11

Basic tabletop exercises

Abstract

No disaster plan is complete until library employees are familiar with it and prepared to carry out its guidelines and instructions. Orientation and training can be conducted through tabletop exercises, which include realistic disaster scenarios followed by tasks for library personnel who could be involved in response measures and operational resumption. Tabletop exercises are brief, and are intended to lead participants to useful conclusions about their library’s level of preparedness for disasters and their ability to resume operations after different kinds of events. Scenarios should be based on a library’s risk profile. All levels of staff should participate in exercises, and should be encouraged to contribute to them with comments and observations, which in turn can lead to the updating and enhancement of disaster plans.

Keywords

pandemic
crisis
fire
high winds
orientation
power failure
scenario
severe weather
tabletop exercise
toxic spill
training
water ingress

11.1. No plan without practice

Paper plans are useless.
That is, unless you and your colleagues have familiarized yourselves with your library’s disaster plan contents, and tested them to see if they work. The three-ring binder on your director’s shelf cannot protect you and your library until you learn what the binder contains, and find out if its contents will meet your needs before, during and after a disaster.
‘You can’t expect a binder to save you if you haven’t bothered to review it’, says a Jamaican information consultant who specializes in information security and resumption planning.

Both in-house and external planners have to push library managers to read plans carefully and to make arrangements for staff members to test different components. In some libraries, it’s hard enough to get people to participate in simple fire drills, even when government regulations stipulate them. It can be even more difficult to get employees to test disaster plans, which can be more complicated. That’s why many planners recommend tabletop exercises to inform employees about their library’s disaster plan, and to test the plan.

A tabletop exercise is defined as an orientation or training process during which participants consider a particular disaster scenario that could occur in their workplace. Participants can then consult their disaster plan, and consider ways to apply it in order to protect themselves and their patrons, and to resume library operations quickly. Ideally the scenario is realistic, and the exercise does not require much time to complete. As the name indicates, a tabletop exercise often takes place around a table, such as that in your library’s activity room. But similar and equally effective exercises can be held in a discussion circle, or in a coffee shop.
‘In our library, we have stand-up coffee exercises’, says a corporate library director in New York City.

They’re no more than 15 minutes. Sometimes only a few library staff members are able to attend, and that’s fine. I present the scenario, which could involve anything from a terrorist attack to a burst pipe in the washroom. Everyone in our library knows our disaster plan, and when they participate in coffee exercises they describe the best courses of action during and after the event. I’m always impressed by the intensity of our exercises, and the ways in which our people use the library’s disaster plan. It’s not perfect, and we discover weaknesses quite often – almost always through coffee exercises and the perspectives that they offer us.

This chapter includes a series of generic tabletop exercises that have been developed for the following purposes:
• To test levels of emergency preparedness and business resumption capability in different departments, work units and branches of your library.
• To reveal strengths and weaknesses in your library’s disaster response and resumption planning.
• To encourage employee participation in your library’s disaster planning process.
• To identify new ways to solve response and resumption problems.
• To support employee orientation to the disaster plans; to act as a teaching tool for all levels of your staff.
• To support the updating and revision of disaster plans and any related programmes.
Customized tabletop exercises that you develop for your library can be derived from:
• risk analyses of your library’s sites and their surrounding neighbourhoods
• risk analyses produced by local governments for your neighbourhood, area or region
• any recent local disasters in your region, whether or not they have affected your library’s operations.

‘You can hold tabletop exercises not only after a local disaster, but also after any disaster that merits a global focus’, says an emergency services coordinator in Ottawa. For example, Asian earthquakes often capture worldwide public attention, and people are more interested in finding ways to protect themselves, even if they do not live in seismic zones. That can be a good time to offer a tabletop exercise to employees in any library. You can tell them that you want to make sure that your plans are up to date and ready for activation, and chances are that employees will be eager to participate. They might not be as enthusiastic during times when things are relatively calm, and the media cover matters unrelated to disasters. The point is that you should take advantage of unfortunate events when they happen elsewhere, to prepare your library when something bad happens locally. That’s not cynical. That’s being practical and realistic.

