PALMCOP’s Resources page offers a variety of links to great institutions, organizations, and associations who specialize in disaster plans, preservation, and much more. One resource that offers some great information is the Northeast Document Conservation Center. While the website breaks out conservation and preservation information based on format, one useful tool that covers them all is the Preservation 101 Online Textbook.

Preservation 101 is broken down into nine sections that are easy to follow. You can easily choose a section based on your institution’s needs. For example, Section 2 The Building and Environment covers general building issues, storage environment, pest management, mold protection, fire protection, and controlling of the environment. These sub-sections are thorough, yet concise. Under the sub-section Monitoring the Environment, you will find information on basic practices, why it is important to monitor the environment, the types of devices used to monitor, the types of pollutants that should be monitored, light level monitoring, and how to evaluate the data collected.

The sections are a great starting off point for understanding what is essential to preservation across archives, museums, and libraries. You may find all you need in the sections, or they can inform you of an aspect you did not consider before, and give you a starting off point for further research.

Jessica

In the midst of a crisis the last thing you want to hear is that your insurance policy will not cover parts of your recovery and salvage. We often assume that insurance geared towards cultural institutions will automatically provide us with the right coverage. This is a false security; a boilerplate policy may leave you at serious risk. It is important to be sure that your insurance plan is tailored to your institution and to the specific risks you may face in your area.
 
Some question to ask: Are you self-insured or are you covered through a government or university plan? Who is your contact person at the agency? Do you need business interruption coverage? Is the staff bonded and insured against damage? Are there any exclusions in your policy that could nullify the claim? What are the insurer’s policies in regards to mitigation steps that need to be taken immediately without authorization? What happens if collection items are deemed a “loss” but have important historical value? Will your insurer cover moving the collection out of harm’s way? Does your policy cover by item or by event?
 
Navigating through your policy can be confusing and tedious. One way to make the process easier is to sit down and write out various plausible disasters that could strike your institution. Then schedule a meeting with your insurance company contact to walk through these scenarios together. Your agent should be able to show you the sections in your policy that relate to the scenarios you bring up. Understanding what your current policy does and does not cover is the first step in making sure you have the coverage you need when disaster strikes.
 
On a separate note, hope to see you at our re-scheduled Annual Conference on February 12th!

Are you ready for 2016?  We are!  For PALMCOP, 2015 was a year of revitalization that is continuing in the upcoming year.  Under the leadership of Suzanne Singleton, the organization is active and looking forward to growing and expanding its impact.  A couple of 2015 examples of the organization’s work include a wildly successful Disaster Recovery Workshop held jointly with the South Carolina Archives Association (SCAA) and the expertise provided to individuals after the flooding in October.  In 2016, it will be about building on those successes and providing educational opportunities and resources for the state.
 
At the end of the year, everyone makes resolutions for the New Year.  Instead of resolutions, I am picking one word to motivate my actions in the upcoming year.  For PALMCOP, I believe the word will be momentum.  It will be about continuing on the work of the previous year and gaining support in the new year.  The upcoming annual conference on January 22 will be the launching point on building momentum in preservation for 2016!  It will be a great opportunity for everyone to gather, share, and learn.   All the details can be found on the website under the Annual Conference tab (http://www.preservationsc.org/annual-conference.html).
 
Looking forward to a journey of building momentum in preservation with you!
Brenda

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is accepting applications for Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections Grants. This program "helps cultural repositories plan and implement preservation strategies that pragmatically balance effectiveness, cost, and environmental impact. Sustainable approaches to preservation can contribute to an institution’s financial health, reduce its use of fossil fuels, and benefit its green initiatives, while ensuring that collections are well cared for and available for use in humanities programming, education, and research." The focus is to ensure preservation of cultural resource materials and implement actions that will "slow deterioration and prevent catastrophic loss."

The NEH is awarding two kinds of grants:

• Planning grants of up to $40,000 "to help an institution develop and assess sustainable preventive conservation strategies."
• Implementation grants of up to $350,000 "to help an institution implement a preventive conservation project"

The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2015. For more information, visit:

http://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/sustaining-cultural-heritage-collections

Do you have a disaster plan in place in the event that your institution experiences a destructive event? A good disaster plan can be your guide when sorting through the whos, whats, whens and hows that come after such a happening. By asking yourself some simple questions now and assessing your space and collection, you can prevent a lot of confusion and provide yourself with a light at the end of the tunnel when something goes wrong. Here are a few free and easy-to-use resources for creating your own.

The Society of American Archivists met last week, and there were many discussions about disaster preparedness and recovery.  While most of us in South Carolina think about hurricanes when we hear “disaster,” there are other more frequent types of disasters waiting to happen in our institutions.  From the leaking pipe to the crash of an HVAC system over a long summer weekend to a fire, mishaps can occur anytime.  Being prepared is key to a successful recovery and possible prevention.

The Council of State Archivists (CoSA) provides planning tools on its Emergency Preparedness Initiative website http://www.statearchivists.org/prepare/, including templates for creating a Pocket Response Plan (PReP) so staff have vital response information at all times.

PALMCOP is working to identify resources for disaster preparedness and recovery and making links available on the website.  Here you will find also applications for our Disaster Kit and our Data Loggers as well as an Emergency Procedures Manual to download.  We would like to hear from membership about other resources found to be helpful.  Please use the Contact Us link near the top of the Resources page http://www.preservationsc.org/resources.html

The possibility of a statewide cultural resources response initiative for South Carolina is something PALMCOP board members have been discussing.  Some states have programs to assist museums, libraries, and archives in times of disaster.  Massachusetts has a nice website detailing their initiative http://mblc.state.ma.us/costepma/
Such an initiative in South Carolina would take a good deal of effort, but the benefits to all would be immense.

Two weeks ago, on June 17, the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston lost nine of its congregation members in a horrific act of violence. The City of Charleston, the State of South Carolina, and the nation have come together to mourn, to support the church community, but also to celebrate the rich, full lives of nine individuals: Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lane, Rev. Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Tywanza Sanders, Rev. Daniel Simmons, and Myra Thompson.

We mourn privately and we grieve as a community. We march; we gather in public spaces; we come together in places of worship. In front of the church, in memory of the beloved victims, we leave fresh flowers, sweetgrass roses, hand-crafted crosses, letters, notes, posters, beloved teddy bears, and inspired artwork.

Each day tireless volunteers quietly remove the faded flowers from in front of the church and rearrange the fresh bouquets. In this way, the memorial site remains vibrant. Every day, these same volunteers photograph the site before gathering up the more fragile memorial items and bringing them into the church. In time, the members of the AME Church may want to establish an archive. Stored safely inside, letters from school children, condolence cards, poetry, folk art, signs bearing the signatures of citizens from distant cities, and handcrafted banners are free from environmental damage and are awaiting the moment when a more permanent memorial may be developed. The items, created from of an outpouring of love and raw emotion, celebrate the lives of those lost, provide context for a senseless moment, and offer comfort and strength.

This year the National Weather Service is predicting a "below-normal" season for tropical cyclones. While the first tropical storm of the year came a little early-- in May Tropical Depression Ana hit the Grand Strand-- the NWS expects a 70% chance of up to two major hurricanes in 2015. Since South Carolina is often a target along the Atlantic seaboard, we share a few storm tracker websites to help you keep tabs on those tropical storms. Bookmark your favorite!

National Weather Service
National Hurricane Center
www.ready.gov/hurricanes
www.hurricane.terrapin.com
The Weather Channel
AccuWeather
Weather Underground

PALMCOP is creating a Resource page on our website. Contact us if you know any great sites!

-- Suzanne Singleton, PALMCOP Chair