Library Disaster Prepared Handbook Essay -- Library Science

According to The Library Disaster Preparedness Handbook, â€Å"the most common calamities for libraries are surely water incidences† (Morris, 1986). Water damage can occur as a result of a leaks, burst pipes, and natural disasters. Of these causes, â€Å" natural disasters of great violence are the most damaging: these include flood, hurricanes and tornadoes (Morris).† Because water damage is such a threat to a library and its collection, it is imperative libraries have disaster preparedness procedures in place for preventing or minimizing flooding and water disaster damages. The Edgecombe County School district in North Carolina learned the hard way just how important disaster preparedness planning is and just how damaging water can be when Hurricane Floyd flooded two of their schools’ libraries. Their experiences can be used as an example, and future school library programs and media specialists, like myself, can use their insights to better plan for di sasters in the future. On Wednesday, September 15 1999, Hurricane Floyd made landfall in Edgecombe County as a Category 2 storm. Because water levels were already high from Hurricane Dennis hitting the areas two weeks before, the torrential rains that accompanied Hurricane Floyd caused rivers and creeks to overflow their banks. The Edgecombe Country School District was hit hard by this flooding. â€Å"When the water ended its inexorable climb to unprecedented levels, approximately forty percent of the land area of Edgecombe County was under water† (Egerton, et al., 2000). Two of their fourteen schools were totally flooded to the extent that nothing in them was salvageable. The two schools flooded were Pattillo A+ Elementary School and Princeville Montessori School. Pattillo ... ...ican Association of School Librarians. Another great resource for public school libraries is the Beyond Words program started by Dollar General which helps replace books lost in disasters through grant assistance. It is very important that a school library have a plan in place in the event of a disaster, and have plans for all types of disasters, like floods, fire, and bombs. By planning in advance, staff will know what is expected of them during and after a disaster. It will also help keep everyone on the same page, as everything descends into chaos and uncertainty. In a school setting it is also imperative that the administration be aware of the disaster plan as well. Including the administration in the planning process will reduce miscommunication in the event of a disaster and will ensure that everyone is on the same page during each stage of cleanup.

Mariam and Laila Essay

Les miserables by Victor Hugo and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hossieni both have tragic themes. Les miserables is a story set during 1815 in Digne, France (Hugo, 1994) about the struggles and quest for freedom of a convicted man by the name of Jean-Valijean. During the course of the story, his encounters and connection to two of the most important characters in his life – Fantine and Cosette was actually the main plot of the story. A Thousand Splendid Suns had its name through a poem entitled â€Å"KABUL. † This poem symbolizes Mariam, who is one of main characters in the story. It is a poem describing the beauty of the city of Kabul and how on the same city, a person is able to see a splendid sun each day (Hosseini, 2007). Aside from having the same themes, both stories (Les miserables and A Thousand Splendid Suns) also was able to show its readers the conflicts and the hardships that women during those times face. In Les miserables, Fantine was forced to become a â€Å"prostitute† in order to provide for her daughter (Hugo, 1994). This was because she was laid off from the factory she works for after her employers discovered that she has an illegitimate child. A thousand Splendid suns, on the other hand, shared to readers the story of young Mariam who was forced to marry, was discriminated by the society and finally was imprisoned for her honesty (Hosseini, 2007). The two stories, although written on different genres by authors of different cultures speaks of the experiences of every man and women. It talks of life in general (Jean’s search for freedom, Mariam questioning the meaning of her life, Javert’s obsession to make all offenders of the law pay and Cosette’s unconditional love for Marius). The two stories, amidst its dark tone give its readers a choice on whether to stay in the dark side of life or to eventually come out of the sun and continue living despite of all the struggles they need to overcome. The characters in both stories are unforgettable. In Les miserables, readers see a young Jean who seems to prefer being an outlaw. During the coursework of the story, readers are able to witness how the goodness in every man has won over Jeans’ weaknesses. He turns out to be the hero who saves the future of Fantine and Cosette. While on A Thousand Splendid Suns, readers are presented with two very powerful women – Mariam and Laila. Their strengths come not from physical attributes but from being able to walk through the storms of life and still stand unabashed. The difference between the two literary pieces can be seen with the way human values was depicted by the main characters. Mariam in A Thousand Splendid Suns showed readers a very important human value which is honesty. Amidst the knowledge that she can be imprisoned for her admission of accidentally killing her husband, she still surrendered herself to the authorities and accepted her fate. Jean-Valijean in Les miserables, run all his life from the responsibility of what he has done in the past. He lived a life outside the prison bars but was a prisoner of his own fears. Among the two, we can say that it was Mariam who was truly free for she has died while â€Å"paying† for her sins and thus, leaves the society without guilt in her heart. Les miserables is a literary piece with timeless life lessons. It is still popular today because it speaks of human nature in general. A Thousand Splendid Suns is also acclaimed not only because it depicts of the harshness of society’s pressures but it also reminds us that is always the truth which can set us free. There is nothing better than having to read books that not only touches the spirit and soul but also tickles every reader’s imagination. References: Hosseini, K. (2007). A Thousand Splendid Suns. Bandung: Mizan Media Utama. Hugo, V. (1994). Les Miserables. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Classics.

