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Welcome to the VAMEST Web Site - the source for information and communication for members of Virginia’s regional Museum Emergency Support Teams (MESTs).
The regional MESTs are part of the Emergency Task Force sponsored by the Virginia Association of Museums.
VAM is expanding its support of museum emergency preparedness, with the help of a generous grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). As part of the Virginia Collections Initiative, VAM will be holding 11 “Disaster Lockups” throughout Virginia from 2011 - 2013. These will take place over the next two years, throughout the state, and will provide participating museums with templates and support for completing disaster plans.
Despite a common understanding of the importance and desirability of having a disaster plan in place, it is often difficult to accomplish while juggling the tasks of daily museum operations, especially for a small museum staff. However, during the Lockups, museums will be given a limited timeframe and specific date dedicated to completing a plan, together with a user-friendly template. The goal of the Lockups is to support and encourage every collecting institution in the state to have a disaster plan in place.
Participants in the Lockups will first attend a webinar that will go over in detail what will take place during the Lockup, and what information they will need to bring with them to complete their disaster plans. Participants will learn crucial disaster prevention and basic preparation steps to take, best practices in collections risk analysis and management, and will use a disaster plan template and write a disaster plan for the their institution - they will be “locked in” until they finish.
Museums can find out more about the Lockups and the Virginia Collections Initiative by visiting the VAM website at www.vamuseums.org.