In the face of extreme weather events due to climate change, many of our partners have faced natural disasters, including floods and derechos right here in our hometown. Libraries, museums, and cultural institutions across the country have taken note, and have learned that creating a comprehensive disaster recovery plan is essential. However, the difference between knowing what needs to be included in a plan and having the the ability to implement one before disaster strikes, often comes down to time and resources.
The unfortunate reality is that sometimes, it can be too late to save original materials once a disaster strikes. However, there are proactive steps that can help mitigate loss and ensure the longevity of the at-risk collections.
To minimize damage and prevent irreversible harm to historical materials during a disaster, institutions must act swiftly and with a sense of urgency, including relocating collections, if possible, to a safer location away from the immediate threat. Institutions should also document the condition of collections thoroughly, taking photos and detailed notes to aid in insurance claims and recovery planning. By acting swiftly and following these key steps, institutions can significantly reduce the risk of losing irreplaceable historical materials:
- Relocate Collections: If a disaster is predicted, relocating collections to a safe, off-site location can prevent immediate damage.
- Salvage Wet Collections: In the event that materials are exposed to water, it’s important to take quick action to dry them and prevent mold. The Library of Congress provides detailed guidelines on how to handle waterlogged collections, which can help prevent further degradation.
- Utilize Recovery Services: Several organizations offer disaster response and recovery services, including the National Heritage Responders and the National Park Service’s Museum Management Program. They provide guidance on how to stabilize and recover materials affected by floods, fires, and other disasters.
- Document the Damage: After ensuring the safety of people and collections, it’s important to thoroughly document the extent of the damage. Take detailed notes and photographs of any affected items, the building, and storage conditions. This documentation will be essential for insurance claims, applying for emergency funding, and planning the recovery process.
While natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, fires, and other catastrophic events may appear sudden and unavoidable, the best defense against their destructive potential is a comprehensive disaster recovery plan. These plans should not only focus on immediate responses during a crisis but also include long-term strategies for preserving collections both physically and digitally.
The importance of planning ahead cannot be overstated, as the window for saving damaged collections can be extremely narrow once disaster strikes. By being proactive and investing in both physical security measures and digital preservation efforts, institutions stand a much better chance of protecting their collections for future generations.
First and foremost, physical security is a cornerstone of any disaster recovery plan. This includes ensuring that collections are stored in environments that are as disaster-resistant as possible. For instance, archives and libraries should consider the geographical risks in their areas and take appropriate precautions, such as moving collections to upper floors if flooding is a common concern or installing waterless fire suppression systems if wildfires are a potential threat. Off-site storage is another option, particularly for highly valuable or irreplaceable materials. By storing these collections in secure, climate-controlled facilities away from the primary site, institutions can create a buffer against localized disasters that might otherwise devastate their holdings. However, as robust as physical security measures can be, they are not foolproof.
Digitizing is an equally vital aspect of a modern disaster recovery plan, serving as an additional layer of protection that guarantees continued access to collections even if the physical items are compromised. Digitizing collections not only helps in terms of content preservation but also significantly enhances accessibility, making it possible to share and utilize the materials without having to handle the fragile originals or until the facility is fully open to the public. In the event of a disaster, having a digital copy means that the intellectual content of the collections can remain available to researchers, historians, and the public, ensuring that the institution’s mission of preserving history continues uninterrupted.
One of the greatest advantages of digitization is that it transforms at-risk physical materials into digital assets that can be accessed from anywhere and at any time. Whether the original materials are endangered by a hurricane, flood, or fire, the digital counterparts remain untouched and secure in cloud-based archives or remote servers. Furthermore, this digital redundancy ensures that even if an institution’s physical location is compromised, its historical records, photographs, and documents live on in the digital realm, so even if the original is no longer a viable research option, the digital reproduction guards the history they contained against loss.
Digitization can be an integral part of disaster continuity planning. When a disaster strikes, institutions often need to focus on immediate recovery efforts, such as stabilizing damaged buildings, ensuring the safety of staff, and addressing the needs of the community. During this critical time, the availability of digitized collections means that the institution can continue to fulfill requests for access to historical records and other materials without delay. This continuity of service is especially important for public institutions that serve educational, cultural, and genealogical purposes, as communities will often turn to them for historical context and information in times of crisis.
By incorporating digitization into a broader disaster recovery plan, institutions are not only preparing for worst-case scenarios but are also positioning themselves for long-term success in serving their communities. In the unfortunate event that a disaster does damage or destroy physical materials, having a fully digitized archive means that recovery efforts can focus on rebuilding rather than on the impossible task of replacing lost content. This proactive approach allows institutions to minimize downtime and continue their work even in the face of a crisis, maintaining access to their collections and upholding their role as custodians of history.
