ARLIS/NA 54th Annual Conference

This pre-coordinated panel, organized by the Museum Library Division, will feature speakers from galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAMs). Panelists will speak on experiences and preventive measures taken with various environmental crises, including fires, floods, and tornadoes. Utilizing a case study approach, panelists will draw on personal experiences with disasters and their impact on work practices. The theme of resistance will be explored in how staff prioritize collection care, access policies, and well-being during times of disasters in GLAM environments. Attendees will come away from this panel with resources on disaster preparedness to spark dialogue and action in the ARLIS/NA community.

Documenting Disaster: The Role of Technical Services and Archival Work in Times of Severe Weather
Speakers: Jenna Stout, Rebecca Brown-Gregory
This paper will explore the intersection of technical services and archival work in documenting past disasters and historic building vulnerabilities while also preparing for future disasters. In the wake of ongoing environmental events, including recent tornado activity, and infrastructure deterioration, it is more important than ever to have continuity of operations in place. Art museum library workers will speak on the significance of cataloging and making accessible past institutional reports on environmental risks. The paper will also dive into departmental efforts, ranging from the creation of disaster kits to the flagging of priority collections for first responders, and overall maintenance of institutional knowledge.

The Emotional Toll of Protecting Archival Memory in the Path of the Los Angeles Fires
Speaker: Lola Jalbert
I began an internship with the Feuchtwanger Memorial Library (housed in USC Special Collections) last January as the Los Angeles fires broke out. Part of the collection is housed at USC and was untouched by the fires, but other materials are stored in a house in the Pacific Palisades, where the fires began. I am interested in drawing on my personal experience, as well as the experiences of other involved parties, to argue that emotional resilience is as much a part of disaster preparedness as bureaucracy and logistics.

“A Plan, and Not Quite Enough Time”: My Journey Through Disaster Planning, Recovery, and Management for Audiovisual Archives
Speaker: Linda Smith
I have interned at two sites that experienced significant flooding and while almost no AV materials were significantly destroyed, some changes to the space/storage were made (while other changes could or have not be made); students from my program were also involved in flood recovery to an AV archive and I have spoken with the archives director about those efforts and the aftermath of the flood; I will be approaching this from a research/case study methodology, utilizing interviews with those directly involved to emphasize the need for greater attention to this issue and how different care can look for AV materials/collections.