11.2. Risk assessment and analysis example

Assume that in your library’s risk assessment and analysis the following risks prevail at the main library and branches:
• fire and associated risks including explosions and smoke damage
• flooding from faulty plumbing and severe weather
• high winds and winter storms
• toxic spills
• power failures
• data loss.
Your library’s risk profile is exacerbated by proximity risks, that is risks at neighbouring sites, including:
• shopping malls and retail areas
• high crime areas
• major roadways
• railway tracks
• bodies of water, including a big river.
Risks prevailing near your library could trigger multifaceted events. For example, a train derailment and consequent toxic spill could result in:
• small but spreading fires
• gas leaks and toxic spills
• explosions and smoke damage
• a temporary but nonetheless serious decline in regional air quality
• multiple casualties, some requiring hospitalization
• gridlock on neighbouring roads, with transportation difficulties to and from library sites
• increased absenteeism and the disruption of library operations.
Your library’s tabletop exercises should be developed in light of all of these prevailing risks.
‘You see lots of orientation and training exercises that cover only one specific risk’, says a school librarian in Atlanta, Georgia.

Our school and my library had one exercise for hurricanes. It had been put together in the 1960s, and while parts of it were still relevant, it did not address the more important aspects of safety and recovery. And then 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina hit, and libraries in the southern US recognized the need for better planning, which involves a lot more training and practical exercises.

A public library branch manager in Texas agrees, and reinforces the idea that it is not only the larger regional disasters that you must anticipate. More likely, and potentially just as damaging to library assets, are smaller events affecting a single community or neighbourhood, or even a single floor of a building.

We talk a lot about Katrina and 9/11, and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. But we need to prepare for things that are much more likely to happen, smaller disasters that strike libraries every day. That’s why the people in my library spend even more time talking about ruptured pipes and minor power failures than the really big disasters. I believe that we need to prepare for the broad spectrum of events, and the best way to do that is to conduct regular exercises with a variety of different scenarios.

11.3. Generic tabletop exercises

Based on the risk assessment and analysis example in the previous section, the following series of exercises can be carried out in many libraries with minimal adaptation needed. The scenarios provided are derived from reports of actual events.

11.3.1. Fire and associated risks

At 4.00 a.m. next Thursday, a faulty electrical circuit causes a fire on the ground floor of your building. The fire spreads through a wall cavity. Using large amount of water from hoses and water cannons, firefighters extinguish the blaze in 45 minutes, but close the building until noon the following Monday.
Casualties:
One patron (who was standing near the main entrance and attempting to find out what was happening inside) and one firefighter are treated for smoke inhalation at a local hospital.
Damage:
• Charring of walls, fixtures and furniture on the main floor, but no serious structural damage.
• Smoke damage and lingering odours of burnt materials throughout the building.
• Water damage throughout the building. Carpets, computers and collections have been drenched.
• Cracked glass in front entrance doors.
• Power to the building will be shut off until 7.30 a.m. the next day.
Crisis potential:
• TV camera crews get first-rate footage of your building enveloped in smoke. Reporters on the scene ask disturbing questions about the safety of the library, ‘which serves large numbers of patrons every day’.
• Reporters telephone the Library Director and Board Chair at their homes and ask for comments. ‘Is the library really safe? What would you say to somebody whose children visit that building regularly? And could another fire break out?’
• Reporters interview several library employees as they approach the damaged building on their way to work. They ask those employees to comment on the situation.
• A photo of the building enveloped in smoke appears on the front pages of the local newspapers. The Board Chair asks the Library Director to ‘clear the air’ and ‘address the situation’.

Generic tabletop exercise

1. Refer to your current disaster plan and related emergency measures. Make a list of the first steps that you would take to resume business at your site? Write a schedule with realistic time estimates for the steps that you have listed.
2. Assume that 90 per cent of the collections in the building have been soaked with water. Write a list of the kinds of items that:
a. can be discarded and not replaced
b. can be discarded and replaced
c. can be conserved (freeze-dried, etc.) if valuable and still usable
d. deserve advanced conservation, even in poor condition, owing to historical or monetary value
3. Your staff members are told to resume operations at an alternative site, such as a neighbouring branch or office. Make lists of:
a. the basic operations that you will be able to conduct within 48 hours from the alternative site (e.g., communicating with key managers, issuing bulletins, dealing with vendors involved in repairs and the resupply of lost assets)
b. the equipment that you will need to offer the basic operations listed above
c. people and organizations that you must contact as soon as possible regarding operational issues.
This exercise will be limited to one hour.

