Cultural institutions take simple steps to prepare for emergencies

WASHINGTON, DC—Libraries, museums, archives, and arts and historic preservation organizations across the nation will set aside May 1, 2011, to participate in MayDay, a national effort to prepare for disasters. 

Sponsored by Heritage Preservation and other members of the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, MayDay encourages organizations to take one simple step to protect the art, artifacts, records, and historic sites they hold in trust. 

Any organization can participate in MayDay. Last year, staff at Lycoming College’s Snowden Library in Williamsport, PA, invited the college’s Director of Safety and Security to talk to staff about fire safety, the North Carolina State Archives took staff on a walk through of their vaults to review emergency response procedures, and the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest in Minneapolis, MN, created a special page on their Web site for use in case of an emergency.

Heritage Preservation is collecting examples of creative but practical measures like these to share online. Any cultural institution submitting a brief description of 2011 MayDay plans or accomplishments by May 23, 2011, will be entered in a drawing for disaster supplies donated by Gaylord Brothers. 

Heritage Preservation will also offer its award-winning Field Guide to Emergency Response and Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel at special MayDay prices from April 18 through May 31.

Visit www.heritagepreservation.org/programs/tflessons/MayDay.html for project ideas, information on prizes and the publications sale, and customized versions of the MayDay logo for publicizing this national event.
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The Society of American Archivists (SAA) created the MayDay initiative in 2006 and promoted the idea to its members and allied organizations. The following year, the Heritage Emergency National Task Force and SAA expanded the concept to include all kinds of collecting institutions and historic preservation interests. www.archivists.org

The Heritage Emergency National Task Force is making disaster preparedness and response a higher priority for cultural heritage organizations across the country. The Task Force—an initiative of Heritage Preservation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency—is a partnership of 41 national service organizations and government agencies. www.heritageemergency.org

Heritage Preservation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of the United States. By identifying risks, developing innovative programs, and providing broad public access to expert advice, Heritage Preservation assists museums, libraries, archives, historic preservation and other organizations, as well as individuals, in caring for our endangered heritage. www.heritagepreservation.org

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