Assessment and Emergency Planning
- Before Disaster Strikes: Ten Things You Need to Know (Workshop Handout)
- Heritage Preservation Risk Analysis, Risk Evaluation and Management Program: Risk evaluation tools and tips.
- California Preservation Program. Preservation needs assessment: Information on determining institutional problems and recommending strategies and actions to address those problems.
- Northeast Document Conservation Center, Preservation Leaflet 1.2: Preservation Assessment and Planning: Discusses surveys, risk analysis, and approaches to preservation.
- Northeast Document Conservation Center, Preservation Leaflet 1.4: Considerations for Prioritizing: Discusses factors in and strategies for prioritizing response by collection.
- National Park Service. NPS Museum Handbook, Chapter 10 (parts a-f): Emergency planning: Strategies for disaster preparedness and emergency planning in a museum setting.
- American Association of Museums, Fire Risk Analysis Questionnaire for Small Museums: Checklist to understand building risk, fire suppression systems, and policies.
- Conservation Online, Disaster Preparedness and Response : Lists resources for developing a disaster plan; emergency supplies, services, and experts; disaster case studies; professional organizations; and bibliographic resources.
- FEMA Online Course, Introduction to Incident Command System : This is a free online training that gives and overview of the working system Emergency First Responders will use in a disaster.
- Connecting to Collections Online Community: This is a free online community that offers resources, training sessions, and a forum to ask questions related to all topics within preservation and disaster response.
Disaster Pocket Plan
An important outcome of the 2009-2010 planning grant is for Kansas to achieve a maximum number of cultural heritage institutions completing a simple disaster pocket plan for emergency response. Please view the models below, and draft your own institution’s pocket plan.
- Pocket Plan Template
- Sample Plans
Disaster Plans
- dPlan: Online disaster-planning tool for cultural and civic institutions
- VA Museum Emergency Support Team : Information on forming a Museum Emergency Support Team (MEST) to prepare for disasters
- Northeast Document Conservation Center, Preservation Leaflet 3.4: Worksheet for outlining a disaster plan : Form with equipment, supplies, housekeeping steps, and other emergency planning issues.
- Conducting Emergency Exercises (workshop handout)
Supplies, Services, and Experts
- Disaster Mitigation Planning Assistance Database: Searchable database to locate experts, services, and supplies.
- Supplies to have on hand
- National Park Service: Directions for making an emergency cart
- Harvard Libraries: Supply checklist to respond to disasters of up to 500 books.
- Museum S.O.S.: Contents of a disaster back pack
- Experts
- American Institute for Conservation: Choosing a Conservator: Method to locate professional conservation services across the United States and abroad.
- Kansas experts
MayDay!
Every year, libraries, archives, and museums set aside May 1 to participate in MayDay, an initiative to protect our cultural heritage from disasters. Every May 1, do at least one thing to further emergency preparedness in your institution. The resources on this website will help!