11.3.2. Flooding/water ingress

Note that anecdotal evidence suggests that water damages information assets more frequently than any other risk, owing to riparian flooding, faulty plumbing, leaky roofing, and related problems.
At 11.30 p.m. next Tuesday, a pipe bursts on the main floor of your building, and approximately 1400 gallons pour onto the floor and throughout your offices. Carpets, work area and wiring are soaked. The flood is not discovered until 6.45 a.m. on Wednesday.
Casualties:
Arriving early, one employee slips and falls in a hallway. She suffers a concussion and sprains her ankle. She lies unconscious near the front entrance for an hour before she is discovered.
Damage:
• Drenched carpets and underlays, which emit an unpleasant odour within three hours.
• Soaked wiring, which increases the risk of fire and computer hardware malfunction.
• Soaked ceilings and wall cavities, which emit an unpleasant odour within 12 hours.
• Soaked hardcopy collections, especially those arranged on shelving less than three feet above floor level.
• Moisture damage to paper records, especially those in filing cabinets arranged against walls.
• Moisture damage to artwork, posters and ornaments mounted on walls.
Crisis potential:
• A roving reporter hears about the flood while having coffee at a nearby cafe. She arrives in the library’s information desk and looks for an interview. She calls for a camera crew. The resulting story: ‘Office floods are always a risk. Here’s what happened to a local library, and all because of a burst pipe. What are they going to do with those wet computers, and all those soggy books?’

Generic tabletop exercise

1. Refer to your current disaster plan and related emergency measures. Make a list of the first steps that you would take to resume business in your water-damaged building. Write a schedule with realistic time estimates for the steps that you have listed.
2. Discuss the availability of moisture control vendors in your area. Determine which vendors have the necessary equipment (dehumidifiers, fans, etc.) and are prepared to respond quickly to your library’s call for emergency service.
3. Staff members at your site are told to resume business at an alternative site, such as another branch or neighbouring office. Make lists of:
a. the basic operations that you will be able to conduct within 48 hours from the alternative site (e.g., communicating with key managers, issuing bulletins, dealing with vendors involved in repairs and the resupply of lost assets). Note: assume that the alternative site lacks a serviceable telephone. You must use your cellular telephones to perform basic operations. Will cellular telephones function as required in these circumstances?
b. the equipment that you will need to offer the basic operations listed above
c. people and organizations that you must contact as soon as possible regarding immediate library issues.
This exercise will be limited to one hour.

