MayDay

2009 Participants

Click here to view images submitted by this year’s MayDay participants.

GRAND PRIZE WINNER: After two years of preparations, the staff of the Kingman Museum in Battle Creek, MI, will formally vote on a final Emergency Preparedness Plan. Once the plan is approved they will start training staff and volunteers for the event of an emergency.
FIRST PRIZE WINNER: The Elkhart County Historical Museum in Bristol, IN, will complete a multi-year plan to update collections policies and procedures, as well as a disaster plan to promote visitor and collection safety. This project includes an overhaul of the building’s security and fire suppression systems, with a recent installation of a dry sprinkler system in a new collections storage facility.
SECOND PRIZE WINNER: The Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services, in partnership with the Rhode Island State Archives, is offering free training sessions in May and June for dPlan-RI, an online template to help collections-based cultural institutions develop a disaster plan. Click here to learn more about the program.
THRID PRIZE WINNER: The Intermuseum Conservation Association (ICA), based in Cleveland, OH, reviewed a recently revised disaster plan with the entire staff. The review was followed by a walk through of the building with the facilities manager, who pointed out where water shut offs, fire extinguishers, electrical components, etc., are located.
Staff members at the Sam Rayburn House Museum in Bonham, TX, updated their Emergency Preparedness Manual, created a Pocket Response Plan (PReP), and received fire safety and extinguisher training from the Bonham Fire Department. Their day of fire safety training was chronicled here.
The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum in Palm Springs, CA, has joined forces with other historical societies and museums in the Coachella Valley area to create the Coachella Valley Emergency Preparedness Network. The network aims to establish and maintain a central repository of emergency supplies for collections response and salvage. Click here to learn more about cooperative disaster networks nationwide.
Staff at Emory University’s Michael C. Carlos Museum in Atlanta, GA, attended a meeting where they learned about the Heritage Health Index report and were introduced to their new Emergency Response Plan. The plan was drawn up by Emory University Senior Mara Thomas in collaboration with museum staff as part of a semester long internship.
The Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo, OH, participated in the May 14th Preparing for Disasters Webinar hosted by AIC and AAM. At the end of the webinar staff members made a to-do list of disaster preparedness activities.
Columbia College Chicago in Chicago, IL, has established a college-wide committee to write a cooperative disaster plan and create an in-house professional network. The group includes a museum, a study collection, the library, archives, research and exhibition centers, and security and facilities. They hope it can become a model for other institutions.
The State Library of Massachusetts in Boston, MA, held two workshops to introduce library staff to the salvage of wet materials. Images and descriptions of the events can be found here. The Library plans to continue their efforts over the next few months by focusing preservation efforts on disaster preparedness.
The Willingboro Public Library in Willingboro, NJ, entered into an agreement with a neighboring supermarket to allocate freezer space for water damaged materials in the event of a disaster.
As part of their new comprehensive disaster salvage and business continuity plan, the Indiana State Library in Indianapolis, IN, recently trained key staff members in hands on salvage techniques. The event was so successful that the library’s administration is now pushing for all staff to complete the training.
The staff at Allegheny College's Pelletier Library in Meadville, PA, has undertaken several emergency preparedness activities in the last year and now intends to update their disaster response plan.
Staff at Elizabethtown College's High Library in Elizabethtown, PA, participated in CPR/AED training.
Finlandia University's Maki Library in Hancock, MI, has prepared an exhibit featuring “Connection to Collections: A Call to Action”, which will be on display until the end of the month. Information on how to preserve family heritage will be published in their newsletter, and a conference on the topic will he held at the end of May.
In addition to other preparedness activities throughout the year, in February 2009, key staff members from Duquesne University's Gumberg Library in Pittsburgh, PA, met with the University’s new Environmental Health & Safety Director and the University insurance agent to discuss insurance issues for the library and special collections.
The City of Artesia, NM, adapted the Pocket Response Plan (PReP) to work for their municipality, and updated all of their contacts.
Following a year’s worth of disaster preparedness activities, the staff at Gettysburg College's Musselman Library in Gettysburg, PA, are hosting a Community Partnerships in Emergency Preparedness seminar on May 21st. For more information, call 717-337-7011.
To help refresh their knowledge of their disaster plan, the staff at Lycoming College's Snowden Library in Williamsport, PA, participated in a game of Disaster Jeopardy. Categories included topics such as “What’s the Plan Stan?” and “Who Ya’ Gonna Call?”
The Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest will complete work on their Pocket Response Plan (PReP).
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), in Washington DC, has created a new Records Emergency Response Card which serves as a handy emergency plan reminder and fits inside a staff ID badge holder. Year round, NARA’s Records Emergency Response Team is available 24/7 to provide access to records recovery information and help.
At a brown bag lunch for library staff on May 1st, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign presented about current research on disaster recovery from high-density book storage. The research has been conducted in collaboration with the School of Engineering, and will eventually yield a full disaster plan for preparedness, response, and recovery of materials in high-density storage.
The Beaufort District Collection, part of the Beaufort County Library in Beaufort, SC, hosted a “Disaster Preparedness and Recovery” workshop in collaboration with the South Carolina State Historical Records Advisory Board (SC SHRAB). Images from the day’s events can be found here.
The North Carolina State Archives , in Raleigh, NC, created a MayDay Web site that includes ideas and resources for disaster preparedness activities. They are also holding an all-staff meeting to refresh employee’s knowledge of their own disaster plan.
