Disaster recovery and continuity planning for digital library systems

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of disaster recovery and contingency planning for digital library systems. Design/methodology/approach Using best practices, the paper develops a context for developing business continuity and disaster recovery plans. Findings Business continuity planning and disaster recovery are important components of digital library system planning. Two out of five organizations that incur a major disaster event are unable to permanently recover, but by developing a continuity and recovery plan in advance, libraries can greatly increase the likelihood of long‐term recovery of institutional resources. Originality/value This paper will be of interest to systems developers and managers, as well as senior library management, who need to plan for unexpected organizational disruption. The paper provides a context and outline for developing a business continuity and disaster recovery plan.