We hope to see many of our readers at the Disaster Information Outreach Symposium in Bethesda on March 29 and 30, but if you can’t get there in person, there’s good news!  Both days will be videocast via the web, see details here:

“Please see http://videocast.nih.gov/summary.asp?live=9836  for day 1 and http://videocast.nih.gov/summary.asp?live=9837 for day 2. Prior to the event, you may wish to visit the Web site and click “Player Software” near the top of the page to download the software necessary to view the program. A recording will be archived for later viewing following the symposium.”  (Thanks to Regina King whose email message provided this quote!)

To see what’s on the agenda and speaker bios, check the conference web site at http://disaster.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc/symposium2011.html.

What is a TTE, you ask?  TTE is the acronym for a key piece of emergency management and planning, the Table-Top Exercise.  Over the past three years, we’ve used various TTEs in our training with NN/LM members and other groups, and they are always motivating and effective.  They place people in roles in an emergency scenario and generate some very interesting and productive insights.  Check our new “Table-Top Exercises” page (or see the top menu) for more information about TTEs and for two exercises we’ve written to help get you started.

The American Library Association provided a press release yesterday, noting that Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) has succeeded in his efforts to have FEMA designate libraries as temporary relocation sites for their communities following an emergency or disaster.  See the details here:  http://connect.ala.org/node/127510.  Many thanks to Cheryl Rowan at NN/LM’s South Central Region for the heads up, via the DIMRC listserv (if you aren’t signed up for this listserv from NLM’s Disaster Information Management Research Center, go here to subscribe:  http://disaster.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc/dimrclistserv.html).  Quoting Sen. Reed:  

“It will help libraries in need relocate so they can keep serving the public in the wake of a flood or other emergency.  Libraries are vital information hubs, and in the aftermath of a disaster, libraries take on an even greater community role, providing free and easy access to technology and essential information.”

On Tuesday, January 11, at 2 PM EST, FEMA’s Community Preparedness Division will present the first 2011 webinar in the Community Preparedness Webinar Series:  Collaborative Planning–Engagement of the Whole Community.  The live webinar is available to the first 500 log ins at www.citizencorps.gov/news/webcasts/planning.shtm, and will also be available via recording on the website.  Previously recorded webinars are available on the Citizen Corps site at http://www.citizencorps.gov/news/webcasts.shtm. 

Anyone who needs special accommodations or requires assistance to view or listen to the webinar is asked to email citizencorps@dhs.gov no later than 5 PM EST on Friday, January 7th.

Here’s a wonderful learning/networking opportunity for those of us who are interested in library/librarians’ roles in disaster response, particularly in communication and provision of information during and after disasters.  See the Symposium announcement at http://disaster.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc/symposium2011.html for the details, and click on the “Registration Now Open” link for specifics about location and hotel accommodations.  The Disaster Information Management Research Center of the Special Information Services division of the National Library of Medicine is hosting the meeting, co-sponsored by the Medical Library Association and the Special Libraries Association.  If your library or institution is a member of NN/LM, check with your RML (find your RML here… http://nnlm.gov/ by clicking on your region) to see if funding is available to help pay for your travel.  MLA CE credit is available for attending the symposium.  The meeting will be held at the Lister Hill Center at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, MD.  We’re excited about this great opportunity, and look forward to seeing you there!

“What About the Library” will be presented tomorrow at the Hampton Public Library. Guest speakers include Teresa Blakeslee, Coordinator for the Peninsula Medical Reserve Corps, and Jenifer Lupin, Virginia Department of Health. A full report will be made available after the meeting.

The second “What About the Library” regional conference will be presented at the Christiansburg Public Library on Monday, December 6th. Keynote speaker is Neal Turner, Montgomery County Emergency Services Coordinator, and one of the first on the scene of the Virginia Tech shooting in April 2007. Stan Crigger, Regional Coordinator, Virginia Department of Emergency Management.