Cultural Institutions Will Observe MayDay

Do One Thing for Emergency Preparedness

Archives, libraries, museums, and historic preservation organizations across America are setting aside May 1 to participate in MayDay, a national effort to protect collections from disasters.

In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma provided a wake-up call. More recently, severe storms reminded us that disaster can strike with little warning. The Heritage Health Index, released soon after the hurricanes, reported that few institutions are really prepared.

It's easy to put off disaster planning, but you can take one simple step to prepare for disaster this MayDay. Here are some ideas from the Heritage Emergency National Task Force:

If you have a disaster plan, dust it off and bring it up to date.
If you don't have a plan, make a timeline for developing one.
Get to know your local firefighters and police. Invite them to tour your institution and give pointers on safety and preparedness. A poster outlining tips for working with emergency responders (www.heritagepreservation.org/catalog/) is available from the Task Force.
Identify the three biggest risks to your collection or building (such as leaking water pipe, heavy snow, or power failure) and outline steps to mitigate them.
Conduct a building evacuation drill and evaluate the results.
Update your staff contact information and create a wallet-size version of your emergency contact roster. See the Pocket Response Plan^TM (PReP^TM) at www.statearchivists.org/prepare/framework/prep.htm.
Eliminate hazards such as storage in hallways, blocked fire exits, or improper storage of paints or solvents.
Provide staff with easily accessible disaster response information, such as www.heritageemergency.org.
Join forces with nearby institutions and agree to assist each other in case of a disaster.
Establish a method of identifying objects that are most important to your mission, irreplaceable, or most fragile, making evacuation simpler when disaster hits.
Register for a free course to learn how your institution fits into existing emergency response protocols. A list is available at www.heritagepreservation.org/lessons/courses.html.

Any organization can participate in MayDay. Last year, the registrar of the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel, Mississippi, wrote an article about the museum’s emergency preparedness activities for the local newspaper. She included readiness tips for the homeowner and tied it all into the MayDay message (http://livefromlrma.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html).

Let Heritage Preservation know what you do for MayDay this year by e-mailing taskforce@heritagepreservation.org. You’ll receive a free Working with Emergency Responders:Tips for Cultural Institutions poster. Heritage Preservation is offering its popular Field Guide to Emergency Response and Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel at special MayDay sale prices from April 15 to May 31.

You can make a difference—help save our heritage!

The Society of American Archivists (SAA) created the MayDay initiative in 2006 and promoted the idea to its members and allied organizations. Last year, the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, with SAA’s help, expanded the concept to include all kinds of collecting institutions and historic preservation interests.

Five variations of the MayDay logo are available electronically in both PDF and JPEG formats here. Use the logos to enhance coverage of MayDay on your Web site and in your newsletters.

For a copy of the press release, click here (Microsoft Word® document).