Pennsylvania Cultural Response Team

If you are located near western PA, the Alliance for Response Pittsburgh group is hosting a workshop on Moving Collections and Renovating, funded by an FAIC microgrant. It will be held on Nov. 16. Check it out!

Alliance for Response Pittsburgh - Upcoming Events Moving and Renovations: Collection Concerns Renovation and construction projects in your facility can present significant risks to your collections. In this free half-day workshop, you will learn the most common risks for collections, risks for personnel, strategies for risk mitigation, and issues

Test #5 results from the REALM project were released today and are useful for those handling special collections.

REALM Project Releases Results from Latest Tests of Coronavirus on Leather, Summary of Research New lab test findings show that the infectious virus survived through eight days on both natural leather and synthetic leather fabrics.

September is National Preparedness Month! Whether you're thinking of your institution or your home, there are many ways to be prepared for a vastly different situation we may find ourselves in. The Pittsburgh Emergency Management and Homeland Security page is sharing a lot of good tips and this is a favorite!

Check out their page for more helpful ideas.

Sept is National Preparedness Month! Ditch the selfie and for disasters during National Preparedness Month - Snap photos of important documents and personal belongings to help you quickly file an insurance claim after a flood or disaster. https://youtu.be/i3MfRpND5gk

REALM Project's Test 4 results were released yesterday. Here's the summary (but bear in mind this doesn't address the viability of transmission from these materials):

"Results show that after six days of quarantine the SARS-CoV-2 virus was still detected on all five materials tested. When compared to Test 1, which resulted in nondetectable virus after three days on an unstacked hardcover book, softcover book, plastic protective cover, and DVD case, the results of Test 4 highlight the effect of stacking and its ability to prolong the survivability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus."

REALM Project: Test 4 Results

Our Pittsburgh colleagues have endured great pain throughout the process of discovering a great collection pillaged, trusted caretaker and local bookseller both responsible, and the ensuing recovery efforts and trial. If you haven't followed the news updates since the discovery in 2017, this is a well-written summary.

The Inside Story of the 25-Year, $8 Million Heist From the Carnegie Library Precious maps, books and artworks vanished from the Pittsburgh archive, and the caper’s final chapter was just written

Following yesterday's post about AAM's survey on the effect of the pandemic on museums, it can be helpful to look globally at how cultural organizations around the world are considering their future. This report from NEMO, the Network of European Museum Organisations, summarizes their own survey findings on the impact of COVID-19. Although they are and will experience financial setbacks, the museum sector is agile and able to adapt to the new digital normal.

Museums during COVID-19 NEMO is the Network of European Museum Organisations. It is made up of national museum organisations and similar bodies within the countries of the Council of Europe.

Last month, the American Alliance of Museums shared the devastating news that the U.S. may lose a third of its museums.

United States May Lose One-third of All Museums, New Survey Shows For Immediate Release Arlington, VA—The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, today warned that one out of every three mus…

What a wonderful bonus find during a roof restoration project!

Thousands of Rare Artifacts Discovered Beneath Tudor Manor's Attic Floorboards Among the finds are manuscripts possibly used to perform illegal Catholic masses, silk fragments and handwritten music

Although the many lives lost and injuries suffered is the top concern following this disaster, our hearts are breaking for Beirut's cultural heritage.

Decades of work restoring Beirut's historic stained glass shattered in minutes | CBC Radio Maya Husseini struggles to put into words what it feels like to see her entire life's work reduced to colourful shards of glass scattered amid the rubble of Beirut.

The Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) is working to assess the impact that COVID-19 has had on the organizations they serve. If you work or volunteer for an archive, library, museum, or other collecting institution, please take a moment to complete a brief survey to help them out. Completing this survey should take approximately 20 minutes.

It is understood that closures were unique for each organization, so language in this survey is fairly general. Please answer questions to the best of your ability, thinking about the time during which your organization's operations and/or services were disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Note: Only one person per institution should complete this survey. If there is someone in your institution who works more directly with collections or is otherwise better suited to complete the survey, please forward it to them. Your anonymous answers to this survey will be published in a report by CCAHA.

Survey must be completed by August 31, 2020.

Would you share your experience with us? Learning in the present to prepare for the future: a greater understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on collection preservation in the US. We at CCAHA understand that closures of different types of organizations in many regions of the United States, have had varying impact. Therefore, the language of this survey is fairly general, and we assume that you may have had limited to no access to your collections from March 2020. While some i...