The first page of your plan should include contact information for your crisis response team. Use this chart as an example, and review the plan regularly to ensure information is up-to-date. 

Example crisis response team template

Additionally, consider keeping an updated list of your institution’s communications office staff, media outlets, emergency organizations or other agencies you may need to contact directly in the event of a major or sudden crisis. Having a comprehensive list on hand will save you time and energy in the long run.

A well-coordinated team with a rapid response system in place will give you a head start at containing a crisis. To that end, selecting the right people for your team is critical. The size of your team will vary depending on the size of your institution, but too many (10+) communicators could become unwieldy. Some characteristics to consider when choosing team members include:

• Dedicated to the library’s mission
• Can remain calm in highly stressful situations
• Is sensitive to how the library is perceived by the public
• Is a problem solver and clear thinker
• Is comfortable with ambiguity
• May not have the most authority, but has special knowledge or skill.

The lead spokesperson

In general, during a crisis, people will want to hear from the “person in charge.” This responsibility will most often fall to the library director, who can speak with the most knowledge, credibility and impact. Depending on the scope of the emergency, other roles on campus—such as the public relations officer—may speak for the library. When designating a lead spokesperson, it is essential to remember that:

• They will serve as the voice of the library 
• Their office will become the hub through which information flows
• They must mobilize the rest of the team to speak as one body.

The lead spokesperson can build credibility and trust by:

• Understanding the human need to hear concern first, reason and rationale second
• Having all the facts
• Already being a good communicator and quick decision-maker.

Once you have your crisis communication response team and relevant contacts in place, you can begin to identify the communication tools available to your library. Create a checklist for these, and identify the staff members who are responsible for each. Use this template as an example.

Library communication tools

You may not use every tool available, but having knowledge of your options and who has control of them is key.

Having basic, easy-to-access information about your library serves a number of purposes. If the situation goes public, news outlets will need it for accurate reporting. Administrators making statements on behalf of the library will depend on quick facts. Directors who must pull together a presentation or report justifying library staff positions or expenses will also need information at the ready. Consider keeping the following on your library website or somewhere easily accessible:

• Library address and phone number
• Fact sheet
• Strategic plan 
• Mission statement
• History
• Brief biographies of key library administrators
• Annual report or financial information 

Once information is assembled, assign responsibility for keeping it current. Outdated information is useless for anyone who needs it in a hurry and could result in erroneous news that damages the library’s and institution’s credibility. 

What to include on a fact sheet

Your fact sheet should include basic information and usage statistics such as:

• Library mission and how it ties in with the college’s strategic plan
• Population served by the library
• Annual circulation or other user statistics
• Building hours and information
• Number of staff
• Basic contact information 

Additional option: Create a hidden web page that can be fleshed out with information and published quickly during a crisis situation.

The importance of keeping stakeholders in the loop during a crisis cannot be overstated. A good crisis communication plan will specifically identify your library’s stakeholders and your plan for maintaining regular communication with them. Your plan should consider the following questions:

• Who are your key stakeholders?
• What means of communication do you use to keep them informed about library issues?
• How will you inform them when a crisis is looming or has happened?
• How will you provide regular updates during said crisis?
• How will you maintain their goodwill and support during and after this time?

Types of stakeholders

• Students (on-campus, off-campus, international, contemporary)
• Parents and families
• Faculty and staff
• Administrators
• Community members
• Volunteers
• Alumni
• Individuals who provide financial support
• Vendors

Once you have identified your stakeholders, consider the probable role each will have in a crisis. Who would come to the library’s aid? Who wouldn’t?

Maintaining regular communication with stakeholders

Establishing good relationships with your stakeholders now is the first step in maintaining their goodwill during a crisis. Ensure their support by designating specific crisis team members or library staff to be ongoing communication liaisons with stakeholder groups.

How to do this? Try to determine which communication tools work best for each group. A general rule is that the smaller the stakeholder group, the more personal your ongoing communication will need to be. Face-to-face, two-way communication may be ideal for certain audiences, but there is only so much time, and the number of possible stakeholders is vast. That’s why newsletters, emails, websites, fact sheets, social media and other tools have a place in your plan. They help ensure no group is left out of the information loop.