Lights out! Dealing with power outages in your library
Abstract
Libraries are often unprepared for power outages. During an outage, a library’s electrical systems can shut down. Library employees struggle to deal with the results, which can include inconvenience for patrons and loss of work time. Many larger libraries rely on generators for emergency power supplies. Flashlights are very useful, and can be used to direct patrons toward exits. Owing to climate change and possible grid failures, in future, librarians can expect more outages.
Archeologists claim that prehistoric evenings included tribal gatherings around bonfires. A crackling blaze provided ancient peoples with warmth, cooked food, and opportunities for gossip and storytime.
Occasionally, however, firewood was unavailable. The resulting lack of fire led to frigid huddles in pitch-black caves, and attacks by wild beasts emboldened by the darkness. For long stretches, life consisted of little more than a dreary wait for daylight or a series of defensive preparations in anticipation of nightfall.
Fortunately we live in more predictable times—or so we like to think. Generally we’re safe in assuming that the sources of our heat and light will continue to operate without interruption. But when a power outage occurs in our libraries, we’re surprised and often unready for the immediate effects.
Outages can be due to different causes. High winds and winter storms damage power lines and poles. Floods and forest fires disrupt power transmission across regions and lead to prolonged outages. Sabotage of power supplies is another possibility. Every week in some North American city, a driver loses control of his or her vehicle, rams a power pole, and sinks an entire neighborhood into temporary darkness. Like every other building in that neighborhood, the local library blacks out.
24.1 Darkness visible
What happens inside a library during an outage? Suddenly heating and air conditioning turn off. Lighting and computer screens flicker, then die. The librarian opens the drawer where the flashlight should be, only to discover that it’s not there. A patron stumbles toward the reference desk to complain that without a working desk lamp he can’t read the small print in an encyclopedia. A woman asks the circulation clerk if she’ll have to pay fines on books that can’t be discharged because of the outage. Meanwhile her young sons pretend that the children’s department is a haunted forest, and go howling down the aisles.
In the staff room, the supervisor finds the flashlight in the cutlery drawer. She descends the stairs to the basement in search of the fuse box, which resides behind a mountain of boxes crammed with discards. Before she uncovers the fuse box, the librarian will tell her to lock up and go home. There’s no point in trying to work in a dark space thats quickly growing colder. Or hotter and stuffier, if the outage happens in summer. Besides, fuses aren’t the problem.
Panic during outages is rare. In fact, most patrons will agree to leave the library as soon as they realize that power will not be restored for an extended period. Since there’s a risk of slip-and-fall injuries as people move from stacks and public areas toward exits, they should proceed carefully. Library employees can act like theater ushers, using flashlights to point out safe exit routes.
Once patrons have left the library, employees can post the necessary closure signage and lock up the building. The librarian should contact the director and let her know that the library has closed early. Radio bulletins will announce how long the outage might be.
Such is one scenario. There are others. For example, if the outage occurs during daylight, and the indoor atmosphere remains stable and comfortable, the librarian may decide not to close. Illumination from windows might allow patrons and employees to continue their activities. Safety is the primary concern in this instance. If the available light is strong enough to help prevent injuries from falls and collisions with furniture, the library can stay open.
24.2 Backup generators
Many large libraries depend on generators for back-up power. Ideally a generator will start up as soon as its sensors detect an outage. To do so, it must undergo regular maintenance and testing, and its fuel tank should be kept full. Under these conditions, the library can rely on back-up power for several hours or more, depending on the size and capability of the generator.
Unfortunately, some libraries neglect their generators. Fuel runs low and tanks are almost empty when they’re needed most. Servicing is infrequent and cursory, and various components can fail just as the generator starts to operate during real emergencies. There’s no point in installing a generator unless library management is willing to fund its maintenance, and custodians are prepared to carry out regular servicing.
Reliable generators are especially necessary in libraries that operate elevators, escalators, and conveyor systems. The failure of these devices can lead to more than inconvenience. Patrons trapped in a dark elevator for an hour or more will not be inclined to view the experience favorably. Employees forced to stand around and wait for a conveyor to start working might start doubting the advantages of technology, especially when faced with substantial backlogs and overtime.
24.3 Electric doors
Another scenario involves the library during nonbusiness hours. If the outage occurs at 3:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning, what might happen? In many libraries, nothing. In some, however, there could be security problems, especially if alarms and electric door systems lose power. Some electric doors will jam shut in an outage. It’s necessary to override the electrical system that controls their movement in order to pass through them. During outages, some library employees have simply pried open electric doors. So have burglars.
24.4 Let there be light
Librarians need little to deal effectively with outages. First, they must accept the possibility that there could be at least one outage in their building’s future. In North America, the risk of an outage is higher than that of a fire, bomb threat, or earthquake, and considering the recent warnings of civil authorities about the potential for regional grid failures, librarians would be wise to prepare for them. Ignoring the risk is not an adequate response.
Every library should have a supply of flashlights: not just one, but several. These should be stored in conspicuous locations. In staff rooms, cafeterias, and offices, flashlights can be mounted on walls. They can be stored in the top drawer of the reference desk, in the first aid kit, and in the staff washroom. A good supply of spare batteries should be handy. Every 3 months, a library assistant should be assigned the task of making sure that all flashlights work.
In a library with a back-up generator, a librarian should be responsible for ensuring that it is serviced regularly, and that its fuel tank remains topped up. The librarian should keep a record of all servicing, refueling, and testing, and work with custodial staff to establish these activities as standard operating procedures.
Circulation counters should contain materials for making temporary signage to be posted on front entrances. White cardboard, duct tape, and a black felt pen are all that library employees need to make an effective emergency closure notice: Closed due to power outage. Sorry for any inconvenience.
If an outage forces you to evacuate your library, you should have procedures for clearing public and staff areas with nothing more than a flashlight and a loud voice. It’s helpful to test these procedures. How? One evening after you’ve closed your library, ask a couple of colleagues to stay behind for a minute or two. Then turn off all the lights. You’ll quickly understand how an outage affects your workspace. Have you ever moved around the staff room, office, or stacks in the dark? It can be an unnerving experience, but you will automatically appreciate the benefits of a flashlight, as well as the potential dangers of common objects such as stepping stools, waste-paper baskets, and area rugs, which seem to have been designed for you to trip over in the dark.
24.5 On the bright side
If predictions of climate change are correct, and we can expect frequent storms and grid failures, then we should prepare for what some emergency planners refer to as the New Dark Ages. Happily most outages will be brief, and lead to nothing worse than minor inconveniences such as spoiled food in staff room fridges and temporary closures. Some outages might have longer durations and result in IT failures, data loss, and injuries. Nevertheless, a few simple preparations can prepare you and your library for any sort of outage.
Count yourself lucky. The only wild beasts you might encounter are the young patrons in that haunted forest.