The Library of Congress in Washington, DC, has developed a disaster preparedness tool to aid cultural institutions in validating their emergency planning. You can find the tool online here. They are also hosted a webinar on May 5th entitled "Finding Funds for Preservation for Archives, Libraries and Museums"; click here to view the archived webinar.
Following a “wake up call” in the form of a leaky break room ceiling, the Bossier Parish Library Historical Center in Bossier City, LA, is using MayDay to begin work on a new disaster plan.
The conservation team at the Newberry Library in Chicago, IL, updated the 1988 Chicago Area Disaster Recovery Resource document to include current contact information and email addresses of Human Resource contacts; emergency suppliers, services and equipment; and members of the Chicago Disaster Recovery Action Team. The document has been made available to the Metropolitan Library System and the Chicago Area Conservation Group.
The staff and volunteers at the City of Virginia Beach's three historic houses will be retrained in the use of portable fire extinguishers. They will also be learning about the use of the halon fire suppression system currently installed at the Francis Land House.
On May 2, 2009, the volunteer archival staff at the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York in Syracuse, NY, hosted a preservation workshop for Parish historians, archivists, rectors, secretaries, and other interested parties. The title of the workshop was "Preservation of Parish Records: What records to preserve and how to preserve them" and participants were encouraged to bring an item to be evaluated by the archivists after the presentation.
Staff at the Roger and Peggy Madigan Library at the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, PA, identified a short list of priority collections to be rescued in the event of an emergency. The list was added to the library’s disaster plan and the collections were identified in storage with large, red, glow in the dark stickers.
With help from local volunteers, The Chagrin Falls Historical Society in Chagrin Falls, OH, has instituted a system to scan their extensive photograph collection onto CDs. The CDs are stored in a vault offsite, and the image back-up process is tracked on daily maintenance logs.
Following a major flood recovery effort, the recently reopened Isle of Wight County Museum in Smithfield, VA, is using this MayDay to reevaluate and enhance their disaster plans. The museum’s disaster and continuity plans will be updated and then reviewed by the Department of Emergency Management. In the plans, the museum’s curator will identify and label priority collections for evacuation. A new Knox Box will be installed and keyed by the local Fire Department, and extensive safety training is ongoing for all staff members.
The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA, is sending two of its members to the "Protecting Library and Archive Collections" disaster planning workshop being given by the Western States and Territories Preservation Assistance Service (WESTPAS).
The staff of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers headquarters in Washington, DC, is working to finalize their office disaster plan.
Case Western Reserve University's Kelvin Smith Library in Cleveland, OH, is holding an all-staff presentation on fire response, emergency evacuation, and crime prevention co-hosted by the Preservation Department and an officer of the Case Protective Services. This presentation will be taped for future use on the Library’s Web site. Flip charts of their current emergency procedures will be handed out at the presentation, and Emergency Response and Salvage Wheels will be distributed to all libraries on campus.
The Balboa Art Conservation Center in San Diego, CA, has updated five Guides to Emergency Preparedness Resources and posted them on their website as downloadable PDFs.
The curator at the Reverend Daniel Putnam House Museum in North Reading, MA has begun scanning and preserving a handwritten accreditation book dating from 1957-1993. CDs of the book, along with digital images and videos of the collection, will be stored offsite. Items added to the collection since 1993 are being compiled in an Excel document. The Board of Directors has also begun reviewing the aging electrical and plumbing systems in the building.
Following the success of last year’s disaster response workshop, the Portland Area Disaster Response Group and the Oregon Library Association Roundtable are offering another free workshop, this year featuring pertinent aspects of insurance coverage in planning and response. Click here to learn more.
The Archives and Library of Indiana University South Bend have put in place a policy to update their 2008 disaster plan every year on May 1st.
The Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) in Philadelphia, PA, is conducting a series of tabletop exercises designed to simulate potential dangers to people and collections. Teams of conservators, technicians, and administrators will brainstorm how to protect the materials undergoing treatment at CCAHA and how to ensure the health and safety of workers and visitors.
The Vice President for Administrative Services at The University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT, is sponsoring a MayDay luncheon focused on advances in earthquake preparedness as they impact preservation of the University's collections. The speaker for this event is noted structural engineer Dr. Laurence Reaveley, who will discuss projects such as the seismic rehabilitation of the J. Willard Marriott Library as well as identify future campus priorities.
The Anthropology Department at The Field Museum in Chicago, IL, has assembled a team to complete a final revision of its Risk Mitigation and Recovery Plan. After formally accepting the revised document, it will be distributed to all staff. A follow-up meeting will be held to increase everyone’s familiarity with the procedures.
On May 14th the American Association of Museums, in collaboration with the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, hosted a webinar entitled "Preparing for Disasters". The program covered low-cost, practical tips for emergency preparedness, a discussion of mutual aid networks, and lessons learned from the AIC-CERT teams responding to the damage from Hurricane Ike in Galveston, Texas. Click here to access the on-demand webinar.
Blue Shield Australia updated their MayDay Web site with information about recent disasters in Australia and a media kit to help others to promote the MayDay concept locally.
The Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium, Inc. (PALCI) in Pittsburgh, PA, is encouraging its members to participate in this year’s MayDay program by offering a chance to win a disaster combo from Heritage Preservation.

Click here to see who did what in 2008.

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