“Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness: A Manual for Protecting Archives” is a comprehensive guide which aims to act as a single point resource on this crucial aspect of archives management. It covers: the disaster plan and the benefits of planning ahead; the impact of disasters on archives and documentary heritage; prevention, mitigation and risk management; creating a disaster response team, working with volunteers and creating a support network; protection of vital records; funding and insurance; building plans and disaster supply boxes; response initiatives, damage assessments and salvage plans; recovery efforts, temporary storage and rehabilitation; and returning to business as usual.
Forms to support disaster management are also included in the manual and may be downloaded separately in Word format.
The Manual was written by Emilie Gagnet Leumas and Margaret Crockett in collaboration with the International Council on Archives’ (ICA) Expert Group on Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness to support training courses in the Caribbean and Africa.
This follows the recent ICA release of “Practical Guide to Emergency Digitization of Paper-Based Archival Heritage” which aims to provide an effective tool for all types of institutions and first-time responders of all backgrounds. It is designed to be as practical as possible and provide easy-to-use guidelines for organizing emergency response and digitization.
The International Council of Archives co-founded the Blue Shield, and is a key partner in our work to protect heritage in conflict
