In the line of disaster: preparedness and effective response of academic libraries in Malaysia
| Date | 09 August 2024 |
| Pages | 506-526 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-02-2024-0021 |
| Published date | 09 August 2024 |
| Author | Mohd Ismail Abidin,K. Kiran,Samsul Farid Samsuddin |
In the line of disaster:
preparedness and effective
response of academic
libraries in Malaysia
Mohd Ismail Abidin
Perpustakaan Tun Abdul Razak, Universiti Teknologi MARA,
Shah Alam, Malaysia and
Department of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences,
Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and
K. Kiran and Samsul Farid Samsuddin
Department of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences,
Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Abstract
Purpose –This study examines the preparedness and responsiveness of Malaysian academic librarians in
handling disruptions in library services during a disaster.
Design/methodology/approach –This qualitative approach involved semi-structured interviews with
decision-makers, chief librarians and library managers from five selected public universities.
Findings –Thematic and qualitative data analysis produced several key themes based on (1) disaster
preparedness involving policie s, plans, asset protection, risk management, coordination of dis aster
management and preparative measures; and (2) disaster response involving strategies for information and
communication access, community engagement, emergency response teams and procedures, and resource
availability.
Practical implications –The findings are expected to be useful for policymakers in formulating policies and
guidelines for library disaster management plans.
Social implications –The interruptions of academic library services during a disaster may result in the
disruption of the information sources and social information networks of students, academics and researchers
alike. Effective disaster management is also the library’s responsibility to protect collections that belong to
society at large.
Originality/value –This is one of the first attempts in disaster management research to focus on the
preparedness and responses of academic libraries in Malaysia in the face of disasters. Therefore, the results of
this study can be used as a baseline for policymakers to prepare policies, guidelines and manuals for
management in the event of a disaster.
Keywords Disaster management, Library disaster plan, Preparedness and response, Qualitative approach,
University library, Malaysia
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Disasters are unpredictable events that affect people and their environments (Padli et al.,
2018;Rossell
oet al., 2020). In the case of libraries, disasters include incidents that pose a threat
to librarians and their users, causing damage or potential harm to the library’s physical
LM
45,8/9
506
This article was reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief rather than being reviewed by two anonymous referees.
Funding statement: The study was not supported by any research grant.
Ethical compliance: All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in
accordance with the ethical standards of Universiti Malaya Research Ethics Committee. The approval
reference is UM.TNC2/UMREC_2434.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0143-5124.htm
Received 16 February 2024
Revised 6 June 2024
Accepted 27 June 2024
Library Management
Vol. 45 No. 8/9, 2024
pp. 506-526
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0143-5124
DOI 10.1108/LM-02-2024-0021
infrastructure, collections and services (Eden and Matthews, 1996). Robertson (2016)
categorized various types of disasters that have an impact on library services, including
natural disasters like floods, fire, severe weather and pandemics; technology disasters such
as power outages, IT failure, data loss, malware, security-related disasters like theft, fraud
and information theft; and enterprise-related disasters like hostile legislation and sudden cuts
in operating budgets. In short, a disaster refers to any catastrophic occurrence that
significantly affects the regular functioning of a library (Verma and Shahane, 2018). There are
four common types of disasters: (1) natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, tsunamis,
hurricanes and tornadoes (Muir and Shenton, 2002;Rattan, 2013;Yang and Ju, 2021); (2) man-
made disasters caused by human action or inaction or errors that can adversely affect
humans, organisms, biomes and ecosystems, such as industrial accidents, cyber-attacks,
terrorism, war, engineering hazards, construction failure, electrical power failure, electronic
computer failure, fire, biological/chemical threats and accidents (Ishola, 2017;Kaur and
Mahajan, 2021;Muir and Shenton, 2002); (3) technological disasters caused by technological
failure or man-made systems, such as nuclear accidents, chemical spills and oil spills (Muir
and Shenton, 2002;Naderpour and Lu, 2013); and (4) health emergencies or health disasters
caused by the spread of infectious diseases that cause pandemics and epidemics (Harris, 2021;
Phillips and Williams, 2021).
In libraries, the types of disasters that can potentially occur are natural disasters, fire,
power outrage, IT failure, information theft (Robertson, 2016;Yang and Ju, 2021), mold and
contamination (Corrigan, 2008), construction failure, war (Ishola, 2017;Prochaska, 2023),
cyber-attack (Ajie, 2019;British Library, 2024), all of which can results in loss of valuable
lives, collections and resources.
In 2020, the world witnessed the rapid spread of COVID-19, which was later declared a
pandemic by WHO, resulting in unprecedented health problems and related complications
leading to the deaths of millions of people; it also profoundly affected the social and material
well-being of people as well as bringing national health care systems to their knees.
The health crisis brought about by the pandemic also halted face-to-face library services,
affecting research and service delivery (Cervone, 2006;Cowell, 2020;Fani and Subriadi, 2019;
Galbusera et al., 2021;Kosciejew, 2020).
In 2023 and 2024, the delicate interplay between disasters caused by warfare and cyber-
attacks presented a significant threat to the integrity of data repositories and the
functionality of library infrastructures. An illustration of this threat transpired on October
28, 2023, when the British Library information systems were compromised by a malicious
cyber assault in the shape of a ransomware invasion. Members of the library management
were placed in a distressing predicament by this malicious intrusion, which demanded a
ransom in exchange for the release of their systems from the highly destructive malware
(British Library, 2024;Powell, 2024). Not only was private data of individuals at risk, but the
crisis caused the library heavy consequences in terms of seamless service delivery, cost of
reconstructing the IT infrastructure and future preventive measures. Concurrently, the
outbreak of conflicts in Palestine (Sheehan, 2024) and Ukraine (Gosart, 2023) has caused
widespread devastation and profound disruptions in services, precipitating irreparable harm
to the esteemed collections and the structural resilience of numerous libraries. These types of
incidents highlight the critical need to streng then security measures and establish
comprehensive backup plans to protect the priceless resources held in global repositories
of knowledge during times when there are numerous dangerous uncertainties.
This situation poses challenges for library management in planning and providing
various strategies and initiatives to ensure that library services and provision of information
are not disrupted in the event of a disaster; therefore, it is important to have a Disaster
Management Plan. Disaster management in libraries refers to a set of procedures and
protocols aimed at preparing, responding to and recovering from disasters that may affect
Library
Management
507
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