Preserving the Collection: Disaster Planning, Response & Recovery

  These articles discuss how archives, libraries, and museums prepare for, and deal with, storm damage.  Eye of the Storm: How Do Museums Prepare for Hurricanes during a Pandemic? https://www.aam-us.org/2020/09/23/eye-of-the-storm-how-do-museums-prepare-for-hurricanes-during-a-pandemic/   How does art survive a hurricane? Behind the measures Florida museums are taking to withstand extreme weather: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/12/07/how-does-art-survive-a-hurricane-behind-the-measures-florida-museums-are-taking-to-withstand-extreme-weather   Sustaining Places - Environmental Disasters: https://sustainingplaces.com/natural-disasters/

  Meteorologists predict that the 2024 season will be more severe than normal. Be sure to protect not only your collection, but yourself! Be sure to review these hurricane safety resources from:  The National Weather Service: https://www.weather.gov/safety/hurricane   The American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/hurricane.html

The tools and materials you may have in your on-site emergency kit will vary depending on your location, the biggest risks to your collection, and the type of materials in your collection. In this video hosted by Alaska Libraries Archives Museums, Rebecca Kennedy discusses types of kits, general supplies, resources, and trainings to help you make your own emergency kit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4n1N98sqCI

  It's Mayday! This is a day promoted by AIC and FAIC to set aside a little time to focus on emergency preparedness activities. Updating your disaster plan, performing or planning drills, or identifying the three biggest risks to your collection are all great activities to undertake today. No preparation activity is too small!   https://www.culturalheritage.org/resources/emergencies/mayday 

  The Greener Solvents Project started by Sustainability in Conservation (SiC) aims to examine organic solvent use in practice and to evaluate their environmental and personal impacts. If you use solvents in your practice, consider filling out their survey (5-10 minutes), which is the first step in examining solvent use in conservation around the world. This site has a handbook up with several articles about solvents, and will also feature open-access research results and conference information.   https://siconserve.wpengine.com/greener-solvents/greener-solvents-project-overview/

  This Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Plan (CHSP) by France's Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musees is such a handy guide for emergency plans, TX-CERA recently added it to our website. In addition to tips for emergency plan writing and drills, it also features a great list of equipment for various purposes (including PPE, processing, and drying) and a list of other great resources. https://c2rmf.fr/sites/c2rmf/files/documents/CULTURAL_HERITAGE_SAFEGUARDING_PLAN_2024.pdf?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block  

  This publication by ICOMOS and ICCROM communicates over-arching themes for recovering from catastrophes (both natural disasters like fire and earthquakes, and manmade, like war or climate change). Each section contains general framework, and provides resources that give more specific guidance. Guidance on Post-Disaster and Post-Conflict Recovery and Reconstruction for Heritage Places of Cultural Significance and World Heritage Cultural Properties: https://www.iccrom.org/publication/guidance-post-disaster-and-post-conflict-recovery-and-reconstruction-heritage-places