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"Ready — Or Not": Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness Project

NEDCC's “Ready – Or Not” Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness Project (press release) is a three-year initiative funded by the State of California to assess emergency preparedness at California organizations that care for cultural and historic resources (e.g., archives, libraries, museums, and tribal nations).

A team of heritage preservation consultants based in California conducts on-site visits for participating organizations and delivers a summary report that documents the organization's current state of emergency preparedness.

Each report includes recommendations for mitigating risks, taking emergency preparedness actions, and completing a disaster plan, thereby providing each with tools to better protect their collections in an emergency, ensuring that California’s cultural heritage is preserved into the future.

California cultural heritage institutions can schedule a free consultation for emergency preparedness assessment with "Ready – Or Not" at [email protected] or by phone at 855-501-3020.

Follow along with the site visits at #ReadyOrNotCA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

NEws

  • The “Ready – Or Not” team is seeking to reach organizations in these counties: Sierra, Modoc, Mono, Trinity, Plumas, Del Norte, Lassen, San Benito, Tehama, Yuba, Sutter, Kings, San Luis Obispo, Merced, and Fresno. Contact [email protected] to schedule a visit.

  • If your organization is working on Core Documents Verification or the Museum Assessment Program (MAP), the “Ready – Or Not” team can assist with the disaster preparedness plan and provide guidance on museum best practices. Contact Hillary Ellis, Lead Emergency Preparedness Consultant, for more details at [email protected].
  • California State Library's Groundwork Grants is providing over $1 million in funding to strengthen emergency preparedness for institutions with collections in California. This is a great opportunity to use “Ready – Or Not” reports to advance preservation and emergency preparedness goals. Learn more at groundworkgrants.org.


PROJECT BACKGROUND

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Information sessions

Learn more about the "Ready—Or Not" project and explore ways to engage in an emergency preparedness consultation.

Disaster Preparedness for Community Archives: View the recording.

Disaster Preparedness with Limited Resources: View the recording.

Disaster Planning for Remote and Rural Museums: View the recording.

Disaster Preparedness for Small Organizations: View the recording.

Disaster Preparedness for Tribal Organizations: View the recording.

Disaster Planning for Tribal Cultural Heritage Organizations: View the recording.

Getting Started with a Disaster Plan: View the recording.

Getting Your Library Ready for Disaster: View the recording.

Updating Your Disaster Plan: View the recording.


FAQS

  • What happens at a full-day site visit consultation?

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  • Can my organization meet for a half-day consultation?

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  • We have offsite storage and multiple locations. Can you visit all my sites?

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  • What staff need to be at the consultation?

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  • Can my organization really participate if we only have one staff/volunteer or a small collection?

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  • What do we discuss at the site visit?

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  • What is in the report after the consultation?

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  • When will the consultant send the report?

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  • How long do organization staff or volunteers have to make edits to the report?

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Resources for Participating Organizations

Pocket Response Resource: Instructions for Arts and Cultural Organizations

Download the Pocket Response Resource template here.

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Collections Management Grant Opportunities

Download a PDF here.

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Testimonials

“The report offered a lot of guidance for writing a disaster plan and suggested key focus areas for the plan. Since the assessment, we have written a disaster plan, installed a security camera in the collections area, installed a new portable air conditioner in the primary storage area, and limited public access to collections areas. As the first archivist at my institution, the "Ready - Or Not" project supported me in advocating for enhanced disaster preparedness and better environmental conditions for our collections."

"Thank you so much for your time – it was an incredibly productive day for all of us. We were glad to hear of areas where we’re already on target for disaster/emergency planning, and energized to consider the next steps for upgrading our current preparations."

"We have already placed barriers between window blinds and collections facing direct sunlight. We have requested a carpenter to check for any shelving not tethered to the wall. Almost all items are now on pallets with risers, and we will soon be ordering bungee cords as well as RH and Temperature data loggers. The incident report notebook was a great idea, which we have retroactively instituted. This was a great experience for all of us.” 

PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS:

ACAWSO Archives
Adamson House Museum
Agua Caliente History Museum
Alpine County Library
American Bookbinders Museum
American River Nature Center
Anderson Collection at Stanford University
Angel Island State Park
Antelope Valley Indian Museum
Antelope Valley Rural Museum
Arhoolie Foundation
Auberry Branch Library

Barona Cultural Center & Museum
Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association
Benicia Historical Park
Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society
Bernhard Museum

