Managing libraries in a crisis

This is an interesting conversation, not least because of the multiple external disasters the library has had to deal with.

For me this highlights the point that while operational processes can be best delivered just in time the management and governance of a line of business or a public service has to be just in case. Those risk assessments, contingency plans, fallback positions and reviews of  organisational strategies are all essential components of day-to-day business as usual.

In my experience crisis management seems to have been the norm in English public libraries for the past thirty years, even without earthquakes, shootings and pandemics. It would be good if the preparations for reopening libraries could be used not just to put together the essential tools needed for a safe and orderly resumption but also the opportunity to review how these services are structured and supported so that they don't have to be managed on adrenalin.

I'm pessimistic about this because the pressures on the limited resources available will be understandably focussed on the return to business as usual but the problem all along is that we've never established what business as usual really is or how its resilience is to be resourced.