11.3.3. Severe weather/power failure

On April 19 next year, a windstorm hits your community. High winds and heavy rainfall cause serious transportation problems across the region. Telephone service – including cellular networks – becomes unreliable owing to overloading and equipment failures. Temperatures drop to just above freezing level during the daytime.
On April 20, the winds become even stronger – up to 110 km/hr. A regional power failure occurs at 2.45 p.m. The immediate effects include:
• A blackout in most parts of your community, with brownouts in other areas of the region.
• Flooding on local roads and sections of a major highway. Power lines are down across the region.
• The closure of numerous offices and retail outlets. Because of the failure of electric-powered gates in parking lots, many people cannot use their vehicles to drive home. Public transport is seriously delayed and overextended.
• Emergency lighting failures at a number of local offices. Ambulance crews are forced to respond to numerous injuries caused by flying debris, downed tree branches and slip-and-fall injuries. Downed power lines lead to road closures.
On April 21, the winds start to abate across the region, but the power failure continues. Work crews are unable to repair many downed wires because of inaccessibility, storm debris and a high demand for equipment. Other effects include:
• Food distributors complain that the power failure has shut down their freezers, and thousands of tonnes of frozen food has started to thaw. Regulations insist that this food be discarded. There could be food shortages for several days.
• Hundreds of organizations lose vital data from their servers, and much of this data has not been properly backed up.
• A seniors’ home in the area reports the deaths of four residents owing to hypothermia. The home’s emergency generator breaks down during the night and there is no heat in the building. A number of other residents are suffering from chills that could lead to pneumonia. Because the alarm and monitoring systems lacked power, two elderly Alzheimer’s patients wandered away from the home and are missing.
• Rumours circulate concerning fuel and prescription drug shortages, break-ins and other criminal activities in neighbourhoods without police patrols, and a general breakdown in government services.
On April 22, the regional government declares a disaster in your community and neighbouring areas. While the storm has abated, temperatures remain lower than the seasonal average. Power remains off throughout much of the region. It could remain off for up to five days in some neighbourhoods.
Your tasks:
1. Determine what each of the participants in your exercise group needs to survive the above scenario in their homes. Take into account the needs of young children, the elderly and yourselves. Assume that you might be isolated in your residence for several days.
2. Determine the potential effects of the storm and failure on your library, its branches, and its stakeholders, e.g. employees and patrons. How can you continue to communicate with stakeholders? What are the essential messages that you should give them?
3. Assume that your library workspace has been cold and dark for several days. Determine the effects of these conditions on office fixtures, IT and other electrical equipment, and your specific work areas. Note: a plumbing leak has caused water damage to offices and carpets in your building. What will you need to resume operations?
This exercise will be limited to one hour.

11.3.4. High winds and winter storms

On a Tuesday during the first week of December, a snowstorm sweeps across your region and buries it under between 25 and 30 inches of snow in 36 hours. Winds cause the snow to drift in various locations, and driving becomes very difficult. Public transport is overloaded, as drivers abandon their vehicles and attempt to get home by bus. Temperatures fall to -35 degrees with wind chill. The cold snap will last for a week.
Casualties:
One senior library manager is injured in a car accident. He is hospitalized for a week. An IT librarian is injured by ice falling from a neighbouring roof. She will be off the job for a fortnight. Several slip-and-fall injuries occur around the outside of your branch, mostly to people entering or leaving the building. A courier is hurt by a car skidding out of control as it leaves the parking lot.
Damage:
• Downed power lines across your region. Falling tree branches and the closure of local parks get people talking about ‘a mini-ice storm’.
• Brownouts become frequent. On Wednesday morning at 5.00 a.m., the power at your library site fails altogether for no less than 24 hours. The interior of the building starts to cool down immediately. Your back-up generator – if your building has one – will supply power for one hour only before it runs out of fuel.
• Absenteeism at your library site reaches 40 per cent by Wednesday afternoon.
• Much of the region shuts down for several days.
Crisis potential:
• A local TV station broadcasts a report about a rumoured long-term closure of library facilities, with staff lay-offs. Several regular patrons hang around outside library branches, hoping for information regarding the status of library services.

Generic tabletop exercise

1. Refer to your current disaster plan and related emergency measures. Make a list of the first steps that you would take to continue business in your department. Write a schedule with realistic time estimates for the steps that you have listed.
2. Civic authorities demand that your library building remain open to provide shelter for homeless people and anyone stranded by the weather. Determine the implications of this demand. Will the library be prepared to accommodate homeless and stranded people? If so, for how long?
3. Your department is told to resume operations at an alternative site, such as a neighbouring branch or office. Make lists of:
a. the basic operations that you will be able to conduct within 48 hours from the alternative site (e.g., communicating with key managers, issuing bulletins, dealing with vendors involved in repairs and the resupply of lost assets)
b. the equipment that you will need to offer the basic services listed above
c. the people and organizations that you must contact as soon as possible regarding library operational issues.
This exercise will be limited to one hour.

