Abstract: This session will revisit and update VRA Special Bulletin 7: Disaster Planning for Visual Resources Collections, published in 1994. The experiences of visual resources curators who have been through recent disasters will be examined, focusing on how their disaster plans did or did not facilitate recovery. The session will also address preparing a disaster plan in the digital age; as analog collections depend more on digital media, how can a robust disaster plan prepare for both the analog and digital collection? The participants hope to present a diverse and practical discussion about disaster planning.
Co-Chairs: Heather Seneff, University of Washington and Heather Cleary, Otis College of Art and DesignModerator: Lise Hawkos, Arizona State University
Presentors: Francine Stock, Tulane School of Architecture, Heather Cleary, Otis College of Art and Design, and Meghan Dougherty, University of Washington
The unprecedented nature and scope of the extensive destruction that occurred after Hurricane Katrina made landfall August 29, 2005 included 1) high winds that destabilized structures, compromised roofs and shattered windows, 2) storm surge that led to the failure of the levee system flooding nearly 80% of the city, and 3) an extended mandatory evacuation due to Hurricane Rita which left water-damaged assets unattended for over three weeks. On the whole,
Despite our best efforts and planning, a server crash can hobble us. We can lose years of cataloging data, templates for important forms, and disruption of the institution’s work. How do we recover/recreate the data without losing our sanity? This talk will examine the ways that visual resources curators can recover from these types of disasters. Steps include: 1) check if the measures in the emergency plan were actually being followed; 2) assess what was lost and what actually needs to be restored; 3) work with, not against, your tech support; and 4) rebuild your collection. After a suffering a huge data loss, we have the opportunity to reinvent -- not just recreate -- our collections, our workspaces, our workflows, and ourselves.
The VRA Special Bulletin 7: Disaster Planning for Visual Resources Collections (1994) remains a standard reference for developing emergency policies and procedures in visual resource collections. And, like any disaster plan, the Special Bulletin 7 should be revisited and revised periodically to keep up to date with changing techniques and operations in visual resource collections, especially as collections acquire digital assets and implement virtual solutions. Instead of approaching digital assets and systems as simply another asset to protect during and after an emergency, curators should consider digital technologies as part of a plan for responding to and recovering from disasters. This presentation outlines an approach to emergency management planning that uses all resources available to a collection, both real and virtual. We propose a strategy for plan development in which mitigation, response and recovery are guiding factors.