Title: Public Records, Cultural Collections, and Natural Disasters
1Public Records, Cultural Collections, and Natural
Disasters
- Gregor Trinkaus-Randall, M.A.L.S.,
C.A.Preservation SpecialistMassachusetts Board
of Library Commissioners(617) 725-1860 x 236 or
(800) 952-7403 x 236 (in-state)gregor.trinkaus-ra
ndall_at_state.ma.uswww.mass.gov/mblc
2Cultural Resources What Are They?
- Include a wide variety of institutions, sites,
locations, and regions - Holdings of libraries, archives, historical
societies, museums, private collections, and city
and town halls - Historic houses, historic districts, historic
structures, outdoor sculptures, objects - Landscapes, botanical gardens, archaeological
sites, cemeteries
3Cultural Resources Why Are They Important?
- Document the cultural, historic, economic, and
social heritage of our society - Define the places where we live
- Play a major economic role in the life of towns,
regions, cities, states, and the country - Put events into perspective
4Cultural Resources Why Are They Important?
- Many the cultural resources are irreplaceable
- Manuscripts, governmental records (at all
levels), rare books, prints and drawings,
buildings, paintings, objects, etc. - Philosophical issues
- Retention of our history, culture, heritage, etc.
- Make cultural resources available to generations
to follow - Ability of institutions to function
5Natural Disasters
- Many disasters affecting cultural resources are
weather related - Kinds and Frequency in the United States in the
20th Century ( of years of major occurrences) - Blizzards (6)
- Earthquakes (8)
- Floods (10)
- Forest Fires (8)
- Hurricanes (28)
- Tornados (28)
6Natural Disasters
- Tsunami (1)
- Volcanic eruption (1)
- Costs of disasters
- Prior to 1987 no natural disaster with insured
losses greater than 1 billion - Since 1987 there have been 8 such events
7Natural Disasters
- Cost reduction
- Proper planning
- Need for strict building codes and their strict
enforcement based on known threats - Emphasis on the need for disaster preparedness,
planning, and mitigation - Development of institutional disaster
preparedness plans - Inclusion of cultural heritage institutions and
resources in local, state, and national disaster
preparedness and planning
8Preservation Resources
- Government organizations
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- National Park Service (NPS)
- Smithsonian Institution (SI)
- Library of Congress (LC)
- National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA) - State Emergency Management Agencies
- State libraries, archives, museums, and
historical societies
9Preservation Resources
- Non-profit institutions
- Regional Alliance for Preservation (RAP)
- Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC)
- Conservation Center for Art and Historic
Artifacts (CCAHA) - Professional societies
- American Institute for Conservation (AIC)
- American Association of State and Local History
(AASLH)
10Preservation Resources
- American Library Association (ALA)
- Society of American Archivists (SAA)
- Council of State Archivists (CoSA)
- National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA) - National Association of Government Archives and
Records Administrators (NAGARA)
11Disaster Preparedness on a Broad Level
- Identify cultural resources within each state and
municipality - Use the broadest possible net to include as many
resources as possible - Work with these institutions to develop
institutional disaster preparedness plans - Incorporate these plans into the state and
municipal emergency management plans
12Disaster Preparedness on a Broad Level
- Develop a program of hazard and risk assessment
- Emergency managers, fire departments, etc. need
to work with cultural institutions/resources to
identify hazards both inside and outside of
institutions - Emergency personnel should become familiar with
the staffs and facilities and visa versa
13Recent Major Cultural Resources Natural Disasters
- Florence Flood (1966)
- Served as a wake-up call and really was the
beginning of collections care, disaster
preparedness, and response on a large scale - 1.2 M wet books and 40,000 wet and muddy volumes
- Prague Flood (2002)
- Large number of institutions inundated and
collections flooded in the southern Czech
Republic - 300,000 - 400,000 wet books
- 9 11 water mark
- Museums heavily impacted
14Recent Major Cultural Resource Natural Disasters
- Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma (2005)
- Louisiana
- Untold numbers of cultural institutions affected
or lost - At least 17 institutions where restoration costs
were greater than 1 M - Over 500 government agencies in storm area for
which damage is unknown
15Recent Major Cultural Resource Natural Disasters
- Mississippi
- Again, untold numbers of cultural institutions
affected or lost - Many institutions and collections no longer exist
due to storm surge
16Louisiana Repositories
- Initially affected only by wind and rain and
storm surge along the coast - Subsequently many were affected by flooding in
the city of New Orleans
17Moldy indexes to case files of the Orleans Parish
Criminal District Court
18Mold-Infested Weapons Logbooks of the Orleans
Parish Criminal District Clerk of Court's
Evidence Section.
