Hi Cathy – Here in Connecticut a number of us are using it.  We have an excellent program called “Conservation ConneCTion” which is Connecticut's response to the Connecting to Collections initiative funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.  Conservation ConneCTion is partnering with NEDCC to offer a series of workshops on disaster planning and the use of dPlan. 

 

All those participating in the program are starting in dPlan lite, which I find excellent!  I’m consulting with a site which has 4 separate historic structures and once I complete the plan for the main site, with assistance from NEDCC, I will be able to clone it for the other buildings, changing what needs to be changed. 

 

NOTE:  dPlan address collections disaster planning and recovery ONLY.  For my client, they had an excellent emergency plan for life safety issues (i.e. dealing with school groups & visitors), but it did not address collections emergencies.  If you don’t have an emergency plan for your visitors, you’ll need to do that planning outside of dPlan.

 

The great thing about dPlan is that it is an online template which insures several key things

 

1)     You can access the information from anywhere (I’ve been working on it even when snowed in at home).

2)     If you have multiple sites, you can clone it and only change those areas that are unique to each site, such as shut off valve location, etc.

3)     Because it has been professionally written, it includes a number of things you might not think of – I know it did for me.

 

Also, if staff doesn’t have expertise in disaster planning, that’s ok if you plug into dPlan – there is so much good information contained in dPlan, it directs you to gather the information you need!  I would suggest calling and speaking with Donia Conn about it – feel free to tell her I suggested you call.

 

As for security concerns, there really isn’t much data in the plan that I would consider sensitive – really only the salvage priorities.  But even that is couched in such terms that I don’t consider it a big security concern.  And PLEASE don’t use that as an excuse for not doing the disaster plan…don’t put off the planning - this is a critical step for your institution!  Good luck!

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Cathy Osterman [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, January 17, 2011 11:30 AM
Subject: d-Plan for Disaster Planning

 

Hi all,
 
Does anyone have experience using the d-Plan from Northeast Document Conservation Center for creating their own disaster plan? An historic site in town was researching disaster plan templates and came across the d-Plan. What are the pros and cons to using it? Are there security concerns with having your information stored remotely on the web? Any thoughts or comments on it would be helpful. I will pass them along to the site. Thank you!  
 
 
Cathy Osterman
Curator of Collections
CFD Old West Museum
Cheyenne, WY