California Judicial Center Library Disaster Preparedness Project

FAIN: PG-51302-11

State of California (San Francisco, CA 94102-7016)
Frances M. Jones (Project Director: May 2010 to October 2012)

Disaster preparedness measures for the library's special collections and archives unit, including risk assessment, staff training, and the purchase of preservation supplies. The collections consist of the personal papers of several California Supreme Court justices, along with published and unpublished materials from other individuals and organizations documenting the history of judicial decision making and legal affairs in California from the 1850s to present. Notable examples include records of the California Supreme Court Historical Society, papers of legal scholar Bernard Witkin, and 165 linear feet of manuscripts, photographs, and audiovisual items collected by the state's longest-serving Supreme Court justice, Stanley Mosk, and spanning the period from 1912 to 2006.

The California Judicial Center Library (CJCL) will engage the services of a professional preservation consultant to conduct an assessment of the risks to the collections of CJCL Special Collections & Archives (SC&A), provide training and guidance in the development of a disaster preparedness plan, and provide recommendations to CJCL SC&A staff for the mitigation of potential risks to the collection. Funds for the purchase disaster preparedness supplies and archival storage materials are included in the project budget. CJCL SC&A collects the papers of California Supreme Court Justices and other primary and secondary resources relating to the history of the California Supreme Court. CJCL SC&A holdings are unique and irreplaceable. A written disaster preparedness plan, staff training, and a cache of disaster preparedness supplies will greatly enhance CJCL's ability to mitigate potential risks to the collections and respond quickly and effectively in the event of a disaster.