Online course on disaster planning

MS205/6: Disaster Plan Research and Writing
Instructor: Terri Schindel
Dates:  October 29 through December 7, 2007
Price: $425
Location: <URL:http://www.museumclasses.org>

Description: Every museum needs to be prepared for fires, floods,
chemical spills, tornadoes, hurricanes and other disasters. But
surveys show 80 percent lack trained staff, emergency-preparedness
plans for their collections, or both. Disaster Plan Research and
Writing begins with the creation of disaster-preparedness teams, the
importance of ongoing planning, employee safety, board participation
and insurance. Participants will learn everything they need to draft
their own disaster-preparedness plans. They also will be required to
incorporate colleagues in team-building exercises.

A written disaster-preparedness plan is not only a good idea, it's
also a requirement for accreditation. In the second half of the
course, instructor Terri Schindel reviews and provides input as
participants write plans that outline the procedures to follow in
various emergencies. The completed plan prepares museums physically
and mentally to handle emergencies that can harm vulnerable and
irreplaceable collections. You will have a completed institutional
disaster-preparedness and response plan at the end of the course.

Course Outline:

    Introduction to Disaster Planning
    Disaster Team
    Risk Assessment and Management
    Health and Safety
    Insurance
    Documentation
    Prioritizing Collections
    Writing the Disaster Preparedness Plan
    Emergency Procedures
    Disaster Response
    Emergency Procedures  Recovery
    Emergency Procedures  Salvage
    Emergency Procedures--Salvage Techniques and Guidelines
    Emergency supplies and location of regional resources
    Appendices:  What to put in them
    Next steps: planning drills and further resources
    Conclusion

Logistics: Participants in Disaster Plan Research and Writing work
at their own pace. Instructor Terri Schindel is available at
scheduled times for email support. Opportunities for interaction
include forums and scheduled online chats. Each section includes a
written assignment that becomes support material for drafting an
actual disaster preparedness plan. Materials include readings,
lecture notes, links to relevant web sites and handouts. The course
is limited to 20 participants.

Required Textbook: Disaster Plan Research and Writing uses the
required textbook Steal This Handbook! A Template for Creating a
Museum's Emergency Preparedness Plan, which is available for
purchase at <URL:http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html>.

Disaster Plan Research and Writing lasts six weeks. Please sign up
at <URL:http://www.museumclasses.org> and pay for the course at
<URL:http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html>.  If you have
trouble with either, please contact Helen Alten at
helen [at] collectioncare__org.

The Instructor: Terri Schindel graduated from the Courtauld Art
Institute, University of London with a concentration in textile
conservation. She has assisted small and medium sized museums in
writing disaster plans for more than a decade and helped develop
national standards for disaster-preparedness materials. Ms. Schindel
specializes in collection care and preventive conservation and works
regularly with small, rural and tribal museums.


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 21:27
                Distributed: Saturday, October 20, 2007
                       Message Id: cdl-21-27-018
                                  ***