19Mississippi Repositories
- Affected mostly by the storm surge
- Wiped out buildings or at least the first floor
- Created fields of records as collections spread
over fields by storm surge
20Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum, Biloxi,
Mississippi
21Local History Collection, Biloxi, Mississippi
22City Clerk's Record Book, City of Bay St. Louis,
Mississippi
23Minute Books, Harrison County, Mississippi
24Damaged legal files, Beauvoir, Mississippi
25Historic Photographs, Mississippi
26City Hall, Waveland, Mississippi
27Notarial Archives New Orleans
- Notarial Archives
- Only repository in the US devoted to civil law
notarial records, called acts a contract
between individuals for example the sale,
bequeathing, mortgaging, or pre-nuptial
disposition of property, or the forming of
corporations, partnerships, and benevolent
societies - Came to Louisiana through its French and Spanish
colonial governments
28Notarial Archives New Orleans
- Convinced Thomas Jefferson to allow Louisiana to
keep its civil law traditions despite
Americanization - Research Center holdings date from 1734 to 1950
- Bound volumes are housed in stacks on third floor
of a commercial office building near Superdome - Unique records are 5,100 oversize watercolor
drawings Plan Books created to promote sale of
buildings at public auction - Proof of advertisement and as a visual legal
description of the property
29Christoval deArmas, 1825 Act and Bound Acts
30Notarial Archives New Orleans
- Some 60,000 bound volumes housed below ground in
basement of Civil District Courthouse - Legal and economic importance of these records is
enormous - Admissible in court as primary evidence of a
transaction - Notarial acts of sale provide proof of land and
home ownership
31 Plan Book 58.29 Eugène Surgi Adrien Persac
1859 and Plan Book Housing
32Notarial Archives New Orleans
- Pre-Katrina activities
- Did not have a written disaster plan
- Evacuated New Orleans early Sunday morning
without taking steps to protect the collections - Had already signed up for Munters Moisture
Controls Code Blue
33Notarial Archives New Orleans
- Post-Katrina activities
- Called Munters from Houston and learned that they
were ready to begin recovery efforts - On Monday started calling staff
- Spent Tuesday through Saturday trying to get a
pass to get into the city - After the Archives plight was announced on the
local radio station and online in the
Times-Picayune, they got into the city on the
following Monday (Day 8) with a military escort
34Notarial Archives New Orleans
- Efforts focused on saving the records in each
location - Had to gain entry into Research Facility with
permission from building owner (in Dallas) - Books were in acceptable condition and Plan Book
cabinets were dry - No evidence of mold
35Notarial Archives New Orleans
- Filing Office basement had 6 of water and two
snakes - Munters began pumping water out on Tuesday, Day 9
- 5,000 volumes were soaked and had to be frozen
and then sent to Chicago be vacuum freeze dried
and sanitized - 55,000 volumes needed to be packed out and stored
in climate-controlled 18-wheelers (18 of them)
parked on the street
36Notarial Archives New Orleans
37Convention Center Stacks Day 43 Filing Office
Opens
- Eventually moved records to the Convention Center
ballroom - Staff began work on October 4th and the Filing
Office opened to the public on October 10th - Research Center opened to the public on January
9th
38Notarial Archives New Orleans
- Lessons learned
- Need to have a disaster plan
- Write a disaster plan even if you need to throw
it out at the time of the disaster - Contract with a recovery firm ahead of time
- Local phone numbers may not work
- Establish out-of-town and out-of-area-code
contact points for management and staff - Take responsibility for saving your own archives
- Keep a journal to keep track of what happened
when
39Notarial Archives New Orleans
- Communications change on a daily basis.
