It’s tiiiiimeee... for Preservation Week (almost)! And finally, it is once again my turn to design a BDC Monthly Display. For this year’s display, I decided to do something a little bit different. In 2024, I did a broad overview of preservation and many of its cultural heritage applications. In 2025, I discussed the “process of [archival] processing,” the core of my work here in the BDC. This time, I’m diving into emergency planning and response in archives and other cultural heritage institutions.
Why this topic? Well, if you’ve been in Beaufort for more than a few months, you’d know that the majority of our calendar year is “Hurricane Season.” Hurricanes bring wind, rain, tornadoes, lightning (sometimes even fires in the aftermath), which is all “no bueno” for priceless artifacts. We also live along a suspiciously dormant faultline, and Grace swears the next big one is not too far away! All sorts of other emergency scenarios could happen at any moment, so it is always good to expect the worst and to plan on how to come out of any disaster with your collections as unscathed as possible.
I’ve long been interested in emergency preparation for historical sites and collections. I’ve read up on the subject, looked at emergency plans from other institutions, and attended webinars hosted by experts in the field for quite a few years now. Earlier this year, I was given the opportunity to attend NNLM Region 2 and NEDCC’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Workshop at the MUSC Libraries in Charleston. So, in this display and accompanying post, I’ll be sharing some helpful resources as well as the key elements that I’ve learned.
Creating an emergency preparedness plan is often the first step for preparing for an emergency. In the Lowcountry, having a plan for evacuating during a hurricane is critical; every year I’m asked by my supervisor where I plan to go, who I will be going with, and how to contact me if an evacuation is ordered. Having a plan like this, but for a wider range of disaster scenarios is just as important for the safety of historical resources. If you don’t know where you’re going, what you will potentially be encountering, or who to contact in an emergency, how do you know what supplies you will need, how to communicate an issue, or how to otherwise keep everyone and everything safe? I've said it before and I’ll say it again: Prevention and preservation are much easier (and cheaper) than remediation and restoration!
On this first shelf of my display, I chose two resources that help to explain emergency planning for archives, museums, and other cultural heritage keepers. One such resource is Museum Handbook: Part 1 – Museum Collections Chapters by the National Park Service [2007], available in physical form in the BDC as well as for free online. The handbook is designed to guide NPS workers in managing collections, but really any cultural heritage keeper could benefit from reading it by adapting the material to fit their institutions policies. The goals of Chapter 10: Emergency Planning, and emergency plans in general, are to:
“1. Identify, anticipate, and avoid preventable emergencies. 2: Mitigate damage when an emergency occurs so that disaster is avoided or minimized. 3. Recover from disasters as quickly and professionally as possible so that no human life is lost and minimal collection damage and loss occurs.” (p.10:1)
This chapter helps to answer questions like “How are my collections vulnerable to disasters?” and “Where do I start to prepare my institution for an emergency?” The appendix at the end of the chapter features multiple planning worksheets that institutions can fill out to assess their risks and begin making an emergency plan.
Studio protector: the artist's guide to emergencies by Cert+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund) [2009] is a similar planning resource for artists. It outlines how to prepare your studio space for disasters, create back-ups of important documents or artworks, and review your insurance to ensure you’re covered.
Preservation of Library & Archival Materials: A Manual by NEDCC [1999] also has information on developing emergency plans but for all sorts of cultural heritage keepers. This manual is a consolidated version of their Preservation Leaflets, which are also available for free online. While this book is from 1999, many of the digital versions have been updated recently, and many more leaflets have been published on their site as well. Twelve of their leaflets are on the topic of emergency management. I would recommend reviewing Preservation Leaflet 03-03 Emergency Planning for a run-down on what to include in an emergency plan. Preservation Leaflet 03-04 Worksheet for Outlining an Emergency Response Plan provides similar information, but in a fillable format so you can begin creating your own emergency plan for your institution. NEDCC also has great leaflets on wet and mold salvage procedures, which leads me to the next section of my display!
The real test of an emergency plan, and of your mettle, comes when you are in the thick of a disaster. Hopefully, if you have a good plan, you will know how best to respond to an emergency. But there are also great resources if you don’t have a plan, or that can help guide you as you follow your plan. Field Guide to Emergency Response by Heritage Preservation [2006] does what it says on the tin – it guides readers through responding to different emergency scenarios, whether or not a plan is already in place for your institution. Field Guide walks you through the most important things to address in an emergency, what to expect in regard to the condition of the area or collections, and how to communicate with responders and the community. It also briefly describes some salvage procedures for different types of damage on collection materials.
