COSTEP MA

Keeping History Above Water®: Portsmouth will expand on steps the City, Strawbery Banke and other coastal advocates are taking to address the challenges depicted in previous KHAW sessions, the data collection and remediation efforts, and the public outreach initiatives focused on adaptation, resilience, and solutions to the impacts of sea-level-rise, recurrent flooding, and climate change … Continue reading “Keeping History Above Water” Conference: Portsmouth, NH – May 7 – 9, 2023

Conservators with the Library's Preservation Emergency Response Team explain and demonstrate how the Library of Congress prepares for and responds to emergencies that threaten or damage collections, in particular, for dealing with water-damaged collections. This video includes a brief description of the broad range of preservation activities undertaken by the Library's Preservation Directorate. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mp4c8B371jg

The following was notice was just released by Mia Mansfield, Director of Climate Adaptation and Resilience for the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. (You may be familiar with their office's previous work leading ResilientMA.) After over a year of extensive data analysis and stakeholder engagement, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & … Continue reading Draft MA Climate Change Assessment available for public comment

GUIDELINES ON FLOOD ADAPTATION FOR REHABILITATING HISTORIC BUILDINGS (PDF). (The PDF file is too large to embed on our site.) A must-read for historic property managers, owners, and stakeholders. Related: FEMA Flood Map Service Center | Preservation in a Changing Climate: Salem - Conference Recording - YouTube - Conference recordings include multiple presentations about the … Continue reading National Parks Service’s New Technical Preservation Series Publication: Guidelines on Flood Adaptation for Historic Buildings

Announcing New Funding Opportunity: Cultural and Community Resilience! Due: January 12, 2023 Optional draft due: December 1, 2022 Maximum funding: $150,000 Funding for: Digital Surrogate Collections; Oral History Collections; Physical Archival Collections; Plans for Community Documentation More information: https://www.neh.gov/program/cultural-and-community-resilience Further questions? preservation@neh.gov The Cultural and Community Resilience (CCR) program contributes to the continuity of cultural heritage and its availability for … Continue reading NEW! NEH Grant Opportunity: Cultural and Community Resilience

COSTEP MA is pleased to freely offer a limited number of Disaster Recovery Kits (universityproducts.com) to cultural heritage institutions in Massachusetts. These kits are valued at $253 each and are especially useful for responding to relatively small collections emergencies. Eight institutions will be randomly selected to each receive one kit after satisfying the following program … Continue reading Disaster Recovery Kit Giveaway to COSTEP MA subscribers!

Hosted by the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) on November 9th, 1p. FREE. Registration required. Have you ever wondered what it is like working with a disaster recovery company (DRC) after an emergency event? Have you considered the benefits and costs associated with having a pre-established contract in place with a DRC before an … Continue reading Webinar, Nov 9: Working with Disaster Recovery Companies

Familiar with the games "Apples to Apples" or "Cards Against Humanity?" Using a similar model, Julia Merkel with Trudy Cole, both affiliated with James Madison University Libraries, have recently released "Master the Disaster: A Response and Recovery Card Game for Museum & Library Personnel." (DOI.) It looks well-researched and fun! Perhaps to be included in … Continue reading New Card Game for Disaster Prep Training in Cultural Institutions

COSTEP MA co-chairs were recently invited to speak at a quarterly meeting of the Western MA Historical Commission Coalition as panelists on the topic of "Resiliency and Historic Preservation." A recording is available on Youtube: Western MA Historic Commissions Coalition - Resiliency and Historic Preservation - YouTube. Check out the work of the Coalition!: W. … Continue reading Planning & Resiliency Resources from Western MA Historical Commission Coalition

The Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative (SCRI) and the Heritage Emergency National Task Force (HENTF) have announced that after a two-year hiatus, the Heritage Emergency And Response Training (HEART) program will be held in person in Washington DC from December 5-9, 2022. The call for applications is now open. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, October … Continue reading Heritage Emergency And Response Training (HEART) program accepting applications for 2022 cohort