Keep the records-emergency plan usable without Internet access

A response plan stored only on the network is unavailable in exactly the kind of facility, power, identity, or cyber disruption that can threaten records. The activation package needs a controlled offline form that responders can find and use.

Source fact:

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration’s Records Emergency Preparedness and Response Toolkit advises organizations to plan for loss of Internet access and keep printed emergency information offsite. NARA’s planning materials identify practical content such as notification procedures, response-team and staff contacts, inventories of supplies and equipment, and special procedures or access information needed during an emergency.

The toolkit covers preparedness, response, and recovery for records emergencies. Its offline recommendation recognizes that contact and procedural dependencies may fail together. A printed plan supports activation; it does not preserve the records themselves, make a damaged building safe to enter, or replace emergency services and qualified recovery specialists.

Boundary

NARA guidance must be adapted to the organization’s record formats, hazards, insurance, contracts, safety program, and legal duties. Printed material becomes stale and can disclose phone numbers, access information, floor plans, or vendor details. The offline package should contain what responders need without including credentials, alarm codes, sensitive personal data, or unsafe technical instructions. Life safety and authority having jurisdiction take precedence over collection recovery.

Applicability questions

• Which collections or record groups receive first attention, and who approved that priority?
• Who can authorize entry, spending, vendors, movement, freezing, disposal, or disclosure?
• Where are shutoffs, supplies, protective equipment, elevators, loading points, and vulnerable storage areas?
• Which specialists and recovery vendors are reachable outside normal systems and hours?
• How will every controlled offline copy be updated, recalled, or destroyed after revision?

DSE recommendation:

Create a compact activation packet containing emergency numbers, call tree, roles and alternates, collection priorities, floor or storage orientation, safety and authority boundaries, approved vendors, insurance contact, essential supplies, and decision checklists. Reference detailed technical procedures rather than asking untrained responders to improvise conservation treatment. Exclude passwords and other access secrets.

Issue numbered copies to at least two appropriate offsite custodians and place another in a protected alternate location. Set an owner and scheduled review, plus event-driven updates for staffing, vendors, buildings, storage, and priorities. Recall old copies when possible. Exercise after hours with corporate connectivity and identity unavailable: locate the packet, contact the team, validate a vendor, identify priority records, and make a safe first-hour decision.

Verification and evidence

Keep the master version, distribution register, custodian acknowledgments, update and recall record, contact test results, exercise timeline, and corrective actions. During review, call a representative sample of numbers and confirm authority rather than only comparing names to an org chart. Evidence should demonstrate that responders can begin safely offline while a later step reconnects them to authoritative current information.

Official references

• NARA Records Emergency Preparedness and Response Toolkit