Now is a good time to pause and explain salvage. Merriam Webster defines salvage as “the act of saving or rescuing property in danger (as from fire).” I understand it as first aid for objects instead of people. Salvaging materials in a disaster is not usually as simple as picking something up from a puddle of water and letting it dry for a day or so, just like first aid in an emergency is not usually as easy as just putting a band-aid on a scrape. If you’ve read Susan Orlean’s The Library Book, you know that salvage is a concerted effort that takes hard work and requires a lot of time, resources, and space (which can be scarce when a large-scale disaster, like a hurricane, has occurred). Because of that, most institutions have “salvage priorities,” a list of a dozen-or-so items or collections that emergency responders, staff, and volunteers will try to save first. While everything in our collections is of upmost importance and value, some things are so rare that they cannot be replaced if they are damaged, so having salvage priorities helps to clearly direct efforts to those materials in situations when not everything can be saved.
So, what happens when a collection of photographs and papers are saved from a fire, but the material is covered in soot? What about when the roof comes off a museum in a hurricane, and the paintings and objects on display are soaking wet? Or what about when a burst pipe in the archives during a summer holiday weekend caused materials to get wet and grow mold? I’m so glad y’all asked!
Each scenario mentioned above requires a different response and salvage procedure. They way we treat soot-laden photographs is different than the way we treat wet paintings, which is different from the way we handle and treat moldy papers. Even the way we treat wet books, photographs, and papers is different! To help salvagers in their efforts, many organizations have put together salvage guides, like the NEDCC leaflets I mentioned earlier. The BDC also has a copy of Emergency response and salvage wheel by Heritage Preservation [2005] that concisely describes salvage procedures for wet heritage materials in different formats. Studio protector: the artist's guide to emergencies by Cert+, which I mentioned earlier, also has pull-out pamphlets titles “Clean-up,” “Salvage,” and “e-Salvage” which walk your through how to approach a clean-up effort in your space and how best to salvage both physical and digital media.
Some organizations also offer free services to institutions in need. NEDCC hosts a free emergency hotline “for advice about rescuing cultural heritage materials....” On Shelf 2, you can see the NEDCC hotline magnet that I normally have stuck to my desk.
On Shelf 3, I arranged a variety of tools and supplies that we keep on hand in the BDC for potential salvage efforts. These include:
- Goggles, gloves, and a mask – Human safety is most important! These supplies keep salvage workers safe from contaminates and biohazards.
- Document cleaning pads – These sponges are less abrasive than normal sponges and can help clear soot and dirt from soiled documents.
- Microspatulas and Mylar sheets – These tools can help us pick up delicate paper and photos from puddles of water with minimal damage.
- Unprinted newspaper – This paper is safe to use to absorb water from materials. We can lay documents on it to dry or interleave sheets of unprinted newspaper in damp books to wick-up moisture.
That’s a lot of information, and much of it is jargony and not relevant to the caretakers of personal, family collections. So, what’s the best way for non-professional, family heritage collectors to prepare for emergencies?
First, create a general emergency preparedness plan and an emergency kit. In the BDC, we have a (admittedly outdated) “Pocket Guide to Emergency Preparedness” created by SC Prepares. It outlines in a single, double-sided sheet how to plan and respond to all sorts of disasters. Nowadays, we can get this same information quickly online – you just need to follow official, informed sources for the most accurate and timely information. I would recommend that SC residents take a look at SCEMD’s website. They have a “Prepare” section full of facts on potential natural and man-made disasters, resources and organizations to follow for more in-depth reading, as well as toolkits for making your own plans as a family. They also have free publications on hurricane, earthquake, and winter weather preparation. FEMA’s Ready.gov is a similar site with resources relevant to people across the nation.
Once you’ve got a plan set in place, take a look at The Georgia Archives "Essential Records for Families" brochure. This lists the types of records of greatest value and of most importance during an emergency, then provides tips for protecting them. Most of these are legal documents, but they do discuss “Irreplaceable records” like historical documents and photos. I’d also recommend reading Gaylord Archival’s article, “Keeping Items Safe When Disaster Strikes,” which outlines how to store your heirlooms.
When it comes to responding to emergencies as a non-professional, you’re a bit more limited, as it’s best to leave conservation work to trained professionals. However, there are a few guides on how to respond and care for damaged items in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Caring for Your Family Treasures: Heritage Preservation (2000) by Jane S. and Richard W. Long, is a handy primer for long-term care for your personal artifacts that I’ve recommended on this blog before. Its section on “Security and Insurance” also offers advice on salvaging water-damaged heirlooms. If you can’t get your hands on a copy of Caring for Your Family Treasures in time to respond to a crisis, the National Archives and Records Administration has a free guide online on Emergency Salvage of Flood Damaged Family Papers. The Gaylord Archival article I linked to above also has resources on how to respond to water and fire damage within personal collections.
