Disaster Response

The highest priority for the Preservation Department is disaster preparedness and response — not for humans, but for collections! Water is a serious risk for any paper-based collection, and Preservation responds to water disasters, big and small.

When paper-based collections are exposed to water, there is a limited amount of time to respond — around 48 to 72 hours — before losses due to mold growth and blocking (pages permanently sticking together) occur. The Preservation Department maintains a cache of salvage supplies and equipment such as wet vacs, buckets, and plastic sheeting to have at the ready for different kinds of situations.