Space, equipment, and supply needs

The recovery exercise will involve handling wet books and other library materials, working on wet tables and with water-filled garbage cans, and disposing of the water and wet books at the end of the workshop. The space where the exercise is conducted should be large enough to accommodate the furniture noted below, should have a concrete or tile floor, and should have a readily available electricity supply. Participants should wear clothing appropriate to the task of pulling wet books from water and packing them into cartons. Comfortable, easily washed clothing covered by an apron works well.

The following supplies and equipment should be assembled:

• One table for each group of four people (if there are 20 participants, five tables). The tables should be about 1.5 x 0.75 meters (6 x 3 feet) in size.
• One garbage can, preferably plastic with wheels, for each table. Since the garbage cans will be partially filled with water and wet books, they should be sturdy and watertight.
• Electric fans (oscillating or ordinary window fans will do), ideally one fan for every two tables.
• Paper towels (packaged in sheets rather than on rolls), enough to provide each table with about 100 towels.
• Disposable books (duplicates or old discards that will be thrown away after the workshop), enough for at least 50 per garbage can. Ideally, the books should include a mix of hard- and soft-cover bindings.
• Loose sheets of paper, some oversize, and file folders filled with sheets of paper.
• Sheets of medium thickness blotting paper 76 cm x 102 cm.
• About 30 to 40 strong cardboard boxes (similar to those used to transport books to a bindery).
• Sheets of waxed paper cut to 30 cm x 23 cm.
• Plastic (polyethylene) sheeting, usually supplied in rolls of 3.0 x 7.5 meters (10 x 25 feet).
• Sheets of polyester film (mylar, melinex, etc.) 30 cm x 25 cm.

The emergency coordinator should place the books and paper in the garbage cans, half filled with water, at least two hours before the simulation exercise. The fans should be set up to blow air across the drying area towards an open door or window. The participants will take the wet books out of the garbage cans and begin air drying them by interleaving the pages approximately every twenty to thirty leaves with paper towels. Some of the wet books will be separated by waxed paper and pack the books into cardboard boxes to simulate packing for a freezer. They will carefully separate the loose sheets of paper, especially those that are oversize, with the polyester film and lay them out to dry on the blotting paper. (See Dealing with minor emergencies, Handling wet materials, and Procedures for air drying wet books and records.)