INFS 423 Preservation of Information Resources Lecture 10 – Deterioration Caused by Disasters Lecturer: Prof. Harry Akussah & Mr. Michael Allotey , Contact Information: mallotey@ug.edu.gh, hakussah@ug.edu.gh College of Education School of Information and Communication Studies Department of Information Studies 2018/2019
Lecture Overview In this lecture, I will introduce you to disasters, bringing out those that occur naturally and those that are induced by the activities of man. The lecture also provides you with knowledge about disasters that are universal and can occur anywhere in the world and those that are confined to specific geographical regions. We will also discuss information disasters, for example: flood and fire. We will look at what their causes are and the adverse consequence they come with. Slide 2
Lecture Outline The key topics to be covered in the lecture are as follows: • Topic One: Defining Disaster • Topic Two: Types of Disasters • Topic Three: Information Disasters Slide 3
Reading List • Akussah, H. (2011). Preservation of Documents . Department of Information Studies, Legon, NAB Superior Services. • Gorman, G. E., & Shep, S. J. (2006). Preservation management for libraries, archives and museums . London: Facet Pub. Slide 4
Topic One DEFINING DISASTER Slide 5
What is a Disaster? • A disaster can be defined as the tragedy of a natural or human-made hazard that negatively affects society or environment. • It can also be defined as any occurrence which comes with suffering to mankind or results in the disruption of the normal way of doing things, whether natural or artificial, predictable or otherwise. Slide 6
What is a Disaster? • Disasters therefore have the characteristics of being sudden, coming with significant destruction, adverse consequences and suffering. • In contemporary academia, disasters are seen as the consequence of inappropriately managed risks or hazards. • Disasters are the products of the interplay of hazards and vulnerability . Hazards that strike in areas with low vulnerability may not result in a disaster, as is the case in uninhabited regions. Slide 7
Topic two TYPES OF DISASTERS Slide 8
Types of Disasters Disasters can be broadly classified into two types: • natural disasters • artificial disasters . Slide 9
Natural Disaster • A natural disaster can be defined as the consequence when a natural hazard affects humans. For example, volcanic eruption or earthquake. • It is caused by a natural phenomenon and it cannot be prevented even though with developments in technology it can be precisely predicted. Slide 10
Artificial Disaster • Disasters caused by human action, negligence, error, or involving the failure of a system are called human- made or artificial disasters. That is, they are human caused disasters either through their willful or unintended activities. • Willful acts include arson and unintended acts include overexploitation of vegetation which exposes land to fire. Slide 11
Artificial Disaster • Artificial or human-made disasters are in turn categorized as technological or sociological. • Technological disasters are the results of failure of technology, such as engineering failures, transport disasters, or environmental disasters. • Sociological disasters have a strong human motive, such as criminal acts, stampedes, riots, and war. Slide 12
Categories of Disasters Disasters can be categorized into two depending on where they are likely to occur: i.e. • universal • peculiar disasters. Slide 13
Universal Disasters • This category can happen anywhere in the world. Thus, they are universal and their causes are common and can happen at any time. • For example, fire outbreaks caused by man and flooding due to man’s negligence. Most universal disasters are man-made which are as a result of willful attitude or negligence . Slide 14
Peculiar Disasters • Peculiar or specific disasters are disasters which are geographical region specific. They are confined to specific geographical areas. • Some of the natural occurrences that cause these peculiar disasters are tectonic activities, climatic factors, topography, etc. Examples of peculiar disasters include earthquakes, landslides, floods, fire, snow cover, terrorism and volcanoes. Slide 15
Topic Three INFORMATION DISASTERS Slide 16
Defining Information Disaster • An information disaster is a sudden and unexpected event that results in the loss of documentary materials essential to organizational operations. • An interruption of mission – critical information service for an unacceptable period of time. (Toigo Jon) Slide 17
Defining Information Disaster • Any event which results in the sudden removal of records and documents from accessibility and use. (Alegbeleye) • Any incident which threatens human safety and damages or threatens to damage library’s buildings, collection, equipment and systems. (Eden & Matheus) Slide 18
Information Disasters • The two most prevalent Information Disasters in Ghana are: • Flood • Fire Slide 19
Fire Disasters • This is one of the most devastating disasters particularly to libraries and archives because most information resources are highly combustible. For instance, paper burns quickly. Slide 20
Causes of Fire • Faulty electrical wiring. • Leaving heat generating appliances unattended to such as hot plates. • Electrical short circuits. • Lightning . • Careless smoking habits. • Faulty and subserviced equipment such as air- conditioners. • Vandalism . • Spontaneous ignition. Slide 21
Damages Caused by Fire Apart from total loss, fire can cause the following damages: • It generates heat which can be dangerous to documentary materials. • Soot generated can stain documents. • Smoke generated is dangerous to custodians and patrons. • Discolouration of documents – Paper could turn brownish. • Fire attracts water which is equally dangerous to documentary materials – ironically the best way to reduce damage from fire is to put it out using water. Consequently, water damage is caused. Slide 22
Prevention of Fire The following steps can be taken to reduce the threat of fire: • Major sources of fire are heating and electrical systems. These should be properly installed and checked frequently. • Hazardous and highly flammable materials such as chemicals, paints and solvents should be removed from storage areas. • If possible, materials should not be stored in attics or basements. Such areas are highly susceptible to fires. Slide 23
Prevention of Fire • Smoking should be prohibited in records storage areas or book stacks and restricted only to designated safe areas. • Frequent inspection should be made to detect unsafe conditions. • Combustible materials should be stored in areas that will minimize the hazard if they ignite and portable extinguisher should be located nearby. • Information centres should be built with fire proof or non combustible materials. For instance, the use of metal shelves and doors instead of wooden materials. Slide 24
Prevention of Fire • All valuable records should be boxed if possible to serve as a barrier between the fire and documents. • Building should be properly designed and constructed. All floors must have emergency exits and it is imperative that these exit points are clearly marked and not impeded by security measures. • Fire fighting equipment's like fire extinguishers, fire blankets, heat and smoke detectors and automatic fire suppressors should be used. Slide 25
Flood • Flooding occurs when water forces its way into an area that it is not expected to be, causing destruction to life and properties. Slide 26
Causes of Flood • Flood can be caused naturally or artificially. • Natural causes basically results from rainstorms – ripping off roofs . • Artificial causes are as a result of leaking taps, worn out taps and taps not turned off. • It can also be caused by overflowing drains, broken sewage lines, overflowing river banks, hosing, etc. • Flooding can also result from other disasters. For instance, pipe lines can get broken during earthquakes. Slide 27
Damages Caused by Floods Water – 100% relative humidity! – is most damaging to documentary materials. It causes the following: • Paper documents absorb water and get swollen. • Flood waters cause short circuits, which brings fires, which then brings more water thereby causing greater damage to documentary materials. • Emulsion layer of film-based documents soften and documents get stuck to each other. • Soluble inks and dyes smudge or run, making the documents difficult to use. • Can result in the staining or discolouration of documents. • As the relative humidity rises during flooding, micro-biological infestation can easily set in. Slide 28
Prevention of Floods It is possible to take steps to protect documents from water damage or reduce its effects by taking the following measures: • It is important to consider the location. Swampy areas, water logged areas and areas liable to flooding should be avoided. • The building should be surveyed: leaks, soft spots in walls or the roof, weak pipes, or any other signs of potential or actual water damage must be detected and repaired as soon as possible. Slide 29
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