Workshop on disasters

CCAHA's Disaster Mitigation for Cultural Collections
San Francisco, CA
April 19-21, 2004

Collecting institutions have a responsibility to ensure that their
collections are preserved for future generations.  The importance of
this mission can sometimes get lost in the shuffle of day-to-day
tasks.  However, an unanticipated disaster can quickly remind us how
vulnerable these collections are to damage.

Disaster planning prepares institutions to respond quickly to
emergencies.  Disaster mitigation, or the ability to identify risks
and halt some emergencies from happening, should always play a key
role in an institution's emergency preparedness and planning effort.
In addition to large scale emergencies, institutions should also be
aware of the danger to their collections from roof leaks, pest
infestation, mold blooms, theft, and fire.

The Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifact's disaster
mitigation workshop series will provide tools for assessing an
institution's vulnerability to disaster; evaluating fire prevention,
detection, and suppression strategies; determining security risks;
and assessing health and safety factors related to disaster.

The workshops are intended for staff who are involved in collections
care activities or have responsibility for the safety of
collections.  They are appropriate for librarians, archivists,
curators, collections managers, stewards of historic house museums,
site and facilities managers, and security and safety staff.

Each workshop will cover a significantly different topic applicable
to most collecting institutions.  Individually, the workshops will
provide valuable information, but the full value of the series will
be best obtained by attending all three workshops.  Through their
examination of key issues, these workshops work together to offer a
framework for the development of effective and comprehensive
disaster mitigation strategies.

The National Endowment for the Humanities and the California
Preservation Program have provided subsidies for this workshop.  The
sponsors of this series are the Conservation Center for Art and
Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) and the California Preservation Program
(CPP).

Workshops' Descriptions:

Assessing Vulnerability and Identifying Risks
April 19, 2004

    In this workshop, participants will learn how to conduct a
    vulnerability analysis and risk assessment to evaluate the types
    of emergencies that might affect their institution and its
    collections.  This evaluation will help institutions develop
    effective strategies to minimize the likelihood of a disaster.
    A crisis communications expert will address public relations
    strategies for emergency situations.

    Speakers:

        Julie Page
        Preservation Librarian
        University of California, San Diego and
        AIC/FAIC Emergency Response for Cultural Institutions
        Trainer

        Dr. Michael Smith
        Assistant Professor
        Department of Communication
        LaSalle University

Fire Safety, Detection, and Suppression
April 20, 2004

    The assessment and analysis of the hazards and risks faced by an
    institution are critical to the selection of an appropriate fire
    protection and suppression system.  This workshop will focus on
    the need to review current fire protection procedures and
    systems in historic and cultural institutions.  The workshop
    will equip participants with the up-to-date information needed
    to make informed decisions about fire suppression systems.

    Speakers:

        Dr. Jack Watts
        Director, Fire Safety Institute

        Nicholas Artim
        Director, Fire Safety Network

Understanding Health, Safety and Security Risks
April 21, 2004

    This workshop will alert participants to the health and safety
    risks present at the time of an emergency, including air
    quality, fire safety, electrical hazards, structural
    instability, chemical and biological hazards (mold, lead,
    asbestos, contaminated water and soil), pests, and those hazards
    inherent in collections themselves (arsenic, formaldehyde).
    Cultural institutions also face risks to their staff and
    collections if they do not have the proper security procedures
    and systems in place.  The workshop will provide participants
    with tools to evaluate their security risks.

    Speakers:

    Monona Rossol
    President, Arts, Crafts, and Theater Safety, Inc. (ACTS)

    Wilbur C. Faulk
    Executive Vice President, Cultural Property Protection Division,
    Contemporary Services Corporation

Workshops Time and Location:

    8:30am      Registration and Coffee
    9am-4:30pm  Workshop

    San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
    Wattis Theater
    151 Third Street
    (between Mission and Howard Street)
    San Francisco, CA
    <URL:http://www.sfmoma.org>

Registration Fee:

    1 workshop:         $ 90.00
    2 workshops:        $170.00
    All 3 workshops     $240.00

Registrations must be postmarked April 5, 2004.

For additional information, workshop registration forms, information
about CCAHA and its programs and services, please visit
<URL:http://www.ccaha.org> or contact CCAHA's Preservation Services
Office at 215.545.0613 or ccaha [at] ccaha__org

Located in Philadelphia, the Conservation Center for Art and
Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) is a non-profit regional conservation
laboratory that serves the Mid-Atlantic area's museums, libraries
and historic sites, as well as corporations and private individuals.
CCAHA specializes in the treatment of works of art and artifacts on
paper, such as prints, maps, posters, historic wallpaper,
photographs, rare books, scrapbooks, manuscripts, parchment, and
papyrus.  The Conservation Center also offers on-site consultation
services, educational programs and seminars, internships, and
emergency conservation services.

The California Preservation Program (CPP), an initiative of the
California State Library, is supported by IMLS through LSTA funding.
The mission of the program is to assist information agencies of all
types and sizes with: identifying and preserving important archival
and library materials in California to ensure continuing public
access; developing and providing a broad program of education and
training in preservation; developing and implementing preservation
programs; and promoting cooperative and coordinated statewide
preservation efforts.  The CPP supports the California Preservation
Clearinghouse (cpc.stanford.edu), an online information resource for
the staff of libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions.


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 17:50
                 Distributed: Tuesday, January 20, 2004
                       Message Id: cdl-17-50-025
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