- Document everything for reimbursement. Take
pictures. - This is especially true for working with FEMA
- When evacuating take anything with official
looking insignia to get back through checkpoints - Have a laptop with wireless connection and a
camera - Learn about freezing, drying treatments, and mold
recovery
40Historic New Orleans Collection
- Pre-Katrina activities
- Put disaster plan into action
- Returned all items to proper locations in vaults
- Visqueen pulled down over bookshelves
- Staff and public areas totally secured
- Emergency crash cart positioned near door to be
used upon return to building
41Historic New Orleans Collection
- Exhibit items stored on second floor
- Equipment secured and protected
- Priority items in certain locations with glow
marker on them - Snakes placed in front of all doorways
- Pre-cut plywood put over all windows
42Historic New Orleans Collection
- Post-Katrina activities
- Contact lists were rendered basically useless
- Major challenge was to re-establish
communications - e.g. 5 days to reach the director
- Were able to return to building to secure and
move the collections as early as they did only
because of family connections - Did so with pre-positioned fine arts movers and a
police escort on September 8th - Reopened by the middle of October
43Historic New Orleans Collection
- Lessons learned
- Evacuate your own collection vehicle
- Put a set of acquisition records with priority
collections - Re-examine supplies in emergency crash carts
- Do not have time to consult the disaster plan in
the course of the disaster. - Have to be trained on what to do well beforehand.
44Historic New Orleans Collection
- Communication and access to accurate information
are most difficult to find - Have official insignia or identification to
assist in returning to disaster area
45Comparison of Preparation
- Disaster plan and preparation made Historic New
Orleans staff much better able to prepare for and
respond to Katrina than most institutions
including the Notarial Archives - Institutional disaster plans are crucial for
protecting collections - Allow staff to proceed in a logical manner to
protect collections
46Comparison of Preparation
- Must include contact information for staff
outside immediate area - Must incorporate risk assessment well beyond the
bounds of the building as to dangers posed by
catastrophic disasters (e.g. Katrina, Rita, and
Wilma) - Too many repositories did not have a disaster
plan, were not prepared, and did not know where
to start to protect collections
47Council of State Archivists
- Met in Morrow, GA on April 18-20, 2006
- Addressed statewide disaster preparedness for
public and historical records and to discuss and
critique draft of Framework for Emergency
Preparedness - Assessment of statewide disaster planning for
records identified that - Importance of identifying and protecting records
essential to continuity of government as part of
the emergency planning process is not recognized
by many people - Few state archives and records programs have
involvement in revisions to their state emergency
operations plans
48Council of State Archivists
- Citizens and their governments are vulnerable to
major disruptions that could result from the loss
of records in the event of widespread disaster - Revised Framework was distributed to all 50
states in May 2006 to complete as an initial step
in protecting records - CoSA published the report of their findings as
Safeguarding a Nations Identity (February 2007) - Available at http//www.statearchivists.org/prepar
e/ - Report addresses actions steps, preservation, and
current state of nations archives and records
programs
49Heritage Emergency National Task Force
- Partnership of 40 national service organizations
and federal agencies - Created to protect cultural heritage from
damaging effects of natural disasters and other
emergencies (1995) - Co-sponsored by Heritage Preservation and the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) - Primary goals
- Help cultural heritage institutions and sites be
better prepared for emergencies and to obtain
needed resources when disaster hits - Encourage the incorporation of cultural and
historic assets
50Heritage Emergency National Task Force
- into disaster planning and mitigation efforts
at all levels of government - Facilitate a more effective and coordinated
response to all kinds of emergencies including
catastrophic events - Assist the public in recovering treasured
heirlooms damaged by disasters - Heritage Preservation initiatives on behalf of
the Task Force - Created Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel
(1997) (2005)
51Heritage Emergency National Task Force
- Published Cataclysm and Challenge documenting
damage and loss to cultural property after 9/11
(2002) - Developed concept of Alliance for Response (2002)
- Published Before and After Disasters Federal
Funding for Cultural Institutions with support
from FEMA and NEA (2005) - Produced Field Guide to Emergency Response (2006)
52Heritage Emergency National Task Force
- Post-Katrina activities
- Hosted conference calls post-Katrina for several
months - Numerous agencies and organizations and on-site
professionals - Gained insight into how cultural and historic
resources were affected - Took the lead in coordinating response by
organizations concerned about damage to cultural
and historic collections - LC, Smithsonian, AIC, SAA, ALA, AASLH, NPS, FEMA,
SHPO, NCPTT, RAP, NARA, etc.
