In the immortal words of Mad-Eye Moody (or Barty Crouch aka the 10th Doctor, David Tennant depending on the book), “Constant Vigilance!” Not only will it protect you from the Dark Arts, it can also save your museum, archive, or historic site in the event of a disaster.
Today is once again MAY DAY. Last year I wrote about preparedness, and in the midst of the problems in Egypt, I wrote about the destruction at the Egyptian Museum.
This year I was asked to lead a workshop for the Tennessee Association of Museums for other museum professionals… I decided to take the Scare Tactics route. Share as many horrible stories as possible, some with good endings, some with horrible, no good, very bad endings – then offer solutions so that professionals are prepared!
I dunno… Maybe…
Or perhaps worst of all, a:
Ok, maybe not. But there are plenty of horrible things that could happen in your own backyard, such as sinkholes, water main breaks (this one was WAY too close to work for my comfort), vandalism, and countless other things we don’t like to think about.
While we can’t prevent these things from happening every time, we can be prepared and practice constant vigilance! I’ve prepared a list of several resources that are helpful for museums. Some favorite are:
- Building an Emergency Plan – Getty Institute
- Elements of a Good Disaster Plan – AASLH
- Select Resources from the Smithsonian Institute
- Heritage Preservation – May Day Information
A complete list is available here.
What is YOUR worst fear at a museum or historic site? Have any experiences with an disasters? Share in the comments below:
Katie Stringer Clary, PhD 
I’m scared 🙂