Preserving the Collection: Disaster Planning, Response & Recovery

This infographic by the Penn Museum and the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts does a great job of summarizing the effects of moisture and temperature on artifacts.  https://ccaha.org/sites/default/files/attachments/2018-07/CCAHA_InfoGraphic_Combined_0.pdf  

  This document by the Northeast Document Conservation Center is targeted at California residents and institutions, but contains a lot of good, practical advice that can be used by anyone.   https://www.nedcc.org/assets/media/documents/CALIF%20Wildfire%20Resources_2020-10-08.pdf

  What are some of the most common hazards found in collections and what can you do about them? This quick How To Guide and the Conservation Wiki provide practical advice and plenty of resources to guide you on the best practices to identify and mitigate potential hazards.   Collections Trust How To Guide: https://collectionstrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/SHARE-Museums-East-How-To-Guide-to-Hazards-in-Museum-Collections.pdf   Conservation Wiki on hazardous collections: https://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Hazardous_Collections

This document produced by the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) in 2016 explores two goals: to establish a reproducable test protocol that could be used for future testing, and to gather information about the responses of a range of material when exposed to fire extinguisher agents. The first section describes the test procedures in detail, and the second section includes a conservator's assessment of the materials at different intervals.  Impact of Fire Extinguisher Agents on Cultural Resource Materials: https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/News-and-Research/Fire-statistics-and-reports/Suppression/RFCulturalResources.ashx

The Preservation Glossary, created by The Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) in partnership with Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia, is a fantastic resource to have on hand. It is an illustrated guide to common types of damage you may see in your collection, and common materials used in storage and display, as well as for salvage.   Preservation Glossary: https://ccaha.org/sites/default/files/attachments/2022-05/Preservation%20Glossary%20-%20Full%20Final.pdf

Mold and pest infestations are problems that can occur suddenly, as a result of a major event such as flooding or a burst pipe, or slowly enough that a large portion of your collection may be affected before you notice. These two videos by the Western Australian Museum discuss mold, infestations, and some solutions for treating these situations, with a focus on freezing. Mould: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC_xlCeNsS4 Freezing Objects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSFmC6-K5nA

While it is an older source, the Smithsonian Institution Staff Disaster Preparedness Procedures provides a great framework for how staff should protect themselves in a variety of situations. Preserving life is always a priority in a disaster. Once people are safe, then collections can be considered.   Smithsonian Institution Staff Disaster Preparedness Procedures (1993): https://www.archives.gov/preservation/emergency-prep/disaster-prep-procedures.html