From Golden Water to Salvation: Tsunami-Affected Libraries in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The Indian Ocean tsunami of 26 December 2004 caused extensive damage, particularly in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, but also in Malaysia, Thailand, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Kenya and Tanzania. The paper surveys the impact made by the tsunami on libraries and information services in Sri Lanka, where over 300 libraries and reading rooms were affected by the disaster. Physical damage varied from complete destruction of library buildings to water damage of collections. In the face of heavy loss of life and devastation of infrastructure, it is not surprising that the rescue of library materials did not receive priority. Nevertheless, the National Library and National Archives began immediate efforts to educate librarians and the public about basic methods of conservation of tsunami-damaged materials. A programme was launched to rehabilitate libraries devastated by the tsunami, with the country's leading institutions and organizations in the field of library and information services coming together to form an umbrella organization called the Sri Lanka Disaster Management Committee for Library, Information Services and Archives (SL DMC for LISA). Short-, medium- and long-term plans for library reconstruction have been developed and are described. It is expected to take between five and ten years to complete the programme of rebuilding and rehabilitation, but the result should be a modern network of libraries, operating within an improved general infrastructure.