Crisis Communication in Libraries: Opportunity for New Roles in Public Relations

Among the many roles librarians embrace, managing outreach, marketing, and communication are increasingly important. This is especially true during a natural disaster or other crisis situation that might occur in a library. Media and public relations are often the last aspects of crisis management that libraries consider when they complete emergency preparations. When a disaster or crisis occurs, communication to the public and to media outlets is imperative to reduce rumors and misinformation. Immediate communication is also known to maintain a “credible” reputation for the organization that is proactive in communicating facts about the crisis (Claeys & Cauberghe, 2012). The literature provides excellent advice for communicating during a crisis. However, theory is frequently different than putting this theory into practice. A description of a case study in one university library demonstrates implementation of the theory of crisis communication to achieve results of community engagement and trust.