This document provides a context for emergency planning, response and recovery for all types of an archive, library or museum collections in light of other existing plans. It provides responders and other stakeholders with an outline for planning, responding and recovering. This document does not address the causes of a critical event, but the consequences and wider impacts. This document outlines a cycle for developing, exercising and reviewing a plan, and how to present a plan. It aims to encourage responders to develop their capabilities in emergency preparedness and touches on some elements of response and recovery, where relevant, by highlighting indicators of good practice.

It is not intended to be an operations manual as there is no single approach that meets the needs of every site, nor is there one single set of organizational arrangements that is appropriate to each and every type of emergency.