Black Diamond Mine Archives
Bowers Museum

Calabasas Library
California Historical Society
California Museum
Cal State LA Special Collections
California State Mining and Mineral Museum
California State Railroad Museum
California State University, Sacramento University Library
California Surf Museum
Cal-Pac United Methodist Church Archives
Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum
Center for Art, Culture and History- Exeter (CACHE)
Center for Sacramento History
Center for the Study of Political Graphics
Center for Social Justice and Civil Liberties
Channel Islands Maritime Museums
Chicano Park Museum & Cultural Center
China Lake Museum Foundation
Chief Gene Friend Museum
Chumash Indian Museum
City of Maywood
City of San Diego
Claremont Heritage
Coronado Historical Association
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park
Colton Hall Museum
Columbia State Historic Park
Cotsen Institute UCLA
County of Alameda Clerk-Recorder’s Office
County of Riverside Archives
Courthouse Museum

Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Command History Office and Archives
Del Norte County Library District
Diocese of San Jose Archives and Records Center
Death Valley National Park
Doris Foley Library

El Alisal - The Charles F. Lummis House
Ella Strong Denison Library at Scripps College
Eastern California Museum

Fallbrook Historical Society
Fiddletown Preservation Society
Filipino American National Historical Society
Freedom Archives
Fort Bragg Mendocino Coast Historical Society

The Gamble House
Gerth Archives and Special Collections
Gibson Museum & Cultural Center
GLBT Historical Society & Museum
Grace Hudson Museum
Great Valley Museum (Modesto Junior College)

Hayward Area Historical Society
Heritage Museum of Orange County
History San Jose
Hollyhock House (Frank Lloyd Wright)
Holocaust Museum
Horseless Carriage Foundation
Humboldt County Historical Society

Imperial Valley Desert Museum
Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park

June L. Mazer Archives
Joshua Tree Art Innovation Laboratory

La Historia Historical Society Museum
Lake Tahoe Historical Society
Lemon Grove Historical Society
Letterform Archive
Little Manila Rising
Los Angeles Philharmonic Archives
Los Encinos State Historic Park

Maidu Library
Malaga Cove Library
Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria
Malki Museum
Marin County Recorder’s Historical Archives
Mineral King Preservation Society
Mission Viejo Library
Montage Health
Monterey Museum of Art
Monterey State Historic Park
Morris Graves Museum of Art
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
Museum of Us

New Museum Los Gatos

Oakdale Museum and History Center
Oakland Heritage Alliance
Oakland Museum of California
OC Parks
Occidental College Library
Oceanside Museum of Art
Oroville Chinese Temple
Oroville Pioneer Museum

Pacific Biological Laboratories
Pasadena Central Library
The People's Center Museum
Pio Pico State Historic Park
Presidio of Monterey Museum

Rim of the World Historical Society—Mountain History Museum

San Diego County Archives
San Diego National History Museum
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library
San Francisco Public Library
San Joaquin Valley Library
Santa Ana Public Library
Santa Barbara Mission Archive Library
Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society
Santa Rosa Jr. College Multicultural Museum
Scotts Valley Historical Society
SFO Museum
Shasta Historical Society
Shinn Historical Park & Arboretum
Siskiyou County Library
Society of California Pioneers

Three Rivers Historical Museum
Timber Heritage Association
Tor House Foundation
Truckee-Donner Historical Society
Trudea Archives
Tulare County Museum
Turtle Bay Exploration Park

UC Berkeley Institute for Governmental Studies
UC Davis Archives and Special Collections
UC Irvine Special Collections & Archives
UCLA Bunche Center for African American Studies
UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center

University of California San Francisco Library
USS Hornet—Sea, Air and Space Museum

Wakamatsu Farm
Warnecke Ranch & Vineyards
Wende Museum
Whittier Museum
Will Rogers State Historic Park
William E. Colby Library
Willows Library
Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum
The Writers Guild Foundation


Oakland History Center
Ontario City Library
ONE Archives at USC Libraries
Orange Diocesan & Mission SJC Museum Archives
Orange Public Library
Orangevale History Project

Palo Alto Historical Association
Peninsula Center Library
Pfau Library at CSU San Bernardino
Pit River Tribe Historical Preservation Office
Point Arena Lighthouse and Museum

Quartz Valley Indian Reservation

Railtown 1897 State Historic Park
Riley Library
Riverside County Law Library
Riverside Public Library
Roseville Downtown Library
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

San Diego Clerk of the Board County Administration Center
San Rafael Public Library
San Francisco Photo Archive Collections
San Francisco Fire Department Museum
Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation
Santa Clara Valley Water District Library
Schoolhouse Museum
Sherman Indian Museum
Siskiyou County Museum
Special Collections & Archives at Chapman University Leatherby Libraries
St. Helena Historical Society
Sonoma County Libraries

Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library at CSU Monterey Bay
Tübatulabal Tribe
Tulare County Library
Twentynine Palms Historical Society

Vacaville Museum
Veterans Curation Program

Walt Disney Family Museum
Woodlake Valley Culture Museum

Yolo County Archives
Yolo County Records Center & Historical Collection
Yosemite Museum

 


This project is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library. 

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