Develop Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan and Staff Training to Preserve Archives

FAIN: PG-51663-12

Town of Southampton (Southampton, NY 11968-4934)
Sundy Schermeyer (Project Director: May 2011 to November 2013)

The hiring of a consultant to provide on-site training in disaster preparedness and response and assistance with a disaster plan to protect the Town's historical records. Comprising over 6,500 cubic feet of manuscripts, maps, bound volumes, photographs, newspapers, and other published and unpublished materials, the collection documents the history of New York State's earliest English colony, founded in 1640. Included are property transactions between European settlers and Shinnecock Indians; early court case files, household inventories, and business licenses; records pertaining to the establishment of schools, transportation systems, and public health institutions; and various other primary source materials reflecting the economic and social development of eastern Long Island from the colonial period forward.

Southampton Town, on the shores of eastern Long Island, NY, seeks assistance in preparing a "Disaster Preparedness & Response Plan" to protect its archives and historical collections from fire, flood, in-house system failure, or natural disaster. The goal is to create an effective plan that addresses all conceivable threats to the archives and historical collections, dating back to 1639, as well as to prepare and identify appropriate staff and/or volunteers in methods, procedures, and resources for critical response. The project has three objectives: retain a consultant to guide and assist in developing a disaster preparedness and response plan; purchase essential preservation supplies recommended by the consultant; and conduct on-site training for staff and volunteers in disaster preparedness and response procedures.