become a beacon of hope and aid in times of need. As seen in the research, resilience has a variety of uses and flexibility in its application. If applied responsibly, resilience efforts cannot only help the library to become a self-sustaining entity, but they will also help the larger community become a thriving network of culture and education. Communities will be able to sustain themselves because of the efforts put forth by their libraries.

As an aspiring archivist, I have seen how libraries can collaborate with their communities to document watershed moments in the community’s history and are a crucial resource for people on an everyday basis. This is the essence of resilience, a community’s ability to weather the storm by utilizing their resources.

The beacon that libraries create in their communities cannot be understated. They will continue to prove useful in times of need as well as prosperity, but they need to take an active role in maintaining their presence in the community. Cultivating this active role through collection development, management, and community outreach are ways in which I hope to implement resilience practices in my future career.

About the Author

Jayme Nelson holds a bachelor's degree in music education from West Texas A&M University and a master's degree in library science from Texas Woman's University, with a focus in archives and special collections. She plays bassoon in the Austin Symphonic Band and several other volunteer music ensembles in the Austin area. A former orchestra librarian and an archivist in training, Jayme also serves as a collections volunteer at the Austin History Center, a local city archive. As part of her graduate studies, she recently helped to draft a collection development policy for the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History in Austin, TX.