Cultural asset mapping: building networks among cultural stewards and emergency managers
Abstract as pdf
Corresponding Author:
Cornelia Posch
University of Delaware, Disaster Research Center United States of America
posch@udel.edu
Author(s):
This paper investigates issues that arise at the intersection of cultural heritage and disasters and presents one example of "blue sky activities" that can have a significant impact on how cultural institutions fare in the aftermath of a disaster. The speaker is part of the Delaware Project to Protect Cultural Heritage, a collaborative asset mapping effort by HENTF (Heritage Emergency National Task Force) and DEMA (Delaware Emergency Management Agency). In view of the frequency and force with which natural hazards are impacting communities around the world, cultural stewards employ a variety of approaches and methods in the attempt to preserve and protect the resources in their care. In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, the emergency responders' priority of saving lives and repairing critical infrastructure makes it difficult to place cultural heritage on the agenda of response organizations. The literature and practice show that closer cooperation between emergency managers and cultural stewards yields a positive influence on the response and recovery process, as well as on the outcome, by limiting damage to the collections. Asset mapping — the collection of geospatial and contact information, and the visualization of locations of assets on a map — is one way to improve cooperation.
Several states across the U.S. are currently creating lists of their cultural resources, a process during which conversations about professional and organizational identity, values, boundaries, and priorities can happen naturally. At the end of these processes stand databases and the visual presentation of cultural assets on charts that can be overlayed with flood maps, projected hurricane paths, and other vulnerability data points. Both the tangible product and the intangible process — the networking — are invaluable for successful preparation for and response to a future emergency or disaster. HENTF, a federal entity, has found partners in DEMA and cultural stewards across the State of Delaware, and the project has successfully completed the first steps towards an asset map that will help protect Delaware's cultural resources in the future.
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Organizational learning and change during the "Blue Skies"