REALM Project

Crisis management planning: Northwest Indian College Lummi Library

Near the saltwater shores of Lummi Bay sits the Northwest Indian College (NWIC), on the Lummi Nation in Washington state. As “the only accredited tribal college serving the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho,” NWIC includes six distance learning sites—Tulalip, Swinomish, Nisqually, Nez Perce, Nisqually, Muckleshoot, and Port Gamble campuses—and has grown from a small aquacultural training school to a four-year college with a mandate to “serve Native people throughout the Northwest.” In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the college was further accredited to conduct classes online. 

Lummi Library, located on the NWIC campus, began as an academic library and, through tribal resolution, became the public library for the community. This institution serves a multifaceted role for its various communities—the Lummi tribal members, the NWIC students, faculty, and staff, and the Native communities that run each distance learning site.

The library building is wide and low, constructed in cedar and glass, with doors that open into a warm, yellow-wood interior. Vibrant Native artwork, such as carved wood sculptures, photographs, artifacts, and more are immediately visible, as are rows of shelving that house both Pacific Northwest Native American materials and more mainstream materials. A computer room off to one side offers terminals with reliable, broadband internet—an essential resource for the community. Two more standing computer stations are at the back of the library. Two alcoves sit on opposite sides of the library, one with big plush animals, books for young children, and an alphabet rug; the other has bean bags and teen materials. Lummi Library also enjoys the distinction of being the home of the personal library of the late Vine Deloria, Jr., a respected elder, author, and activist of the Standing Rock Sioux, kept in a separate room for the use of scholars and the public. 

The library offers programs both in and out of the building, including a Native-inspired and designed role-playing event called Coyote and Crow, which takes place weekly at the library. Instructors can also arrange to have a librarian come to their class to provide research and reference assistance. Additionally, Lummi Library is part of Whatcom Libraries Collaborate, along with other public and academic libraries in the area, which enables the library to maintain its specialized collection and still provide patrons with access to the materials they want. Materials borrowed at one library can be returned to any other. Interlibrary loans also support student and faculty needs.

 

Crisis management

Over the last few years, both the college and the library have experienced various challenges and crises. The COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected the Lummi tribal community, due to long-standing mistrust and concern around government medical interventions. Moreover, while the college is actively working to encourage students and faculty to return to campus, compared to other institutions in the area, in-person attendance on campus remains low. The college and library also face other issues and concerns that pre-date the pandemic and continue to require some innovation and preparation on the part of the administration.

In a conversation with Valerie McBeth, Lummi Library Director, Samantha Jefferson, NWIC Safety Coordinator, and Dave Oreiro, Vice President for Administration and Facilities, they talked about how the library and the college prepare for and handle various crises and emergencies. What emerged from the discussion was a spirit of proactivity and care for the various communities served by these institutions.

Dave Oreiro shared that the college’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) was developed using the Lummi Nation’s CEMP; the college’s transition to remote work was guided by information from Iļisaġvik College in Alaska, also a tribal college. Dave said he views the CEMP as a living document, and part of how he works to keep it current and updated is to envision the various crises and disasters that could impact the campus and larger community, and then develop a plan to handle those crises.

From the plan: “The overall objective is to effectively respond to events in a safe and efficient manner and manage the process of restoring college programs and services in a timely manner. This plan provides the structure, key responsibilities, assignments, and general procedures to follow during and immediately after a disruptive event. The college has established this plan to address the immediate requirements for an event in which normal operations are interrupted and special measures must be taken to:

• Save and protect the lives of the students, residents, visitors, employees, and the public studying, living and working in college facilities and properties.
• Manage immediate communications and information regarding response operations and safety.
• Provide necessary assistance to special needs individuals during and after emergent situations.
• Provide essential services and operations.
• Provide and analyze information to support decision-making and action plans.
• Manage college resources effectively in the emergency response.”

The CEMP outlines responsibilities regarding decision-making during crises and emergencies, as well as the importance of coordinating with federal and tribal authorities. It also enumerates the methods for communication with students, faculty, and staff regarding pertinent information in the event of a crisis or emergency.

Samantha Jones also shared the various ways in which she, in her role as Safety Coordinator, manages the various buildings on campus. Designated building managers are responsible for helping in case of a drill or live event, and she provides them with CPR and first-aid training, FEMA emergency management training, Narcan training, and more, so that they are ready and prepared to step in when needed. Additionally, each building has safety kits that are checked and stocked regularly to make sure the building managers have what they need.

While the library adheres to campus-wide policies, such as the CEMP, the library staff also implement additional procedures, to be able to keep staff and patrons safe. At one point, the college identified a widespread problem regarding substance use in campus restrooms and temporarily locked them to resolve the issue, issuing keys to staff. Once the college felt the problem had subsided, they decided to reopen the restrooms. However, the library decided to keep their own restrooms locked, having seen continued substance use in the library and wanting to continue using this deterrent. Patrons need to ask at the desk to gain access to the restrooms. Furthermore, library staff identified the computer lab as both a source of drug sales and a site for drug use, at times resulting in overdoses. As a result, a policy was implemented that prohibits sleeping in the lab, with posted signs to communicate this. Security cameras and windows were installed to try and to curb this activity as well.

Lummi Library has also been a place where people can come when it’s particularly cold or hot outside; while this hasn’t been widely advertised, it’s understood that people know they can take advantage of the facility to take care of themselves in the event of extreme weather. Being only a ten-year old building, the library has not yet had to deal with structural issues. On the other hand, being located in a seismically active part of the country, the library has bolted the shelves to the floor to protect patrons and staff in the event of an earthquake. In these and other ways, the library has taken steps to be aware of and responsive to the needs of the communities they serve.

The library’s front desk offers paper brochures with a variety of information for the Lummi campus, including the College’s Emergency preparedness & response brochure. With both general and specific information related to weather-related closures, lockdown procedures, as well as security-related resources through phone numbers, emails, and radio stations, the brochure offers patrons a way to stay in touch with the campus in the event of an emergent crisis.

Finally, Valerie talked about succession planning and preparing for the next generation of leaders, as she prepares for retirement after a rich tenure. She says, “I don’t want things to fall apart just because nobody remembers what I remember.” To that end, she is compiling a document that outlines how the work of this unique library is done. Valerie sees a bright future for the library, as the staff continue to find ways to build connections with their communities and find innovative ways to meet their needs and priorities.

For more information, visit the college’s Emergency Management Information on their website.  

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Build relationships with your community(ies). For this kind of library that serves a variety of kinds of communities, it’s important to build connections and trust. Valerie shared that libraries are not an Indigenous institution, and the library can represent White man’s education, which has been greatly harmful to Native communities. As Valerie said, “You have to overcome that perception, and it can be really hard with all of the accompanying challenges and barriers and everything.”
2. Build relationships across campus. Valerie, Samantha, and Dave know and communicate with one another to stay informed. In this way, the library is a vital part of the campus community.
3. Don’t be afraid to take the steps needed to maintain safety and security in your library. Valerie worked with her staff to develop and implement the computer lab policy and others because she saw situations that she knew how to handle, based on her wealth of knowledge and experience. If you are newer to your position, you may want to try things out to see what works in your particular situation.
4. Reach out to the broader library community to learn from their efforts. NWIC drew from Lummi Nation’s CEMP and online learning procedures from Iļisaġvik College, because they recognized the relevance and usefulness of building on what’s already been done. 

Other examples

Read other examples of how libraries, archives, and museums are approaching crisis management and planning for disasters.

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