Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Cultural Institutions

This workshop discusses the importance of preparing for emergencies, shows how to form and train an emergency response team, provides guidance in creating an effective emergency plan and offers training in the salvage of water-damaged collections. The workshop is highly interactive and includes lectures, demonstrations, discussions, group exercises and hands-on activities.

Learning objectives

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• identify the principal emergency risks affecting their collections
• develop a written emergency response plan for their institution
• create an emergency response team
• develop the team's decision-making skills using emergency scenario exercises
• salvage water-damaged objects and collections
• employ appropriate health and safety measures in the event of an emergency
• identify measures to avoid, block, detect and/or respond to potential hazards

Participants will receive and learn how to use the digital CCI Emergency Response Planning Workbook, which includes an emergency plan template, worksheets, salvage information and related resources. These materials provide a step-by-step guide to assist participants in creating an emergency response program on their own after the workshop that is customized to the needs of their institution.

Target audience

Employees in cultural institutions involved in emergency preparedness, including directors, collections managers, facility managers, preparators, conservators, curators, archivists, librarians, registrars, volunteers, security and maintenance personnel.

Language(s)

English and French

Enrollment limits

Minimum 10, maximum 20

Special requirements

• PowerPoint projection capacity (computer/laptop, projector, screen, extension cords, cart or table)
• Tables that permit work in groups of three to five participants
• Extra tables for demonstration materials
• Space that provides access to water and allows the use of water in demonstrations
• Optional: access to collection storage for an incident evaluation exercise

Duration

Two days