One-on-one consultations are a great place to start. We recommend beginning with an on-site emergency preparedness assessment, where an emergency preparedness consultation visits your site and delivers a customized report. From there, we can work with you remotely to create or revise a disaster plan based on your organization’s specific needs.
Already have a plan? We’re happy to consult with you about any concerns, gaps, or next steps.
Learn more about Consultations
Whether you’re just getting started or looking to refine your emergency response procedures, our hands-on workshops and online training sessions are designed to support you.
The "Ready—Or Not" team offers:
- Wet salvage workshops across the state
- A multi-session web course led by emergency preparedness experts
- Self-paced and on-demand training
- Free dPlan|ArtsReady subscriptions
Explore The training and resources
RUBÉN AMAVIZCA
Administrative Director at the Frida Kahlo Theater
"On behalf of Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA at the Frida Kahlo Theater, we want to express our deepest gratitude for the detailed and comprehensive consultation you gave us on emergency preparedness. You immediately understood the needs of a small arts organization, and the realities and challenges we face in a post-pandemic environment. Your site visit was extremely thorough.
We really appreciated the time you took to patiently listen to our needs, take a tour of the facilities, and advise us on how to begin creating a detailed plan to ensure both safety and succession/continuity of business for our organization. The 35 page report, plus templates and additional resources, will be invaluable as we move forward. Consulting with you regarding preservation of our archival materials was extremely helpful, as we gain awareness of the importance of our history, not only to the theater community, but to the Latinx community at large.
We would also like to acknowledge the California State Library for funding and the Northeast Document Conservation Center for implementing this program, which would have been beyond the scope of our resources. Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA wholeheartedly recommends this program and has given your information to several other Latinx theater companies in Los Angeles."
JAMES BIER
Museum Director of the Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center
“I wanted to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for your valuable time and effort spent with our museum staff yesterday for the 'Ready-Or Not' Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness Project. Your insights and expertise were truly enlightening and have significantly contributed to the success of our project. Your dedication to preserving and promoting cultural heritage is inspiring, and we are incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from you. The knowledge and perspective you shared will undoubtedly help us in our ongoing efforts to safeguard our cultural heritage.”
EVA GRITZ
Archivist at the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society
“There was a lot we knew needed to be done, but a lot we overlooked. Participating in 'Ready—Or Not' made our board—and me, the only collections care staff member at the time—realize just how important planning ahead is, and the difference it can make.”
Read more about the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society.
Explore ways to engage in an emergency preparedness consultation via our recorded information sessions.
Topics cover disaster preparedness for institutions with limited resources, community archives, Tribal organizations, remote and rural museums, and more.
Participants organizations have used their assessments to to support applications for grants and other funding for emergency preparedness.
- NEH awarded the GLBT Historical Society funds to purchase and install preservation furniture for rare and unique archival posters.
- NEH also provided funding to the Automotive Research Library - Horseless Carriage Foundation for storage shelving, emergency response supplies, and online training to improve stewardship of materials related to automobile history.
- Groundwork Grants supported the Mineral King Preservation Society in acquiring items to better preserve and protect their collection.
- Groundwork Grants also supported Turtle Bay Exploration Park with funds to enhance the stewardship of their permanent collection of art, artifacts, historical documents, and images.
The California State Library and its cultural heritage partners via the California Cultural Collections Protection Survey estimate that 1,200 cultural collection-holding organizations in lacked disaster preparedness plans.
In response to the results of the California Cultural Collections Protection Survey, NEDCC is awarded $3.14 million to steward the “Ready – Or Not”: Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness Project, a three-year initiative to assess emergency preparedness at California organizations that care for cultural and historic resources.
NEDCC’s “Ready—Or Not” team performs emergency preparedness assessments at more than 400 organizations across California.
Each assessment results in a summary report with recommendations for identifying and mitigating risks, taking emergency preparedness actions, and completing a disaster response plan.
Participating organizations include archives, museums, libraries, historical societies, tribal nations, county clerks, public art collections, cultural centers, state historic parks, national parks, university cultural departments, community organizations, outdoor art installations, and missions and diocese collections, wildlife associations, and botanical gardens.
NEDCC received an additional $1.7 million in funding from the California State Library to expand the “Ready—Or Not”: Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness Project with additional consultation services, training opportunities, and emergency preparedness resources.
