Cultural Heritage Disaster Response
Helping small institutions save treasured collections
Useful Links and Resources
Organizations and Institutions to Know:
American Institution for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works resource page: A membership organization devoted to the preservation of cultural heritage, the AIC has compiled a series of guides to caring for special objects, responding to a disaster, and selecting a conservator.
American Library Association resource page: Selecting as its mission a dedication to advocacy for libraries, librarians, education, and information access, the ALA offers resources focusing primarily on preparedness in planning for a cultural heritage disaster.
The National Institute for Conservation: With a focus on conservation, preparation, and education, Heritage Preservation offers free downloadable publications.
Library of Congress: The Preservation Directorate at the Library of Congress offers best practice guidelines for collection care and emergency preparedness.
Image Permanence Institute (IPI) Graphic Atlas Identification page: The Image Permanence Institute (IPI) is a recognized world leader in the development and deployment of sustainable practices for the preservation of images and cultural property. IPI's publication, Graphic Atlas, is a new online resource that brings sophisticated print identification and characteristic exploration tools to archivists, curators, historians, collectors, conservators, educators, and the general public.
Ethical Considerations:
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions: IFLA provides a series of guidelines to ensure that consistent ethical principles are maintained by information workers and custodians of cultural artifacts.
Association for Library and Information Science Education: ALISE is a nonprofit organization committed to the promotions of ethics within the library and information field.
Health and Safety Concerns:
American Institution for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works resource page: Resource Page has a list of professional conservation contacts compiled by the AIC.
National Fire Protection Association: The NFPA provides information on fire hazards and emergency preparedness.
Problems to Look Out for:
Cornell Library: Information on the most common problem plaguing collections after a water or fire disaster. How to safely detect, prevent, and treat mold growth.
Cornell Library: Constituting a disaster on its own, pest infestation can be indicative of a vulnerable environment for libraries and special collections. Cornell offers information on identifying and deterring pests.
Interesting Blogs to Watch: (Learn from the first-hand experience of institutions which have experienced a disaster.)
Library of Congress: The Signal
Duke University: Preservation Underground
University of California, Los Angeles: Preservation
Where to Order Conservation Supplies: (These specialty companies offer everything needed to handle a disaster. See our Materials List for essentials and low-cost alternatives.)
eSafety Supplies: Offers cheap alternatives for the general supplies (latex gloves, goggles, first aid kit, etc.)
Northern Safety and Industrial: Various types of masks and respirators can be purchased here