Introduction

Damage to the Port Neches library after a nearby plant explosion.

Methods

IMLS approved a second grant to extend this work to look at how the Texas libraries in our hurricane study responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2020, we began the data collection of Facebook posts from four of our libraries. We collected Facebook posts that were published between March 1, 2020, through August 31, 2020, during what has been retroactively referred to as the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Interviews with librarians began in November 2020 and, due to the nature of the pandemic, interviews with librarians were conducted remotely and continued until June 2021. 17 one-on-one interviews were conducted with the same libraries that we interviewed for the hurricane study.

Flooding in Port Arthur Texas Library after Hurricane Harvey.

Findings

The libraries’ physical space may become repurposed after disasters in order to help communities distribute food and other resources, or even to house and support volunteers. The material infrastructure of the library interacts with its social qualities, enabling meeting rooms or computer access areas to become sites of FEMA filings, social worker visits, or even just temporary spots for physical respite from heat or insects or devastation. 

Libraries’ and librarians’ roles as local knowledge infrastructures were sometimes ignored by aid organizations and local officials in favor of repurposing library space and library personnel as ‘emergency response’ resources. Their professional expertise in locating and assisting with finding resources should be underscored among governance structures (e.g., city and county officials). 

While social media, particularly Facebook accounts, were acknowledged to be important for sharing recovery information, for medical and natural disasters, most libraries were poorly equipped to create and circulate their own content. Libraries that were part of a larger, usually county-wide, library system had more capacity to provide branch libraries with substantive social media content designed to keep the members of the county informed not only about library operations and offerings but also disaster information and resources, which reduced the burden on library branch managers to produce social media content. Similarly, State Library organizations provided significant support after disasters, and also functioned as helpful social media content providers; the latter was especially useful since few libraries created much original content regarding either COVID-19 or physical disasters.  In Texas, one non-profit resource organization provided a great deal of trusted, useful information to local libraries by providing libraries with an email listserv to connect librarians in Texas. 

Libraries also played a crucial role in connecting community members to the resources provided by faith-based organizations (FBOs). Small town and rural libraries frequently worked with FBOs in responding to immediate physical and emotional needs of the community. In particular, librarians noted that FBOs oftentimes provide unique resources, such as pet food and chainsaws, that were otherwise unavailable through disaster relief organizations. By coordinating the disparate resources in their communities, librarians uniquely provided streamlined information in the aftermath of disasters. The communication practices of libraries during disasters were highly responsive and librarians relied on their skills to coordinate and navigate complex and evolving situations.

Third, as skilled information professionals, librarians clearly contributed to their communities’ resiliency; reinforcing that recognition of librarians’ expertise on the part of aid groups and on the part of local officials could enable libraries to have even more effective roles. Fourth, certain organizational structures contributed to libraries’ part in cultivating resiliency. For example, when library representatives are routinely included in disaster planning bodies, such as in counties or in regional groups, the efficacy of libraries improves.  Clear communication and an understanding of needs and resources improve overall responsiveness of local institutions and contribute to community resiliency. Finally, the recognition that communities rely on a sense of identity from their histories as physical places with unique events and people builds resiliency and community. To foster identity, gathering and composing community narratives and storytelling can be a significant library function.

Brazoria County Library System in Texas promoting their mobile hotspot lending program.

Conclusions

Besides the physicality of the library and its resources, libraries as social infrastructure is another important contribution of libraries to community resiliency. During and after disasters, libraries helped to foster civic life and maintain a sense of place in their communities. They operated as spaces for people to come together and socialize, as well as share common stories about their experiences during these times of disaster. This was most evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Librarians shared how patrons missed the socialization available at the library. Being able to share in social life without the expectation of payment means that the library is a unique space for socializing, particularly in small towns.

Lastly, the responsiveness of librarians to community was important for community resiliency. Libraries were tasked with nimbly meeting the changing needs of their communities during and after disasters, and librarians often adapted their physical spaces, services, and programming based on what they observed within their communities. Libraries with established communication avenues with their patrons were more effectively able to respond during disasters and keep their patrons up to speed.

Taken together, these factors of community resiliency that the library cultivated are a unique contribution of libraries that should be acknowledged, celebrated, and incorporated into disaster mitigation and planning efforts at the local level and supported at the state level. Yet ensuring the resiliency of the community is only possible if the library itself is resilient. Libraries that had adequate resources thrived and weathered disasters more effectively than libraries without similar forms of support. Support for library resiliency came from their local government, from a countywide library system, from informal relationships with other libraries, and from state library organizations. The libraries’ ability to adapt was equally crucial for the resiliency of the library as it was for the resiliency of the community. Librarians quickly pivoted their roles to serve their communities. They proactively protected libraries’ physical resources from damage and worked to quickly reopen – both physically and digitally – after disasters and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The librarians interviewed for this project faced many challenges that threatened their resiliency. From personal tragedies resulting from a disaster, to apathetic government workers, to cultural resistance to preventative measures, the resiliency of librarians is even more striking in the face of these challenges. Many of the librarians regretted their lack of formal disaster training and wished they were more able to prepare in the event of disasters. Although most of the librarians had experience from previous disasters, the lack of formalized training for librarians specifically to plan, respond, and recover from disasters meant that many of the librarians were making it up as they went along and filling in gaps themselves.

To support community resiliency, libraries need to be recognized by their local governments and systematically incorporated into disaster mitigation plans. That training would enable librarians to respond even more efficiently to disasters, like chemical plant explosions and COVID-19, that offer no time to prepare, as well as disasters, like hurricanes, that come with some forewarning. Training should also go hand-in-hand with mental support resources for librarians. By fulfilling a coordinating role and by working directly with community members, librarians need support in order to continue supporting their communities. The resiliency of librarians is crucial to the resiliency of the library, which is vital to the resiliency of the community as disasters have become a way of life.

 IMLS Log Number: RE-96-18-0127-18; Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program

The Researchers

Sharon Strover (Principal Investigator)
Marcia Mardis (Principal Invesitgator)
Richelle Crotty
Srivalli Dorasetty
Denise Gomez
Zoe Leonarczyk
Cameron Lindsey
Martin Riedl
Emily Rubin
Curtis Tenney

Presentations

Co-Constructing Disaster Response: Researchers and Practitioners Collaborating for Resilience in Small and Rural Libraries

Marcia Mardis – Associate Professor, College of Communication & Information at Florida State University

Sharon Strover – Professor, University of Texas at Austin

Faye Jones – Professor, Florida State University

Researchers from Florida and Texas reported their experiences co-constructing narratives of disaster planning, response, and recovery in the wake of the last 5 years’ regional hurricanes. This session, rich in verbatim data, photos, and other documentation, detailed the process that researchers used to engage as partners in understanding disaster experiences and critically evaluating public librarians’ roles in community resiliency. The session also included opportunities for audience members to share their own experiences through storytelling and discussion.

To download the presentation, click here.

The American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world. Founded on October 6, 1876 during the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the mission of ALA is “to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.”