11.3.5. Toxic spill

During the Friday morning rush hour, a train carriage containing ammonia overturns on the nearby tracks. The wind sends fumes away from your branch, but there is a risk that the wind will shift, and that fumes will affect your employees and operations. Senior library management decides to evacuate the building as a precautionary measure. Municipal authorities order local roads closed immediately. Employees in neighbouring offices begin to leave the area in droves, causing gridlock and long queues of traffic.
Casualties:
• The driver of the train dies of fume inhalation and other injuries.
• A police officer at the scene must be taken to hospital owing to burns and fume inhalation.
• At your site, three employees complain of headaches and sinus problems, possibly owing to ammonia fumes.
Damage:
• There is no damage at your library site, and fortunately the wind does not shift. The fumes dissipate within 12 hours, but the situation is very tense for several more days. Over the next three days, absenteeism reaches 30 per cent.
Crisis potential:
• A local TV station broadcasts footage of the spill, with your library building and its sign in the background. Various managers from other local institutions call contacts at your library to make sure that it is safe and secure. A brief ‘reassurance programme’ is called for.

Generic tabletop exercise

1. Refer to current disaster plan and related emergency measures. Make a list of the first steps that you would take to continue operations in your department or library building. Write a schedule with realistic time estimates for the steps that you have listed.
2. Consider your library’s current emergency kit. Determine what you should add to it – such as protective masks, goggles – to protect employees during a toxic spill.
3. Your staff members and co-workers are told to resume business at an alternative site, such as another branch or neighbouring office. Make lists of:
a. the basic operations that you will be able to conduct within 24 hours from the alternative site (e.g., communicating with key managers, issuing bulletins, dealing with vendors involved in repairs and the resupply of lost assets)
b. the equipment that you will need to carry out the basic tasks listed above
c. the people and organizations that you must contact as soon as possible regarding library operational issues.
This exercise will be limited to one hour.

11.3.6. Power failure

Next Thursday morning, damage to the local electrical grid causes a power failure in your library’s general area. Power might not be restored for 36 hours. Your emergency generator fails within one hour of activation. The building starts getting cold almost immediately.
Casualties:
• None
Damage:
• Potential computer systems problems and data loss. IT staff members will spend part of the next day attempting to find possible glitches caused by the power failure. Your building becomes uncomfortably cool in approximately one hour. Food in the refrigerators begins to spoil in eight hours.
Crisis potential:
• None

Generic tabletop exercise

1. Refer to your current disaster plan and related emergency measures. Determine whether it is necessary to activate emergency measures. If so, make a list of the first steps that you would take to resume your library’s operations. Write a schedule with realistic time estimates for the steps that you have listed.
2. Determine the number and location of functional flashlights and other sources of emergency illumination in your building.
3. Determine the effects of the power failure on your security systems – alarms, CCTV, locks, etc. If the power failure shuts down these systems, how will you protect library assets?
4. Your department is told to resume operations off-site, at a branch in another neighbourhood or at an empty office in a nearby shopping mall. Make lists of:
a. the basic operations that you will be able to conduct within 24 hours from the alternative site (e.g., communicating with key managers, issuing bulletins, dealing with vendors involved in repairs and the resupply of lost assets)
b. the equipment that you will need to offer the basic services listed above
c. the people and organizations that you must contact as soon as possible regarding library operational issues.
This exercise can be limited to one hour.

11.3.7. Data loss/possible theft and misuse

At a library management group meeting, it is noted that a substantial amount of electronic data and confidential paper files have gone missing from different departments. It remains to be determined whether the data has been stolen or unintentionally erased. The amount of missing data is uncertain at present. There are fears that some of the data regarding borrowers is highly confidential, and that it might be used to embarrass the library. It might also be sold as ‘corporate intelligence’.
Casualties:
• None
Damage:
• To be determined. There are rumours regarding a disgruntled employee, sabotage and the introduction of a virus into the system. In any event, the missing electronic data might pertain not only to borrowers, but also to the Human Resources department, your library’s purchasing plans and the potential sale of library assets. It is difficult to determine exactly how many paper files have gone missing. There is also the suspicion that some paper files might have been surreptitiously photocopied for use outside the library.
Crisis potential:
• There could be a number of crises if the data falls into the wrong hands. If the media report the loss there could be a general decline in confidence in the library. At the very least, there is a reasonable likelihood that the library will be publicly embarrassed.

Generic tabletop exercise

1. Refer to your current disaster and crisis management plans. What parts would be useful to you and your colleagues under the circumstances? Make a list of the first steps that you would take to determine if you have suffered any loss of data (either electronic or paper) in your department. Do you have your essential data backed up for resumption purposes? Are your back-ups current? How long would you need to access this essential data under the circumstances?

