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CCAHA Disaster Mitigation Series 

DISASTER MITIGATION FOR CULTURAL COLLECTIONS
June 25 - 27, 2002

The New York Genealogical & Biographical Society
122 East 58th Street
New York, NY  10022-1939

In response to the events of September 11, many cultural institutions 
are assessing their ability to respond to an emergency.  In addition to 
large scale emergencies, institutions should also be prepared to 
respond to the danger to their collections from roof leaks, pest 
infestation, mold blooms, theft, and fire.  Disaster mitigation should 
play a role in any institution's emergency preparedness and planning 
efforts.

The Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA)'s 
Disaster Mitigation Workshop Series is designed to help institutions 
reduce the probability of emergencies they can control, and limit the 
damage to collections that results from disasters they cannot control.  
This series will provide tools for assessing an institution's 
vulnerability to disaster, evaluating fire prevention and suppression 
strategies, determining security risks, and assessing health and safety 
factors related to disaster.

The workshops are intended for staff who are involved in collections 
care activities or have responsibility for the safety of collections 
such as librarians, archivists, curators, collections managers, 
stewards of historic house museums, site and facilities managers, and 
security and safety staff. 

Although attending the entire series is not required, each workshop 
supports your institution's vulnerability assessment process and will 
strengthen its ability to minimize potential dangers to collections and 
staff.


WORKSHOPS' DESCRIPTIONS

Be Prepared... Conducting a Vulnerability Assessment
June 25, 2002
In this workshop, participants will learn how to conduct a 
vulnerability analysis and risk assessment so that they will be able to 
evaluate the types of emergencies that might affect their institution 
and its collections.  This evaluation will help institutions develop 
effective strategies to minimize the likelihood of a disaster.  The 
workshop speakers will also touch on the importance of business 
continuity for cultural institutions.  A crisis communications expert 
will address public relations strategies for emergency situations.  
Summaries of local and national responses to September 11 as they 
relate to emergency planing will be also be presented.

Speakers:
Jane Long, Director, Heritage Emergency National Task Force
Dale Gregory, Co-Chair, Museum, Library & Cultural Properties Facility 
Group of Greater New York City
Dr. Michael Trinkley, Chicora Foundation, Inc.
Dr. Michael Smith, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication, 
LaSalle University 


Be Prepared... Assessing Health and Safety Risks
June 26, 2002
This workshop will alert participants to the health and safety risks 
present at the time of an emergency, including air quality, fire 
safety, electrical hazards, structural instability, chemical and 
biological hazards (mold, lead, asbestos, contaminated water and soil), 
pests, and those hazards inherent in collections themselves (arsenic, 
formaldehyde).  The workshop will also address the psychological 
stresses faced by those in an emergency and the health and safety 
issues faced at the time of collection acquisition through 
presentations by professionals in the library and archives fields.

Speakers:
Monona Rossol, President, Arts, Crafts, and Theater Safety, Inc. (ACTS)
Pam Hackbart-Dean, Southern Labor Archivist, Georgia State University
Katherine K. Dibble, Director of Public Services, Boston Public Library


Be Prepared... Mitigating Fire and Security Risks
June 27, 2002
Critical to the selection of an appropriate fire protection and 
suppression system, and/or security system is the assessment and 
analysis of the hazards and risks faced by a collection.  This workshop 
will focus on the need to review current fire protection and security 
procedures and systems in historic and cultural institutions.  Another 
goal of the workshop will be to equip participants with up-to-date 
information to make informed decisions on fire suppression systems. 

Speakers:
Dr. Jack Watts, Director, Fire Safety Institute
Steven R. Keller, President, Steven R. Keller & Associates, Inc.


The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Institute of Museum 
and Library Services (IMLS), and Pew Charitable Trusts provided subsidy 
for these workshops.  Co-sponsors are Archivists Roundtable of 
Metropolitan New York, Museum Association of New York, New York Library 
Club, and Special Libraries Association, New York Chapter.


REGISTRATION FEE: 

                      Non-Member Fee:	CCAHA/Co-Sponsor Member Fee:
1 workshop:	             $ 60.00			$ 50.00
2 workshops:	       $120.00			$100.00
All 3 workshops:	       $170.00			$140.00


Registrations must be postmarked June 14, 2002.


STIPENDS:

Financial assistance of up to $900 will be made to defray travel, 
lodging, and registration costs for individuals who are interested in 
attending the entire series.  Consideration will be given to stipend 
requests for up to $300 (per workshop) for participation in one or two 
of the workshops, but preference will be given to participation in the 
entire series.

To be eligible, individuals must work with historic and cultural 
collections that are available to the public in non-profit institutions 
with total annual institutional operating budgets of $500,000 or less.  
Applications from more than one person at an institution will be 
considered.

Applications for stipends must be postmarked no later than Friday, May 
17, 2002.


For additional stipend information, workshop registration forms, 
information about CCAHA and its programs and services, please visit our 
Web site at http://www.ccaha.org 
or contact CCAHA's Preservation Services Office at 215.545.0613 or 
ccaha@ccaha.org
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