Western States and Territories
Preservation Assistance Service Launched
The Western States and Territories Preservation Assistance Service (WESTPAS) has been formed in cooperation with the state libraries and state archives in the Western and Pacific states. The new group will offer regional preservation field services, as well as facilitate the sharing of information among smaller institutions.
WESTPAS is funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant with additional generous funding from BELFOR USA, a disaster restoration company. It will serve eleven states and three territories in the Western and Pacific regions (Alaska, American Samoa, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming).
Many smaller libraries and archives have historical collections of books and documents that provide rich insight into the particularity of life in their locales and contribute to an overall understanding of the history of their regions. People want to maintain cultural resources in local institutions to have access to the collective memory of their ancestors.
The nationwide Heritage Health Index survey indicated that 80% of libraries and archives in the Western and Pacific regions are not prepared to respond to a disaster involving their collections. They have neither a written disaster response plan nor a staff trained to carry it out. To help address this need, WESTPAS will initially focus on providing disaster planning training in the West and Pacific regions. In addition to scheduling workshops, WESTPAS has established a 24/7 toll-free number for emergencies involving collections (888-905-7737). A Web site <www.westpas.org> is being developed with information relevant to the preservation needs of the region.
The WESTPAS project planners/trainers are Lynn Davis (U Hawaii), Normandy Helmer (U Oregon), Kristen Kern (Portland State U), Gary Menges (U Washington), Barclay Ogden (UC Berkeley), Julie Page (California Preservation Program), and Randy Silverman (U Utah).