Mayday

What Will You Do for MayDay?
Cultural Institutions Prepare for Emergencies

Libraries, museums, archives, and arts and historic preservation
organizations across the nation will set aside May 1, 2009, to
participate in MayDay, a national effort to prepare for disasters.

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.

Any organization can participate in MayDay. This year, staff at both
the Kingman Museum in Battle Creek, MI, and The Field Museum in
Chicago, IL, will finalize new emergency plans. The University of
Utah in Salt Lake City will hold a luncheon to discuss advances in
earthquake preparedness as they impact preservation of the
University's collections.

Heritage Preservation is collecting examples of creative but
practical measures like these to share online. This year, any
institution submitting a MayDay story will be entered in a drawing
for disaster supplies donated by Gaylord Brothers. Four winners will
be announced on June 1, the beginning of the 2009 Atlantic hurricane
season. Brief descriptions of 2009 MayDay plans or accomplishments
should be submitted to taskforce<-at->heritagepreservation<.>org by May 22,
2009, to be eligible for prizes.

Heritage Preservation will also be offering its award-winning Field
Guide to Emergency Response and Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel
at special MayDay prices from April 15-May 31, 2009.

Visit

    <URL:http://www.heritagepreservation.org/
        programs/tflessons/MayDay.html>

    **** Moderator's comments: The above URL has been wrapped for
    email. There should be no newline.

for project ideas, information on prizes and the publications sale,
and customized versions of the MayDay logo for publicizing this
national event.

The Society of American Archivists (SAA)
<URL:http://www.archivists.org> created the MayDay initiative in
2006 and promoted the idea to its members and allied organizations.
The following year, the Heritage Emergency National Task Force and
SAA expanded the concept to include all kinds of collecting
institutions and historic preservation interests.

The Heritage Emergency National Task Force is making disaster
preparedness and response a higher priority for cultural heritage
organizations across the country. The Task Force-an initiative of
Heritage Preservation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency-is
a partnership of 40 national service organizations and government
agencies.

Heritage Preservation <URL:http://www.heritagepreservation.org> is a
national non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the
cultural heritage of the United States. By identifying risks,
developing innovative programs, and providing broad public access to
expert advice, Heritage Preservation assists museums, libraries,
archives, organizations, and individuals in caring for our
endangered heritage.

Mary Rogers
Coordinator
Emergency and Collections Care Programs
Heritage Preservation, Inc.
1012 14th St. NW, Ste. 1200
Washington, DC 20005
202-233-0825
Fax: 202-233-0807


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 22:59
                 Distributed: Wednesday, April 15, 2009
                       Message Id: cdl-22-59-002
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