FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2008
IMLS Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
Midwest Museums Receive
Emergency Assistance from IMLS and Partners
On June 28, the first of four teams of conservators
was deployed to the Midwest to provide immediate aid to
museums in Iowa and other states that have suffered significant
flood damage to collections and facilities, announced
the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and
project partner, the Foundation of the American Institute
for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works (FAIC).
“Our hearts go out to Midwest museums
and historical houses that have been affected by these
floods,” said Anne-Imelda M. Radice, IMLS Director.
“Fast and effective response teams will provide
museums with expertise, an emergency response, and the
supplies to start salvaging collections and restoring
operations.”
IMLS approved reallocation of almost $16,000
to purchase supplies for direct assistance and to stock
depots established by the Iowa Association of Museums
in Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. IMLS is contributing
an additional $35,000 to support deployment of AIC-CERT
(Collections Emergency Response Team) members to Midwest
collecting institutions affected by the recent flooding.
In 2006, FAIC used a 21st Century Museum
Professionals grant from IMLS to create a team of “rapid
responders” that can be mobilized to provide emergency
assistance to museums in the wake of hurricanes, earthquakes
and other natural and man-made disasters. FAIC conducted
high level training on emergency response procedures,
damage assessment methods, salvage techniques, and the
organization and management of a recovery operation.
A total of four teams will each spend five
days each providing emergency assistance to museums and
testing the training they received in the AIC-CERT project.
Post-deployment evaluations from AIC-CERT members will
help to identify successes and gaps in the training provided.
These results will be used to plan and design future refresher
courses for AIC-CERT members as well as any future training
for new team members.
Midwest museums that need assistance from
AIC-CERT members should call (202) 661-8068 (24-hour monitoring).
In related news, Heritage Preservation is
posting online information on coping with water-damaged
collections from the Field Guide to Emergency Response DVD with financial support from IMLS and the National
Endowment for the Humanities. Click
here to view the chapter.
The 10-minute segment combines hands-on
demonstrations with concise advice from preservation experts.
Practical tips on safety, equipment, and salvage priorities
also make the video a useful guide for rescuing family
treasures. The Field Guide was published in 2006 with
support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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