Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness Project
organizations visited for an assessment
emergency preparedness reports created
CA counties reached
Through the Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness Project, the California State Library is preserving and protecting California’s rich cultural heritage by providing disaster preparedness support to cultural organizations across California. Below are some of the organizations that have received assistance in assessing their organization’s disaster readiness.
If you would like to join these organizations and get a free on-site visit and assessment report, please reach out to our Ready – Or Not partner, the Northeast Document Conservation Center, and request a free emergency preparedness assessment by filling out an online form, emailing CAready@nedcc.org, or calling 855-501-3020.
Highlights of Organizations Visited
Organizations That Are Getting Ready Map
The “Ready — Or Not” project has an interactive map that shows which California organizations have had a site visit and assessment report. Below are the organizations that the “Ready — Or Not” team has visited.
Ready — Or Not Feedback
Feedback from cultural heritage organizations that have received an assessment:
I wanted to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for your valuable time and effort spent with our museum staff yesterday for the “Ready — Or Not” Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness Project. Your insights and expertise were truly enlightening and have significantly contributed to the success of our project. Your dedication to preserving and promoting cultural heritage is inspiring, and we are incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from you. The knowledge and perspective you shared will undoubtedly help us in our ongoing efforts to safeguard our cultural heritage.
Museum Director of the Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center, Ready — Or Not participant
The report offered a lot of guidance for writing a disaster plan and suggested key focus areas for the plan. Since the assessment, we have written a disaster plan, installed a security camera in the collections area, installed a new portable air conditioner in the primary storage area, and limited public access to collections areas. As the first archivist at my institution, the “Ready — Or Not” project supported me in advocating for enhanced disaster preparedness and better environmental conditions for our collections.
Ready — Or Not participant
Thank you so much for your time — it was an incredibly productive day for all of us. We were glad to hear of areas where we’re already on target for disaster/emergency planning, and energized to consider the next steps for upgrading our current preparations.
Ready — Or Not participant
We have already placed barriers between window blinds and collections facing direct sunlight. We have requested a carpenter to check for any shelving not tethered to the wall. Almost all items are now on pallets with risers, and we will soon be ordering bungee cords as well as RH and Temperature data loggers. The incident report notebook was a great idea, which we have retroactively instituted. This was a great experience for all of us.
Ready — Or Not participant
On behalf of Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA at the Frida Kahlo Theater, we want to express our deepest gratitude for the detailed and comprehensive consultation you gave us on emergency preparedness. You immediately understood the needs of a small arts organization, and the realities and challenges we face in a post-pandemic environment. Your site visit was extremely thorough.
We really appreciated the time you took to patiently listen to our needs, take a tour of the facilities, and advise us on how to begin creating a detailed plan to ensure both safety and succession/continuity of business for our organization. The 35 page report, plus templates and additional resources, will be invaluable as we move forward. Consulting with you regarding preservation of our archival materials was extremely helpful, as we gain awareness of the importance of our history, not only to the theater community, but to the Latinx community at large.
We would also like to acknowledge California State Library and Northeast Document Conservation Center for funding and implementing this program, which would have been beyond the scope of our resources. Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA wholeheartedly recommends this program and has given your information to several other Latinx theater companies in Los Angeles.
Ready — Or Not participant
Groundwork Grants Feedback
Given past plumbing issues in the Archives which damaged potential accessions in interim storage and the advice we received through our Ready or Not consultation, we are interested in and grateful for this opportunity to pursue funding for comprehensive long-term storage solutions, supplies for disaster response, and the assistance with disaster planning offered through Groundwork Grants.
We appreciate the opportunity to apply for this grant to further our efforts in disaster planning and preparedness. Thank you so much for your consideration!
Thank you for your consideration and support of California’s archives.
We are incredibly grateful for the support that Hillary Ellis has given us through her consultation. We are thrilled to be moving forward with this and this funding will help us make even greater strides in completing all items on our checklist.