You are receiving this e-mail as a subscriber to the Virginia Records Officer Listserv (VA-ROL). # #

 

Virginia Records Officers,

 

With the recent rounds of tornado activity, and the devastation they have left in parts of our commonwealth, it's an appropriate time to send a reminder about safe guarding your records.  Given the inordinate amount of activity, it is no small wonder that relatively little damage has been sustained by government facilities.  This provides an incredible reminder to prepare, instead of having to recover in panic mode.

 

For any who have sustained damage to their records and need guidance in the response and/or recovery process, please give me a call.  If you are in a records emergency and need after-hours assistance, the numbers to call are at http://www.lva.virginia.gov/agencies/records/contacts.asp. Please make note of these before an emergency arises.

 

A very good place to store these numbers is in a Pocket Response Plan (PReP), which can be found on our Records Management Home Page under the Guidance link “Disaster Planning - Emergency Pocket Response Plan.”  This mini-response plan is relatively easy to compile and will fit in your wallet or purse when completed.  It doesn’t replace a fully-completed Records Emergency Action Plan, but is an excellent interim tool.

 

This is a good time to be thinking about Records Emergency Preparedness, as Sunday is MayDay in the records and cultural heritage preservation community.  There's more information on this below.

 

And remember, the Library's State Records Center does have equipment that can assist with wet/damaged records on a temporary basis and start the recovery process.

 

Please give a call if you have any questions.  A safe weekend everyone, and our thoughts and prayers to all who have experienced a loss of any kind during the recent storms.

Glenn

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Glenn T. Smith          [log in to unmask]
Records Analyst                    www.lva.virginia.gov
The Library of Virginia                     804-692-3604
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do One Thing for Emergency Preparedness

May Day Logo - Save our Heritage

Each year, archives, libraries, museums, and arts and historic preservation organizations set aside May 1 to participate in MayDay, an initiative to protect cultural heritage from disasters. This year make sure your institution is prepared!

It’s easy to participate in MayDay. Last year MayDay participants held fire safety sessions for staff and volunteers, stockpiled emergency supplies, and started or updated disaster plans. Use the resources below as inspiration for simple ways to help your organization become more prepared for an emergency.

http://tinyurl.com/2011Mayday

To UNSUBSCRIBE, change options, or subscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-rol.html (If using Netscape, must have version 6.1 or higher to view the above page)