We are delighted to announce that Planning Matters: Emergency Planning Guidance for Archives is now available for download.
Planning Matters: Emergency Planning Guidance for Archives, has been produced in collaboration between Scottish Council on Archives and National Records of Scotland. The purpose of the guidance is to offer services a roadmap to developing an emergency plan to suit their organisational circumstances.
Covering preparation, response and recovery, the guidance is designed to aid those who care for archives wherever they are held: archive services, special collections within libraries, and those housed in private historic houses. It focuses on key factors to consider when preparing an emergency plan (EP).
Accompanying the guidance there are four templates: Risk Assessment and Management, Emergency Plan, Training, Business Continuity and Long-term Recovery. There are also two quick reference documents contained within the guidance: Emergency Plan, Salvage and Recovery crib sheet. The templates are freely available for download and you can adapt them to suit your particular circumstances.
The guidance (including the templates) aims to cover all the basic practical elements required but also contains additional detailed guidance on staff welfare, dealing with sensitive information, testing plans, training, social media and collaboration and support networks.
Plans need to be adaptable, and reviewed and tested regularly, staff trained, and exercises undertaken, to ensure that plans remain fit for purpose. This is particularly true in the context of the evolving situation with the Covid-19 pandemic and its implications. This guidance will be subject to amendment and updating (a) as different sources used within the publication are updated by creators of those sources, and (b) in the light of experience and developments within Scotland and elsewhere.
To view the guidance and templates, please click here.