53Heritage Emergency National Task Force
- Working with Task Force members, Heritage
Preservation is seeking creative solutions to the
problems that Katrina brought to light - Preparedness
- First Responders
- Ensure Informed, Coordinated, and Expedient
Response - Funding
- Collaboration on Response
- Received IMLS funds for a pilot project to
encourage small and mid-sized museums to prepare
for disasters
54Alliance for Response
- Programs in Boston, New York, Dallas, Cincinnati,
Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco,
Sacramento, Seattle, Atlanta, and Chicago
sponsored by Heritage Preservation - One-day forum on October 27, 2004 at the Jewish
Museum, New York City - Brought together representatives from the
cultural and emergency management communities - Opened a dialogue between communities especially
in small-group sessions
55Cultural Emergency Management Team (CEMT) in
Massachusetts
- Initiative is a result of the Alliance for
Response forum - Representatives from government (city, state, and
federal), private non-profit, and cultural
resources - Focus is on developing ways to respond to
disasters in cultural institutions in conjunction
with the emergency management community in the
Boston area
56Activities at the State Level in Massachusetts
- Massachusetts Emergency Management Team (MEMT)
(1978-) - Multiple state agencies and other disaster relief
providers meet on a monthly basis - Cultural Resources Disaster Planning and
Mitigation Task Force (1996-1999) - Worked to educate cultural resources in
communities about institutional and regional
disaster preparedness
57Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners
Activities in Disaster Preparedness
- Massachusetts Emergency Assistance Program (1996)
- Weather Alert program
- Represented cultural resources on the MEMT since
1996 - Has resulted in an ongoing relationship with the
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency
58Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners
Activities in Disaster Preparedness
- With NEDCC created dPlan the Online Disaster
Planning Tool (IMLS grant) - Launched nationally in June 2006 at
http//www.dplan.org - 1,220 institutions and 1,512 individuals using
it (6/7/2007) - Top states are MA (192), IL (121), and NY (94)
institutions
59Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners
Activities in Disaster Preparedness
- Working to develop a process for creating a
statewide disaster preparedness plan for cultural
resources with NEDCC (IMLS grant 2006) - Working with CoSA whose product focuses only on
records - Focus is on libraries, archives, museums, and
historical societies, etc.
60Conclusions
- Cultural resources help define who we are
throughout history and society - Document our cultural, historic, economic,
social, and governmental heritage - From town halls, public libraries, small museums,
and local historical societies to large
universities, museums, research libraries,
historic structures, etc. - All too many have been ignored by staff and
overlooked by emergency managers regarding the
development of institutional disaster
preparedness plans and their inclusion in the
municipal and state emergency plans
61Conclusions
- Cultural resources staff and emergency management
personnel - Need to meet to identify and discuss potential
problems - Educate one another on cultural resources and
disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and
mitigation - Need to consider both institutional and
catastrophic disasters
62Conclusions
- Steps taken before a disaster strikes can make a
significant difference in - minimizing the potential damage to the cultural
resources - ensuring the proper response to these resources
involved, and - prioritizing of response within a community
and/or a region
63Conclusions
- Finally, by taking the initiative, being
proactive, and collaborating with other response
organizations, cultural resources staff can
dramatically reduce the losses to their
collections from natural disasters
64