Citation of the Society of American Archivists Preservation Publication Award for the Field Guide to Emergency Response
by Steve Dalton, Chair of the Award Committee
Established in 1993, SAA’s Preservation Publication Award “recognizes the author(s) or editor(s) of an outstanding published work related to archives preservation, and through this acknowledgement, encourages outstanding achievement by others.” In short, recipients of this prestigious award serve as an inspiration to our profession and, hopefully, beyond. Such is surely the case today.
In 2006, for example, our recipient’s publication was honored with a “First Place” media award from the International Association of Emergency Managers. Widely acclaimed in the cultural community, the publication even drew the attention of a very prominent politician. Upon receiving a copy, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi commented: “There are countless cultural institutions and historical sites that will benefit from the useful knowledge contained in this book.”
The publication we herald today is remarkable for its practicality and user-friendly design. It is the progeny of preservation and conservation professionals, who sought to provide straightforward, authoritative instructions about the steps to take in the first few hours after a disaster. They achieved that goal.
The publication and companion DVD, whose development was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, are an outstanding resource that fills an important need in the literature of the archival community.
As Chair of the Award committee, it is my distinct privilege to present the Preservation Publication Award for 2006 to Heritage Preservation for its outstanding Field Guide to Emergency Response.