Compiled by Valerie Dorge and Sharon Jones

208 pages, 8-1/2 x 11 inches 8 b/w illustrations and 24 line drawings ISBN 0-89236-551-x, paper, $39.95

When an emergency strikes, is your cultural institution prepared to protect the people on site, the premises, and its collections from harm? Building an Emergency Plan provides a step-by-step guide that a cultural institution can follow to develop its own emergency preparedness and response strategy.

This workbook is divided into three parts that address the three groups generally responsible for developing and implementing emergency procedures—institution directors, emergency preparedness managers, and departmental team leaders—and discuss the role each should play in devising and maintaining an effective emergency plan. Several chapters detail the practical aspects of communication, training, and forming teams to handle the safety of staff and visitors, collections, buildings, and records.

Emergencies covered include natural events such as earthquakes or floods, as well as human-caused emergencies, such as fires that occur during renovation. Examples from the Barbados Museum and Historical Society, the Museo de Arte Popular Americano in Chile, the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut, and the Seattle Art Museum show how cultural institutions have prepared for emergencies relevant to their sites, collections, and regions.

Conservator Valerie Dorge is project specialist with the Conservation group at the Getty Conservation Institute. Sharon Jones is a technologist and a former journalist based in San Diego.

To order this publication, go to the GCI Publications web site.