11.4. Tabletops for managers

11.4.1. Director/Head Librarian/Board of Directors

• Following a regional emergency such as a severe winter storm and consequent power failure, communication between your library’s senior managers and supervisors becomes especially challenging, and transportation will be difficult. For yourself or -selves, outline:
a. emergency supplies needed in your residence(s)
b. special concerns regarding family members (small children, elderly relatives, disabled relatives)
c. at least two different routes to get from your residence to your library office, by car or other means of transport
d. at least two different routes to get to the library’s alternative site, by car or other means of transport
e. any special risks to your residence(s) in the event of a toxic spill, high winds. or winter storms.
• Following a fire at a library branch, you are ambushed by media representatives looking for interviews. What are the three main points that you will strive to get across to the media? What wording will you avoid at all costs?
• Consult your library’s current disaster and crisis management plans. Identify three points that you believe require clarification or updating. Remember that in many cases those plans will be your guide after an emergency.

11.4.2. Assistant Head Librarians

• Following a regional emergency such as a severe winter storm, communication between your library’s senior managers and supervisors becomes especially challenging, and transportation will be difficult. For yourself and your key supervisors and other staff members, outline:
• emergency supplies needed in your residence(s)
• special concerns regarding family members (small children, elderly relatives, disabled relatives)
• at least two different routes to get to your library site, by car or other means of transport
• at least two different routes to get to your library’s alternative site, by car or other means of transport
• any special risks to your residence(s) in the event of a toxic spill, high winds or winter storms.
• Following a serious fire at your library site, external investigators call your office looking for information regarding the situation, any damage to the library’s facilities and the security at the damaged site. These are informal enquiries that you can handle without the assistance of other managers. Nevertheless, it is essential to send the right message. What three points will you attempt to get across in telephone calls of no more than ten minutes in duration? What kinds of PR problems could arise under the circumstances?
• Following a fire at one of your library branches, you are ambushed by media representatives looking for interviews and quotes. What are the three main points that you will strive to get across to the media? What wording will you avoid at all costs?
• Consult your disaster plans and related emergency documentation. Identify three points that you believe require clarification or updating. Remember that your plans and documentation will be your guide during and after a disaster.

11.4.3. Departmental Manager/Branch Manager

• Develop a basic plan for an off-site operations centre for the use of the employees in your department or at your branch in the event of a fire that causes serious damage. Assume that you must be away from the building for ten days. Indicate:
• at least two possible alternative sites for your staff, aside from another branch or library site
• the number of telephones and computer workstations you will need
• the vital records (paper and electronic) and portable technology (e.g., laptops) that you will need access to during your time away from the building
• an approximate cost for the set-up and management of the centre.
• Consulting maps of your region, determine three safe gathering sites for your library’s employees following a regional emergency such as a toxic spill. Take into account:
• locations of the residences of your branch employees
• potential risks between safe gathering sites and employees’ residences
• advantages and disadvantages of different sites.
• Devise and apply a grading scale (e.g. ‘A’, ‘B + ’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘F’, etc.) for the different sites.

11.4.4. Any library manager or supervisor

• Design for yourself/yourselves ‘a department in a portable/handheld device’ in the event of an emergency that seriously damages and limits your access to your site. Develop a list of electronic files that you will need while you are away from the building. These files might include:
• human resources data
• facilities management data
• essential files that must be backed up and available at all times
• emergency PR bulletins
• staff telephone numbers and addresses.
• You may also specify what kind(s) of hardware, software and security features you would prefer.

