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Green icon of a hand with a star inside a circle hovering above the palmAcademic Library Crisis Communication Best Practices

How do I know what types of crises to prepare for?

  • How, when, by whom, and with whom a crisis is communicated will depend largely on its type and impact level. Preparing for all levels of crises is an exercise in due diligence; however, assessing your library’s vulnerabilities will help you prepare for the most likely scenarios first.

Identifying types and impact levels of crises

  • Internal to library stakeholders: Prompted by administrative decision-making; directly affects the library and its staff. Requires more interpersonal communication, such as one-on-one discussions with CFO, board members, students or other internal stakeholders. May not immediately require communication with outside stakeholders, such as the media (contained).
    • Outsourcing library services
    • Acquisition of library space for other purposes
    • Staff cuts/not renewing those positions
    • Service dumps - being asked to do more with less
  • Major, sudden: A disruption in business that occurs without warning and will likely generate news coverage. Immediately affects the health and safety of stakeholders.
    • Illness outbreak
    • Violence, such as a shooting
    • Facility emergency (fire, gas leak, infrastructure collapse)
    • Natural disasters
    • Sudden death or incapacitation of stakeholder
  • Emerging, smoldering: Any serious problem that is not generally known outside, or sometimes within, the organization. Slow to build; may generate negative news coverage or reputational harm. Can escalate quickly.
    • Database or journal cancellations
    • Major budget cuts
    • Violations of regulations that could result in fines or legal action
    • Negative actions of a disgruntled employee
  • Minor: A mild, infrequent disruption that does little to no harm to stakeholders. Can be communicated and resolved quickly; not likely to cause reputational harm. 
    • Temporary access issues
    • Trimmed hours
    • Power outages 
    • Acts of vandalism

When should bad news be communicated?

  • The literature recommends responding as quickly as possible, but only after all the facts are known and a plan is in place. If the outcome of the bad news is certain, even if the cause is uncertain, a quick response and frequent updates can bolster trust. 
    • Timely notification demonstrates that the organization has control over the situation.
    • Slow responses can cause stakeholders to lose trust.
  • EXCEPTION: If the outcome is uncertain, speed can be problematic as information shared could be inaccurate.
    • The need for a quick response must be balanced with the potential cost of sharing inaccurate information, and it may be best to wait to disclose bad news until more information can be gathered about the outcome.
  • Transparency builds trust. The literature suggests that there is a strong need for transparency with stakeholders regarding the situations that may cause crises, such as budget constraints, to garner support early.

What communication channels should be used?

  • There is little practical literature regarding the best media for communicating bad news in higher education and academic libraries. Often the communication method will depend on the type of crisis, and will require a mix of communication channels. 
  • To communicate effectively during a crisis, an organization needs to identify its target audience and then use a variety of channels that will reach those stakeholders.
    • Two-way communication can be particularly effective in not only sharing bad news, but communicating value.
    • Controllable channels, such as the organization website, can be useful in communicating a crisis because it allows for control of the message.
    • Organizations should consider a social media response IF the stakeholders need to be made aware of an immediate risk or if the crisis is unfolding in social media. Otherwise, use with caution. Strive to be transparent and informative without causing unnecessary alarm.
    • Social media “can create an expectation for interaction,” so the organization must have the resources to quickly and adequately address the additional information requests generated by social media.

What happens if my institution DOESN’T communicate certain crises with stakeholders?

  • Not communicating certain crisis situations that immediately affect stakeholders, such as health and safety emergencies, could negatively impact the reputation and safety of the entire university.
    • Best practices recommend that organizations should control the message by communicating with stakeholders as this could lessen any potential damage to the institution’s reputation.
  • Academic libraries should prepare crisis communication plans in advance to effectively communicate bad news for a variety of crises.

Who should communicate the bad news?

  • There are no current best practices in the literature regarding who should communicate during a crisis situation. Therefore, a clear plan that specifies who is responsible for crisis communication is necessary.
    • Plans should establish a communication “team” with one lead speaker. All team members should be prepared to communicate with a singular voice.
    • Who is designated as the lead speaker will likely depend on the crisis scenario. For example, the library director may be the most appropriate lead on situations such as journal or database cancellations, or budget or staff cuts (targeted approach to avoid reputational harm). Whereas, a university administrator or communication director may be the appropriate lead on health or safety emergencies related to the library (authority conveys that the situation is under control).
    • This reiterates the importance of using consistent messaging in one voice for dissemination to stakeholders.

What else do I need to know about crisis communication?

References