The Bay Area Mutual Aid Network is an organization dedicated to encouraging and supporting disaster preparedness and response among its member libraries. Currently, membership is comprised of those libraries that originally joined the Disaster Response Mutual Aid Pact, an outgrowth of the Bay Area Preservation Network (BAPNet) in 1998. Their 5-year mutual aid contracts expired in 2003 and BAPNet no longer exists. Because the California State Library and the California Preservation Program (CPP) is committed to facilitating disaster recovery plans in as many California libraries as possible, the CPP requested its local representative, Mary Morganti, to reactivate and expand the network.

In January 2006, the mutual aid pact was reinstituted and renamed the Bay Area Mutual Aid Network (BAMAN). The goals of BAMAN are:

1. to facilitate a network of people willing to help each other in times of local disaster with advice, support or actual recovery assistance;
2. to ensure the continuing viability of the Network; and
3. to establish and stock at least one more disaster response supplies container.

BAMAN currently owns 2 large cargo containers that are stocked with disaster recovery supplies. One container is located on the campus of Mills College in Oakland; another is in San Mateo County. Every BAMAN member has access to these supplies on an as-needs basis, as well as an up-to-date list of member libraries with contact information. Contents of a third container owned by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in San Bruno may also be made available to BAMAN members in an emergency.

Recent BAMAN events included "coffee at the container" at each of the 2 sites to allow members to see the locations, learn how to open the containers and to meet each other.

A disaster plan update workday is planned for this Fall at which members who have disaster preparedness plans can work on updating them and share information and another "container coffee" will be scheduled soon. In Spring 2007, the California Preservation Program will sponsor a 2-day Disaster Preparedness Workshop specifically for BAMAN members. Dates and further information will be posted on this website when they have been established.

BAMAN is open to and encourages new members. We would like to expand our network for mutual aid and increase the number of institutions with access to disaster response supplies. If you are interested in membership in BAMAN, please contact Mary Morganti at mmorganti@calhist.org or Bonnie Jo Cullison at bcullison@gtu.edu

Bookmark and visit this website for updated information.

Updated February 2009.