Preserving the Collection: Disaster Planning, Response & Recovery

  AIC/FAIC will be hosting a webinar titled “Establishing and Maintaining Emergency Supply Caches” on September 15 at 2 PM EDT. Register here: https://learning.culturalheritage.org/products/establishing-and-maintaining-emergency-supply-caches Emergency supply caches are a great thing to have prepared during hurricane season, as the approach of Tropical Storm Ida reminds us. For the latest updates on the storm and how it may affect your area, keep your eyes on NOAA: https://www.noaa.gov/ida If your institution is affected by the storm, TX-CERA is able to help provide advice for handling water damaged collections. Give us a call at (669)237-2243 or email us at tx.cera@gmail.com.

 Does an object in your collection show signs of a fungal infestation, but can’t be removed from display? Or perhaps your conservation facility is off-site, or simply does not have the treatment space available? On page 3 of this 2010 IIC newsletter, conservators from the Islamic Arts Museum of Malaysia describe the development of the Fungus Trolley, which allows them to treat artifacts safely in the display areas. https://www.iiconservation.org/system/files/publications/journal/2010/b2010_3.pdf

  Whether it’s fire, flooding, or earthquakes, museums are leading the way in disaster mitigation: https://www.thomasnet.com/insights/how-museums-are-leading-the-way-in-natural-disaster-preparation-and-management/

 The Galveston Historical Foundation provides this short video demonstrating procedures for rescuing textiles from a flood or other water-related disaster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYIvfDpf6FY

  The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) has some excellent advice and resources for what to do before and after a storm: https://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/hurricane-resources?fbclid=IwAR3gbgrLRECGq4ryZl5ijCHcgUAkAguUaL-xatBNTGtaJKwBPAPZebmwEHw