We were not able to get into the Czech/Slovak Museum/Library today due to some sort of safety hazard. But we were able to pack almost all the African Amercian Museum stuff out. Hurray! They had to make some difficult choices as to what to save and discard. I had just given the Cedar Rapids area library and museum staff a refresher course in disaster preparedness and response about 3 weeks ago and my staff and I had visited the Czech/Slovak and African American Museums a couple weeks ago. They knew what to do and I knew where everything was. What a coincidence! Plus the Iowa Conservation and Preservation Consortium held their annual Save Our Stuff! SOS preservation workshops the first Friday in June with a session on disaster preparedness. So the staff couldn't been better prepared. They are doing a superb job.
Dry stuff is in the Masonic Library and wet stuff is in the freezer truck. We've put a call out inviting local churches, libraries and musems to add their stuff to the freezer truck. We want that truck packed full when it leaves. The company will dry the stuff out. And we're working here to gear up our conservation labs to restore the stuff over the next 2-3 years.
Jane Meggers, State Historical Society of Iowa Conservator; Anna Embree, University of Alabama Conservator; and Gary Frost, University of Iowa Conservator were onsite all day and will return to help tomorrow.
Thanks for your offers of support, assistance, and advice.
Right now we're holding our own.
However, the flooding waters are heading south. And if this is like 1993, the flooding has just started.
I'll get back to your personal notes later this week.
Hanging in there,
Nancy E Kraft
Preservation Librarian
University of Iowa