October in Palm Springs is a great time to visit the desert!  So if you are heading out to the annual meeting, we think you should come a day early.  But don’t just grab a date shake and hang out by the pool on Sunday, come and join us and your colleagues for the fun-filled, pre-conference workshop, “Disaster Recovery for Collections: The First 24 – 48 Hours After an Emergency.”

Why should you?

That’s a fair question. Disaster preparedness workshops are nothing new.  Since the Heritage Health Index reported that 80% of U.S. collecting institutions do not have a written emergency/disaster plan that includes collections staff trained to carry it out, initiatives aimed to turn that statistic around have fortunately increased thanks to funding from agencies such as the NEH and IMLS.

However, this workshop isn’t your average planning workshop; this one tackles what some of us are afraid to admit will ever happen. This workshop is about recovery -- the first 24-48 hours of recovery in fact. I once heard a really good explanation on the difference between response and recovery – response requires quick action and decisions, and recovery requires expertise and time. This workshop will help you better understand recovery methods and what factors to consider to maximize your recovery outcomes based on the type of damage, the type of collections, and the resources you have available.

But wait, there’s more – act now and you will also get three instructors for the price of one. Let’s face it, our collections don’t come in one size-fits-all, and similarly not all recovery methods are appropriate for all types of material. For that reason we staff this workshop with multiple instructors to provide a face-to-face educational opportunity with a broad range of expertise.

Don’t just take our word for it, try it yourself – Practice makes perfect and hands-on experiences not only build confidence, but also allow for a better understanding of the material challenges of damaged collections.  That’s why this workshop offers hands-on demonstrations and a drill. Because if you can’t spend Sunday getting wet at the pool, at least you can get your hands wet as you rinse, wrap, pack, and air dry collections.

Disaster Recovery for Collections: The First 24 – 48 Hours After an Emergency
Preconference workshop at the Western Museum Association's Annual Meeting
Palm Springs Hilton
October 21, 2012, 9 AM - 4 PM

For information on how to register for this workshop, visit the WMA website: http://www.westmuse.org/conferences/2012_annual_meeting_palm_springs.html