Disasters can strike unexpectedly, causing significant damage to archival collections and facilities. Whether it is a flood, fire, or another catastrophic event, the aftermath of a disaster requires a strategic response to assess the damage and initiate recovery efforts.
The inherent fragility of archival materials makes them especially vulnerable to damage during disasters. To ensure the safety and preservation of these collections, archives must develop a comprehensive disaster response and recovery plan tailored to their unique needs. A well-crafted plan mitigates risks, safeguards materials, and guides staff in responding to emergencies.
Building a secure archival environment requires a strategic, layered approach. This post outlines five essential elements every archival institution should implement: access control, secure storage, surveillance systems, staff training, and vulnerability assessments.
Preserving archival collections requires more than short-term interventions or reactive measures. Establishing a long-term archival preservation strategy is essential to ensure that materials remain accessible, stable, and intact for future generations.
Changes in an archival project occur frequently and can affect its objectives. For some archival projects, changes are predictable—which allows you to formulate the next actions. If an unanticipated change is significant, seek the advice of the sponsor before taking any action that might alter the project’s direction.
Archival project managers may need to sign contracts with vendors for some project phases or tasks. Reviewing and negotiating contracts is often new territory for archivists, especially for projects which require undertaking new endeavors, developing new skills, and creating unique deliverables.
The type of contract you’re working with will define your budget management behavior. Contracts comprise a statement of work, terms and conditions, deliverables, deadlines, and costs. The three main contract types are: time and materials contracts, cost plus contracts, and fixed price contracts.
Archival projects have a range of costs to contemplate; for example, those that are direct and those that are indirect, those that are labor-related, and those paid to vendors or subcontractors for parts or services. Please read on for definitions and tactics to manage all these types of archival project expenditures.
The authority to begin an archival project is granted in a variety of ways, depending on the type of project. Approval may be in the form of an internal document signed by the sponsor, or an elaborate contract with an external client. Some organizations call this formal authority to advance a “project charter”, but it can also be known as a proposal, project datasheet, project specification, or a project definition document.
The past several years for me have been quite a journey. I started my own consulting business, wrote a few books, started teaching at universities, worked with a number of clients, and expanded my professional network substantially. I also shared some of the lessons I learned from working as a self-employed archivist. Here are some of the most popular posts on my career advice.
I've compiled some of my best post posts on archival management. I love being a consultant who can help organizations fund, set up, or expand their archives programs. Interested in learning more about what I do? Check out my services.
As you plan your archival project, analyze its risks and their impacts. Assessing and proactively mitigating risks guards against problems. Projects also have assumptions that should be explored before executing the project.
Risk refers to circumstances existing outside your control that impact the project. Successful projects ensue when your team addresses problems before they occur. They may not foretell all difficulties, and unlikely obstacles may still arise. Reactive project managers resolve issues when they happen, but proactive project managers determine issues beforehand.
