Librarians Being Equipped to Safeguard Communities During Disasters

With the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season under way, librarians and information professionals are being equipped to position libraries as critical havens for individuals and communities during natural disasters.

This was facilitated during a Disaster Management Workshop – an initiative of the Jamaica Libraries and Information Network (JAMLIN), in collaboration with the National Library of Jamaica (NLJ) and the Jamaica Library Service (JLS) – held on Monday (June 30) at the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library on Tom Redcam Drive.

JAMLIN Development Manager, Jasheka Robinson, in her remarks, highlighted the role of libraries when disasters strike.

“These spaces are not only centres of knowledge but also anchors of stability, connection and resilience in times of crisis. Whether it’s helping someone apply for relief, charge their phone, or reading a book to a scared child, what we provide can be life-saving,” Ms. Robinson stated.

“But for libraries to adequately fulfil these roles, we must plan deliberately…, train to build partnerships, assess risks and strengthen protocols. Disaster management must be a part of how we think… serve and… lead,” she added.

JLS Senior Director, Kishma Simpson, echoed similar sentiments, emphasising the timeliness of the workshop in equipping library professionals to serve as front-line responders in times of crisis.

“Since the start of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, we would have already had two hurricanes that have formed and actually made landfall in Central America. So it is, therefore, timely that in this workshop, we are reminded of the critical role libraries and information institutions play, not only for learning and leisure but also in times of crisis. In the face of storms, displacement, and uncertainty, our libraries often become places of hope and recovery,” Ms. Simpson said.

The workshop was led by former California police officer, Dr. Roberto Rivera, who has decades of experience supporting disaster response through his voluntary work with the American Red Cross.

He described the workshop as a “starting point” for developing protocols that will guide how libraries prepare for disasters, ensuring they remain places of safety and security for residents.
Dr. Rivera pointed to the public library in Malvern, St. Elizabeth, which served as a vital lifeline for the community in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl’s devastation across the southern parish in July 2024.

Powered by solar energy, the library provided charging ports for electronic devices, a vital link for communicating with loved ones, and access to timely information, thereby serving as a beacon of resilience while much of St. Elizabeth grappled with power outages, water scarcity, and a collapse in telecommunications.

“Stories like Malvern are very important to share. The main thing is that you want the libraries to continually serve their citizenship, and here in Jamaica, we saw that in Malvern. In times of stress, which disasters bring to families and to communities, this is a bright story that families were able to find out about what was going on in their community, [and] throughout Jamaica, as well as get an email out and charge their phones to call members of their families,” Dr. Rivera stated.

The workshop featured a presentation by Dr. Rivera on the theme ‘Libraries and Information Units: Safe Harbours for Children, Families, and Communities’, followed by interactive group discussions based on real-world scenarios, from which operational protocols could be developed.

It was streamed to the 109 libraries islandwide, allowing librarians, information leaders, and shelter wardens across the country to benefit from the training.

Commenting on the aim of the workshop, Dr. Rivera described it as, “an opportunity for Jamaicans to brainstorm how they want [disaster response] to look for Jamaica”.

“So, this is me just sharing a past event that’s similar to what we saw in the Caribbean with Hurricane Irma in Puerto Rico, and other events, in that you have fellow Jamaicans that are librarians, that are members of all the parishes here, coming together and brainstorming what the library can do for them in times of disaster,” he said.

The 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season began on June 1 and runs until November 30.