Moreover, long-term planning and preparedness will ensure that institutions are not caught off guard. Disaster recovery plans should be reviewed and updated regularly to account for new risks, technological advancements, and evolving institutional needs. As technology continues to advance, new digital tools can further enhance preservation efforts, while emerging threats like climate change may require new physical security measures. By remaining vigilant and adaptable, institutions can ensure their disaster recovery strategies stay relevant and effective in an ever-changing landscape.
To help support you in your disaster recovery efforts, resources are available to help you respond when a disaster strikes, including:
- National Heritage Responders: Cultural Heritage Responders
- What to Do When Collections Get Wet: Library of Congress Emergency Management
- National Park Service Museum Management Program: Museum Management Program
- Minnesota Historical Society – Disaster Response and Recovery: Disaster Response
- Natural Disaster Recovery Resources for Museums and Libraries: Recovery Resources
- AMIA Hurricane Relief: Recovery For Films In Flooded Areas
By preparing now, you can ensure that your collections remain protected, no matter what challenges the future may hold.
At Advantage Archives, we deeply understand the unique and often overwhelming challenges that libraries, archives, and historical institutions face in the wake of natural disasters. These events, whether sudden or foreseen, can pose serious threats to invaluable historical collections that may have taken decades or even centuries to gather and preserve.
Disasters like hurricanes, floods, fires, and derechos often leave little time to prepare, and when they strike, the priority is ensuring the safety of people and securing critical resources. Unfortunately, collections that represent the rich cultural and historical heritage of a community are sometimes vulnerable to irreversible damage during these crises.
Recognizing the importance of protecting these irreplaceable materials, Advantage Archives has committed to being a steadfast partner during these difficult times. As part of this commitment, we offer secure, climate-controlled off-site storage for collections that require temporary relocation. Our storage facilities are equipped to safely house historical documents, books, newspapers, and other fragile materials until the immediate crisis has passed and restoration and recovery efforts can be initiated. This secure storage solution provides institutions with much-needed peace of mind, allowing them to focus on more urgent concerns, such as community recovery and operational restoration, knowing that their collections are safe and sound.
Our dedication to supporting institutions doesn’t stop at temporary storage. Advantage Archives is also committed to helping you build a more resilient future through long-term digitization solutions. While physical materials are always susceptible to natural disasters, digitizing your collection creates a permanent digital copy that can be accessed remotely and preserved indefinitely. This digital backup is invaluable not only for continued access during recovery but also as a safeguard against the total loss of physical collections in the event of catastrophic damage. By combining secure off-site storage with robust digitization efforts, we can help institutions ensure their materials are both protected and accessible.
In the aftermath of a natural disaster, institutions often face difficult decisions, limited resources, and a tight window of opportunity for preservation efforts. We understand the strain this can put on your team and your mission. That’s why Advantage Archives strives to be more than just a service provider—we aim to be a trusted partner, offering guidance and support during these critical moments. Our team is prepared to assist you in assessing the condition of your collections, developing a recovery plan, and ensuring their preservation through both physical protection and digital hosting to your collection.
The Advantage Archives Facility Is Equipped To Support Disaster-Affected Institutions Through Every Stage of Recovery
With our expertise in both disaster recovery and preservation, Advantage Archives stands ready to assist you in protecting your institution’s collections, no matter the challenges that arise. Whether you’re seeking immediate off-site storage, planning for long-term digitization, or navigating the recovery process, we are here to help safeguard your collections today and for generations to come.
Explore the “Read All About It” archives to read stories that spotlight our partners and their communities, announcements from our team, updates on current projects, and so much more. Discover articles about engagement, outreach, primary sources, community, digitization, education, and other topics of interest. Delve into the happenings in this week in history and take a deep dive into the events and people who helped shape our communities, our nation, and the world.
Hear Ye, Hear Ye, READ ALL ABOUT IT!
Advantage Archives works to build strong, community-based partnerships to provide free online access to local history, making it discoverable and easily accessible to anyone, anywhere, at any time, on any device. This allows communities to understand and connect to their past in a meaningful way. Through the Community History Archive search platform, we provide the community with the means to explore, discover, learn from, connect with, and share the stories of the people, places, and events that shaped their community.
The Community History Archives are intended to serve as a “portal to the past”, allowing local primary source documents to give an accounting of history as told by the individuals that witnessed it. Advantage Archives guiding principals center around building strong community-based partnerships, which is why we enter into them with the intent of shouldering our fair share, and taking the burden off of the community for the ongoing costs associated with storage, hosting, development, and maintenance of the Community’s History Archive. We are an active participant in the community’s efforts to make their collective history more accessible. The Community History Archives are maintained for free by Advantage and do not require a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or any other ongoing costs or expenses to the institution or members of the community.
If you would like to see more local history online, please contact your local library, newspaper publisher, genealogical society, historical society, or educational institution, and encourage them to learn more about creating a Community History Archive or have them contact Advantage Archives at (855) 303-2727
