Western States and Territories Preservation Assistance Service (WESTPAS)

FAIN: PE-50027-09

Peninsula Library System (San Mateo, CA 94403-2273)
Linda Crowe (Project Director: July 2008 to February 2012)

Thirty-one workshops on disaster preparedness, emergency response, and risk management that would result in disaster plans for libraries and archives in ten western states and three Pacific territories.

Eighty percent of the libraries and archives in the Western and Pacific regions are not prepared to respond to disasters. They lack disaster plans and personnel trained to carry them out, leaving their collections extremely vulnerable. The libraries and archives of the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, Southeast and upper Midwest have established regional preservation education and training centers. The Western and Pacific regions need to be comparably prepared. So, Western States and Territories Preservation Assistance Service (WESTPAS) was created. WESTPAS delivers preservation information and training services. Its emphasis is on disaster preparedness, emergency response and collection salvage. It delivers training on identifying and mitigating building risks to collections and on partnering to improve disaster response. It maintains a network of library and archive professionals knowledgeable about preservation methods and accessible via website, phone (incl. 24/7 service) and email.