Support for Meeting and Workshop on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Salvage in Natural History Collections to be held in May, 2004

American Museum Natural History, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to the American Museum of Natural History, under the direction of Dr. Norris, to provide support for a special technical session and accompanying workshop on emergency preparedness, response, and salvage in natural history collections. The overall objective is to help museum personnel, specifically collections staff, develop strategies for dealing with disasters of any scale that may affect the scientific collections in their charge. The technical session and workshop are being held as part of the 19th annual meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), which is being hosted by the AMNH in May 2004. The day-long 'Special Technical Session', featuring invited speakers, focuses on preparedness and response in the context of institution, city and nation-wide events. Following presentations on experiences of New York and Washington cultural institutions and response personnel to the events of September 11, 2001, the morning session will concentrate on case studies from other national and international institutions that have faced natural and man-made disasters. The afternoon session will cover the best practices necessary when developing an emergency plan. The accompanying one-day workshop will deal with the practical issues encountered in responding to the first 48 hours after a disaster; the most critical time period for salvage efforts. Participants will be provided with materials that can be used to develop Emergency Preparedness, Response and Salvage Plans at their home institutions. As with the technical session, the workshop will be tailored to address the specific needs of natural history collections. The broader impact of the meeting will be an improvement in the ability of staff in U.S. and other natural history museums to respond to emergencies affecting their collections. Recent events such as the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the widespread power failures of 14-15 August 2003 have highlighted the crucial importance of emergency planning in protecting cultural heritage in museum collections. Natural history collections constitute the basis of knowledge for a wide range of studies fundamental to the life sciences, including systematics, taxonomy, ecology, biogeography, and paleontology. The 19th meeting of SPNHC provides the best opportunity to inform, educate, and update those responsible for the care of these collections, both in the U.S.A and internationally. The funds provided by NSF will help to increase attendance by lowering registration costs, support a strong program of expert speakers, and provide web-based resources that will enable the impact of this meeting to extend far beyond the number of people who are actually able to attend.