During the month of May, archives, galleries, libraries, museums, and cultural heritage sites and organisations across Australia are encouraged to participate in MayDay - a national effort to protect cultural heritage from disasters.

In 2006, Cyclone Larry reminded us of the great risks that natural disasters present to Australian cultural heritage. From the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983 and the Canberra bushfires in 2003, to the severe flooding experienced from cyclone activity or other freak weather events, this geologically stable continent is no stranger to environmental emergencies.

But there are other types of emergency that we must always be mindful of. From the faulty electrical wiring in the building next door to the impact of burst water mains pipes on basement storage areas – these are real and more likely risks for much of Australia’s cultural heritage.    

Given human nature, it’s easy to put off disaster planning. So the recently formed Australian National Committee for the Blue Shield is urging cultural heritage organisations around Australia to observe MayDay by taking at least one step to prepare your organisation for disaster response. Here are some simple ideas:

• If you have a disaster plan, dust it off and make sure it’s up to date.
• If you don’t have a plan, make a timeline for developing one.
• Download a copy of Be Prepared – guidelines for writing a disaster preparedness plan: http://www.collectionsaustralia.net/search.php?search=be+prepared
• Get to know your local firefighters and police - invite them to tour your organisation and give you pointers on safety and preparedness.
• Identify the three biggest risks to your collection or cultural heritage site.
• Conduct a building evacuation drill and evaluate the results.
• Update your staff contact information
• Eliminate hazards such as storage in hallways, blocked fire exits, or improper storage of paints, solvents, etc.
• Make a plan to install any needed safety systems.
• Provide staff with easily accessible disaster response information, such as provided by the Australian government’s website, Emergency Management Australia: http://www.ema.gov.au/agd/EMA/emaInternet.nsf/Page/Emergency_Management
• Find a ‘buddy’ collecting organisation to work with in case of a disaster. A model for collaboration is DIS-ACT: http://www.anbg.gov.au/disact/
• Identify and prioritise important collection materials.
• Book into a course on risk assessment or disaster planning.
• Arrange or attend emergency response training days on firefighting, crowd control, flood water management etc.
• Promote MayDay to your colleagues! Please print off our one-page flier below and post it on a noticeboard.

   Download your MayDay Flier HERE

 

Acknowledgement

MayDay is an initiative of the Society of American Archivists that is also promoted throughout the United States by Heritage Preservation, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to preserving America’s heritage. Heritage Preservation has kindly shared its MayDay logos (at right) with the Australian National Committee of the Blue Shield.

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   Australian National Committee of the Blue Shield    

The Australian National Committee of the Blue Shield (ANCBS) was established in 2005. The Secretariat is hosted by the Collections Council of Australia Ltd. The Blue Shield is the cultural equivalent of the Red Cross. It is the symbol specified in the 1954 Hague Convention for marking cultural sites to give them protection from attack in the event of armed conflict. It is also the name of an international committee set up in 1996 to work to protect the world's cultural heritage threatened by wars and natural disasters. The International Committee of the Blue Shield brings four expert cultural heritage ‘pillar’ bodies together to focus on disaster prevention and response around the world:

• International Council on Archives (ICA);
• International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS);
• International Council of Museums (ICOM); and
• International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

The Australian pillar bodies

In Australia, the expert organisations are:

• Council of Australasian Archives and Records Authorities, representing ICA;
• Australia ICOMOS;
• ICOM Australian National Committee; and
• Australian Library and Information Association, representing IFLA.

The Australian National Committee of the Blue Shield draws together the expertise in each of the pillar bodies to network with Australian emergency management groups, so as to collect and disseminate information and coordinate action in emergency situations that could affect cultural heritage.

In 2007, the ANCBS encourages organisations to look to their emergency planning throughout the month of May – a special month for collections in Australia. For a list of special events during May 2007 in Australia, as identified by the Collections Council of Australia please click HERE.

From next year, it is envisaged that the ANCBS will focus on one day in May in line with overseas practice. A program of Australian events focussed on 1 May will be developed for 2008. The ANCBS welcomes suggestions for activities and sponsors:

Email: blueshield@collectionscouncil.com.au

Telephone: +618 8207 7287