May Day

May 1st is MayDay in the archives, library and museum world. It's a day dedicated to preparing for disasters. With all the horrible weather, tornados and wildfires around the country and in Texas, I just had to highlight this day.

According to last year's news release from Heritage Preservation,

Sponsored by Heritage Preservation and other members of the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, MayDay encourages organizations to take one simple step to protect the art, artifacts, records, and historic sites they hold in trust.

Check out their website here.

Last year, I drafted an Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Plan to have in place at the Museum. Other ideas include:

■If you have a disaster plan, dust it off and bring it up to date.
■If you don't have a plan, make a timeline for developing one.
■Get to know your local firefighters and police. Invite them to tour your institution and give pointers on safety and preparedness.
■Identify the three biggest risks to your collection or building (such as dust storm, leaking water pipe, heavy snow, or power failure) and outline steps to mitigate them.
■Evaluate your need for a priority contract with a disaster recovery firm.
■Conduct a building evacuation drill and evaluate the results.
■Update your staff contact information and create a wallet-size version of your emergency contact roster.
■Eliminate hazards such as boxes and furniture in hallways, blocked fire exits, or improper storage of paints and solvents.
■Join forces with nearby institutions and develop a protocol for helping each other in case of a disaster.
■Identify and label priority collections and objects for evacuation during emergencies. Which are most important to your mission, irreplaceable, or most fragile?
■Register for a free course to learn how your institution fits into existing emergency response protocols.

What will YOU do for MayDay?