Federal Funding for Libraries Helps Prepare for Emergencies and Natural Disasters

Libraries and museums serve as guardians of society's most precious treasures and as hubs of knowledge, culture, and technology. When these institutions experience disaster, natural or otherwise, this can result in catastrophic loss. Hurricanes, HVAC malfunctions, and hungry pest infestations, all pose a risk to collections. 

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has supported grant-funded projects that develop emergency preparedness plans and recovery strategies, conduct post-disaster surveys, and improve collection storage facilities. After large scale disasters, they collaborate with other federal agencies, through the Natural and Cultural Resource Recovery Support Function (NCR RSF), to address communities' recovery needs. 

Over the past four years, there has been an increase in billion-dollar loss disasters, making it more important than ever for our beloved institutions to be prepared.

In 2004, IMLS partnered with the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, NEDCC and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) to create a free online template that allowed institutions of all sizes to develop a customized disaster preparedness and response plan. The plan includes many free resources, including risk management guides, loss of income calculators, and how to build an emergency response team.

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At the state level

Many state libraries have prioritized emergency preparedness within their five-year plan, ensuring that their people and facilities have the resources they need. IMLS administers funds to these plans through the Library Services and Technology (LSTA) grant and National Leadership Grant.  

Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS): LSTA funds about 45% of their budget. As part of their grant-funded work they developed the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC)’s dPlan, an online disaster planning tool. They’ve held workshops, connecting institutions with emergency managers, and fire personnel, to discuss risk and response. In turn, public libraries have been called upon to aid as community relief locations. 

California State Library: Almost 25% of the library’s budget is covered by federal funds. Through the project “Preparing to Respond & Recover Together,” library staff within the NorthNet Library System and beyond created a learning cohort that were coached in emergency preparedness, using lessons learned during COVID-19 and wildfire seasons. Insights, and tools created during the cohort training can be found at libraryrecovery.org/

Florida State University: This research grant was awarded to explore existing library disaster response plans and expand the capacity of small and rural libraries to respond and protect library resources from disasters. In 2023 this project received additional funds from IMLS to conduct real-time research on how disaster planning compared to actual community needs and library responses following Hurricane Ian in Southwest Florida.

The recent executive order

The administration’s recent executive order instructs IMLS to reduce down to their most minimum “function required by law.” This affects library and museum funding for disaster preparedness and emergency planning. 

To learn more on how to support IMLS visit SaveIMLS.org