Disaster, whether burst pipe, flood, fire, tornado or other weather related disaster can strike quickly, often with devastating effects to communities. Thankfully, there are steps that can be taken both before and after a disaster to preserve the books, letters, scrapbooks, photographs, artifacts and artwork that document a community’s culture, history and identity.

These cultural heritage collections are significant due to their uniqueness, rarity and value to communities and they are often especially vulnerable to damage due to their material composition (paper, ink, wood, film, fiber, etc.). Because of this, individuals and community organizations that steward cultural heritage may need additional planning and recovery resources to navigate the basics of disaster preparedness and response for these items.