Essay on Human Activity in Climate Change - 721 Words

This essay and its contents is designed to define and discuss the concept of my position on the following statement: â€Å"Human activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels. It also answers inquiries of; is it a major contributor to climate change? Do I agree or disagree? From my research and readings, I‘ve concluded that, the foremost effect that burning fossil fuels has on our environment is the greenhouse effect, also known as global warming. Carbon dioxide, which is also known as greenhouse gas is released during combustion of fossil fuels and is the cause of this catastrophe. But yet, other problems arise amongst the burning of fossil fuels, for example the depletion of fossil fuels, the shift of climate control, and the†¦show more content†¦Small changes in the average temperature of the planet can translate to large and potentially dangerous shifts in climate and weather. (http://www.epa.gov/climatechange 2012) The uprising global temperatures have been supplemented by changes in weather and climate. Throughout the world, many places have seen different changes in rainfall; this crisis resulted in more floods, famines, and extreme rain, as well as additional frequent and severe heat waves. As these changes are introduced to us the coming future, they will more than likely present challenges to our society and our environment. Changes of the land Greenhouse gases act as a blanket surrounding Earth, trapping energy in the atmosphere and causing it to warm and stay warm. As we see the heating of the earth we also see the loss of ice and snow. The ice and snow cools the earth as well as reflect heat. Absorbing heat means more ice melting, which means more heat is absorbed and more ice is melted, the process is a revolving circle. Land-use change, such as deforestation, is a big contributor because trees are essentially ‘wet sticks of carbon’, and so burning them both releases CO2 and prevents the trees from absorbing CO2 through photosynthesis, their method of turning sunlight, nutrients and water into energy to grow. Making the difference One of the solutions I’ve researched in solving the greenhouse effect is to increase the earth’s ability to absorb and store carbon. ThisShow MoreRelatedHuman Activity And Climate Change1252 Words   |  6 PagesIPCC define climate change as â€Å"change in the state of the climate that can be identified (e.g. using statistical tests) by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties, and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer. It refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity† ( â€Å"Observed†). 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You have inspired me to try my hardest to get to the top and be my best becauseRead MoreClimate Change Is Caused By Human Activities1975 Words   |  8 Pagesto the new Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2013, in Southeast Asia, temperature has been increasing at a rate of 0.14 to 0.20 degree Celsius per decade since the 1960s while rainfall from extreme rain days has increased by 10 millime ters per decade. Both of these increments are caused by climate change. In addition to increase of temperature and extreme precipitations, climate change also increases landslides, exacerbates soil erosion, causes floodingRead MoreGlobal Climate Change and Human Activity Essay1152 Words   |  5 Pages and human activities being the main cause to the negative changes in the global climate. Natural causes like volcanic eruptions, the changes in the sun’s radiation, and the ocean current shifts noticed are contributing to the global climate change. 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