TSLA participates in "MayDay" disaster preparedness workshops

Every year on May 1 cultural institutions around the nation are encouraged to spend a portion of the day focusing on disaster preparedness.

Tennessee has certainly experienced disasters over the last several years with flooding, tornadoes, and power outages all impacting our citizens. To prepare for future disasters, the Tennessee Association of Museums and the Society of Tennessee Archivists are jointly holding three simultaneous free workshops focusing on disaster preparedness. The workshops will cover various aspects of disaster preparedness and are designed to encourage museums, archives, historic sites, and historic homes to develop disaster plans.
 
The Tennessee State Library and Archives is contributing to the efforts by providing staff to teach the workshops in Middle and West Tennessee.

The West Tennessee May Day workshop is being held from 9:30 a.m. to Noon (CDT) at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis and is being conducted by Carol Roberts, conservator at TSLA.

The Middle Tennessee workshop will take place at the Gallatin City Hall also from 9:30 a.m. to Noon (CDT). Myers Brown of the Archives Development Program at TSLA will lead this workshop, assisted by Martha Akins of the Tennessee Historical Commission.
 
In East Tennessee, from 9:30 a.m. to Noon (EDT) Dr. Katie Stringer, director of the Blount Mansion, will conduct a workshop at the Museum Center at 5ive Points in Cleveland, Tennessee.

To register for any of the three workshops please email Myers Brown at Myers.Brown@tn.gov. If you cannot attend the workshops, please consider making other disaster preparations on May 1. You can also learn more about rescuing storm-damaged family papers on TSLA's Preservation Services website. Click HERE for more information.

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.