Telephone
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TELEPHONE ASSISTANCE
24/7 Collections Emergency Hotline: 1-855-245-8303
NEDCC staff members are available 24/7 to provide telephone advice to institutions and individuals handling collection-related disasters. Information provided includes advice on drying wet collections and dealing with damage from fire, pests, and mold. This service does not include on-site assistance.
National Heritage Responders: 1-202-661-8068
The American Institute for Conservation’s National Heritage Responders (NHR) is a highly skilled team of conservators and other collections care professionals with expertise in emergency response. NHR members are available to provide advice to individuals as well as advice and on-site response to institutions. (NHR members do not normally provide on-site assistance to individuals, although it may be possible to do so in conjunction with other collections in an affected region.) All assistance provided by the NHR is free. Less urgent questions can also be answered by emailing [email protected].
On-site Assistance
Disaster Recovery Service Providers
Some disasters — such as those involving contaminated water or large mold outbreaks — are too large or complex for an institution or individual to handle alone. In these instances, NEDCC recommends working with a disaster remediation company experienced in handling cultural heritage collections. The following companies have expertise in this area and can be reached around the clock:
| Belfor | 800-856-3333 |
| BMS Cat | 877-730-1948 |
| Polygon | 800-422-6379 |
Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners: 1-800-952-7403, x236
For Massachusetts public libraries only. MBLC staff is available to provide information, advice, and assessment either by telephone or on-site visit.
National Heritage Responders: 1-202-661-8068
The American Institute for Conservation’s National Heritage Responders (NHR) is a highly skilled team of conservators and other collections care professionals with expertise in emergency response. NHR members are available to provide advice to individuals as well as advice and on-site response to institutions. (NHR members do not normally provide on-site assistance to individuals, although it may be possible to do so in conjunction with other collections in an affected region.) All assistance provided by the NHR is free.
Online RESOURCES FOR DISASTER Response AND RECOVERY
NEDCC Preservation Leaflets
NEDCC has created Preservation Leaflets covering a number of emergency management topics, such as emergency salvage of wet books and records, wet photographs, moldy books and paper; integrated pest management; and freezing wet books and records. Click here for a list of available leaflets.
Emergency Salvage Procedures for Wet Items from the Minnesota Historical Society:
These reference sheets are organized by material type and include handling precautions, tips for prioritizing, and a list of supplies needed for drying twenty-one types of wet items.
http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/conservation/emergency.php
Field Guide to Emergency Response
This series of videos, created by Heritage Preservation and hosted on YouTube by the American Institute for Conservation, include demonstrations of salvage techniques.
https://www.culturalheritage.org/resources/emergencies/disaster-response-recovery/fieldguide
Fact sheets from the Heritage Emergency National Task Force:
- After the Fire: Advice for Salvaging Damaged Family Treasures
- Salvaging Water-Damaged Family Valuables and Heirlooms. This fact sheet is also available in Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, and Mandarin.
Resources from the American Institute for Conservation:
- How to Handle and Clean Soot-Damaged Items – 7-minute video
Additional resources:
NEDCC is grateful for support from the National Endowment for the Humanities for its collections emergency hotline, training programs, outreach activities, and web resources.
(Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these resources do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.)