Preserving the Collection: Disaster Planning, Response & Recovery

While assessing and salvaging a collection from a fire or flooding situation, you may not have all the materials, time, or space available to carefully pack every object in ideal conditions. A good understanding of object handling and packing basics can provide you a solid structure to start with in a salvage situation.  The Western Australian Museum on Handling Objects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV68mgpdsCs Museum Development East Midlands on Introduction to Packing Collections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2FcDM03if4

Become a Texas Heritage Responder (THR), an affiliate of TX-CERA. During this 8-week course, participants will focus on how to prepare, respond, and recover from emergencies that threaten Texas cultural heritage institutions. This certificate program is for Texas residents and will conclude with a full-day workshop at Texas A&M University, College Station. Join Us As We Discuss: The Power of Partnerships The Incident Command System and working with Offices of Emergency Management Risk Assessment and Hazard Mitigation Health and Safety Preparation and Deployment Triage and Salvage Registration Begins: Sunday, May 1, 2022 Online Course: Monday, June 6 - Friday, July 22, 2022 In-Person Workshop: Friday, August 5, 2022 This course was made possible by the generous support of the American Institute for Conservation, Belfor Property Restoration, the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., The Project Group, and Texas A&M Universit...

  In 1990, a fire broke out at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Regina, Canada. While modern construction materials prevented massive damage to the structure, ventilation fans caused smoke to spread throughout the building. This article discusses the situation in detail, using both personnel interviews and conservation articles to discuss the salvage process and recommendations. https://cool.culturalheritage.org/jaic/articles/jaic39-01-002.html

  If you are looking to restock your emergency supplies, including higher-cost items like portable generators or storm shutters, this weekend (April 23-25) is the 2022 Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday. Visit the Texas Comptroller's website to learn what does and doesn't qualify for tax exemption.   https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/publications/98-1017.php/#skip-scroll

This document created by Nancy Kraft and hosted by the American Library Association discusses the steps that are undertaken in an emergency, as well as reflections on the steps in light of an actual response - in this case, a flooding situation at two institutions. She covers everything from gaining access to the building, keeping in contact with those making financial decisions, and working with salvage companies and volunteers. https://www.ala.org/alcts/sites/ala.org.alcts/files/content/pw/_Iowa2008FloodResponseKraftObservations.doc  

This document created by Nancy Kraft and hosted by the American Library Association provides an excellent example of a flooding situation. It's a great thinking exercise to work through on your own or with a team, taking you through the different obstacles you may experience in such a situation. https://www.ala.org/alcts/sites/ala.org.alcts/files/content/pw/_TabletopDisasterResponseExercise.docx