Disaster Management in University Libraries of India and Pakistan

Abstract

Natural disasters can strike without warning anytime anywhere anyone. There are different types of disasters. The economic losses caused by these disasters are mainly more expensive for developing countries that are vulnerable to the disasters like India and Pakistan in this case. Different types of libraries including university libraries and museums are priceless storehouses of knowledge, which once lost could be lost forever. Disaster planning needs to be done in university libraries to save the knowledge for future generations. This is true for all types of libraries everywhere. To study the situation of disaster management in university libraries of India and Pakistan literature review will be done. Information from various websites of both the countries will be collected. Regarding information on university libraries in Pakistan emails will be sent to select university librarians to find out whether they have any disaster management plans and similar studies be searched in professional literature. Initial review of literature shows a nearly similar infrastructural planning in both the countries at central and state government level. Disaster management is an ignored subject in Pakistan as stated by leading newspaper Dawn. Very few papers on this subject are available from Pakistan and intensive and exhaustive review of literature can lead to valid conclusion. In India this was an ignored area but after tsunami there has been awareness at all levels. Majority of the university libraries are ignorant about this important aspect of library planning but there are a few where this is being practiced. This study will highlight similarities and gaps between the approaches to disaster management in university libraries of these two neighbouring countries with nearly similar disaster conditions.