The university of south carolina school of information science, with the university of texas at austin, kentucky department for libraries and archives, university of memphis, and rice university, will…

The University of South Carolina (USC), in collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, University of Memphis, and Rice University, received a $249,721 Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the National Leadership Grants for Museums (CFDA 45.312) program. The grant will fund the creation and implementation of a series of training programs to enable libraries across the nation to provide critical information services before, during, and after natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and tornadoes. The training will follow FEMA's disaster life cycle phases, emphasize community crisis communication, risk perception, assessment, immediate response, and preparedness, and provide practice in communicating with the communities served. The program will also address disaster management plan adaptation and implementation, as well as the use of technology and multiple communication channels to disseminate critical disaster information. The goal is to help libraries increase their disaster preparedness and recovery capacity to strengthen community resilience and ensure the public receives vital services during emergencies. The grant period runs from August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2027.

The university of south carolina school of information science, with the university of texas at austin, kentucky department for libraries and archives, university of memphis, and rice university, will create and implement a series of training programs that enable libraries to provide critical information services before, during, and after disasters such as hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and tornadoes. Based on research conducted in south carolina, texas, california, and kentucky, the trainings will follow FEMA disaster life cycle phases; emphasize community crisis communication, risk perception, assessment, immediate response, and preparedness; and provide ample practice in communicating with the communities served. The program also will address disaster management plans, with examples of adaptation and implementation, and the use of technology and multiple communication channels in disseminating critical disaster information. The trainings will help libraries across the nation increase disaster preparedness and recovery capacity to strengthen community resilience and ensure the public receives vital services during disasters.