Held on the first day of May every year, MayDay is
a grass-roots effort, originated in 2006 by the Society
of American Archivists and now spreading to all cultural institutions
through efforts from Heritage Preservation and its Heritage
Emergency National Task Force.
CoSA encourages all state
archives, records management programs, and state historical records
advisory boards (SHRABs) to follow the MayDay advice: "take personal
and professional responsibility for doing something simple—something
that can be accomplished in a day but that can have a significant impact
on an individual’s or a repository’s ability to respond."
Here are some possibilities to consider:
Invite state emergency
management agency staff and other first responders to tour your archival facilities and
records center.
Sponsor a workshop for the general public on records-related emergency response and
recovery. Using the reproducable tables in CoSA's Rescuing Family Records manual, guide participants through the records they need to protect to ensure their family's safety, financial security, and health.
Distribute PReP envelopes
to state & local government employees. Encourage them to use the free
templates on the CoSA web site to create their own custom Pocket
Response Plans. (Note the new lower price for the envelopes: $3.50/pack
of 10 for state archives & SHRABs--order here)
Review and update your
agency’s disaster plan—and don’t forget to
update your Pocket
Response Plans (PRePs) too!
Conduct a drill
of your emergency response procedures in every facility managed by the
state archives and records management program.
Distribute flyers about Rescuing Family Records to public libraries, genealogical societies, and in your reference room. Remember, CoSA is using proceeds from its sales to support our ongoing Emergency Preparedness Initiative.
Host an open house
to demonstrate best practices for records-related response and recovery
following a disaster.
Take a copy of CoSA's
report, Safeguarding a Nation's Identity
to people who can provide the resources for records-related preparedness,
including members of Congress, state legislators, and local government
officials. Explain how your program is working to address the needs
identified in the report.
Is your state archives
or SHRAB planning MayDay activities? Let
us know! We'll include links to your events here as they come in.
See more MayDay ideas on
these Web sites:
Society
of American Archivists
Heritage
Emergency National Task Force
On
May 1,