11.5. Pandemic influenza exercise

High levels of access to library sites and resources give rise to concerns about the safety and security of library employees during a pandemic. In recent years, pandemic influenza outbreaks have occurred with disturbing results. The following tabletop exercise can be carried out in libraries of all kinds. Consult Appendix 2 for more information and examples of guidelines.
Background
Recent forms of pandemic influenza are similar in a number of ways to the Spanish Flu that caused millions of deaths worldwide during 1918–19. Victims of these diseases could suffer severe respiratory problems and eventually the failure of multiple organs. In such cases, death can follow in a short time. At present, public health experts are warning people in their jurisdictions that an outbreak of pandemic influenza is likely at some point in the future; in your region, some scientists and public health officials have suggested that an outbreak is ‘inevitable’. Despite efforts to develop mass immunization campaigns and to prepare the local populace for the worst, there are still fears that the results of a pandemic could lead to a global catastrophe. Possible results include:
• millions of deaths
• a long economic downturn: a recession or depression
• the destabilization of various political regimes, mostly in the Third World
• the displacement of populations
• famine
• declines in sectors such as transportation and tourism.
In your region, results could include:
• a general slowdown of local business activity for several months; permanent closure of many small and medium-sized businesses
• the failure of local tourist and hospitality industries
• increasing unemployment.
• the closure of public institutions such as schools, colleges, universities, theatres, government offices, malls and stadiums
• the quarantining of healthcare facilities such as hospitals and seniors’ residences.
Your library and its employees could experience:
• increasing absenteeism, owing not only to sickness but also to employees’ fear of contracting the disease in the workplace
• work process slowdown and backlogs throughout the organization
• the postponement of projects and other activities
• slowdowns at the offices of organizations with close ties to the library
• morale and productivity problems
• difficulties in arranging travel anywhere outside your region
• concerns regarding the safety of employees who have recently returned from areas where pandemic influenza has hit hard.
Scenario
One weekend this September, eight people die of pandemic influenza in local hospitals. Over 1500 cases are reported in your region among all age groups. The prognosis for many is poor.
The disease has spread quickly across the continent, and city cores are virtually empty. News broadcasts note that people prefer to stay at home. There is a sense of panic across your region.
Local governments are preparing to declare a disaster. Authorities are considering the closure of the local airports. There are grave concerns regarding the failure of transportation and distribution systems for essentials such as foodstuffs, medicines and fuel.
Your tasks
1. Determine the best uses of your library’s alternative site(s) under the circumstances of the pandemic scenario. Consider the library’s need for ongoing communications with employees, patrons and affiliated organizations. Also take into account the possibility that your library management might choose to continue business on an ‘essential services only’ basis, and that the alternative site(s) might be the only fully functional work area(s) in your library system.
2. Determine methods to decrease the chances of contracting pandemic influenza while working in the alternative site. These methods might include advanced sanitation procedures, strictly controlled access, restricted ventilation, reduced travel, and wireless communications.
3. Develop procedures to shut down the alternative site(s) when the risk of pandemic influenza infection subsides.
You have 60 minutes. Appoint a recordkeeper to take note of comments and recommendations. Good luck.

11.6. Tabletop exercise management tips

At the beginning of any tabletop exercise, it is wise to appoint an exercise leader, whose responsibilities include:
• Ensuring that participants understand the scenario and tasks under consideration.
• Keeping track of the time, and respecting the time limit. (Note that it is inadvisable to allow an exercise group to exceed a time limit. Awareness of it can sharpen participants’ focus and contribute to more useful outcomes.)
• Keeping participants on topic; helping them to avoid distractions and irrelevant discussions.
• Encouraging participation from all members from the group.
Each exercise group should have a recordkeeper to note comments, observations and relevant concerns. Senior library management should review the records of each exercise before releasing them to other library employees and stakeholders. Frequently, tabletop exercises lead to more questions than answers; planners might find these questions useful for the enhancement or revision of plans.
Finally, coffee, tea and snacks are appropriate during exercises, and senior library management should be sure to thank library employees for participating in exercises.

11.7. Conclusion

There are other ways to test plans and train employees: evacuation (or fire) drills, an IT shutdown and reboot from back-ups, or a series of lectures, seminars, films and multimedia presentations. All of these have their uses and benefits. In many libraries, however, tabletop exercises are easier to arrange and carry out. Also, in the experience of many planners, tabletop exercises produce the best results in the shortest time, and can support other forms of testing and training.

11.8. References

11.8.1. Interviews

In this chapter I have quoted a Jamaican information consultant, a corporate library director in New York City, an emergency services coordinator in Ottawa, Canada, a school librarian in Atlanta, Georgia, and a public library branch manager in Texas.
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