Have you been reading the updates on the Haiti earthquake and wishing that you could help? Are you an archivist,conservator,preservation professional? Read on.
There has been a call for volunteers through the Blue Shield network,and according to the International Council of Archives,as of February 11,2010,there have been over 500 volunteers.
From the Blue Shield press release:
The Blue Shield is the protective emblem of the 1954 Hague Convention which is the basic
international treaty formulating rules to protect cultural heritage during armed conflicts. The
Blue Shield network consists of organisations dealing with museums,archives,audiovisual
supports,libraries,monuments and sites.
The International Committee of the Blue Shield (ICBS),founded in 1996,comprises
representatives of the five Non‐Governmental Organisations (NGOs) working in this field:
- The International Council on Archives (www.ica.org),
- The International Council of Museums (www.icom.museum),
- The International Council on Monuments and Sites (www.icomos.org),and
- The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (www.ifla.org)
- The Co‐ordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (www.ccaaa.org)
National Blue Shield Committees have been founded in a number of countries (18
established and 18 under construction). The Association of National Committees of the Blue
Shield (ANCBS),founded in December 2008,will coordinate and strengthen international
efforts to protect cultural property at risk of destruction in armed conflicts or natural
disasters. The ANCBS has its headquarters in The Hague.
The Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield (ANCBS) wants to help the people of Haiti
The earthquake in Haiti of 12th January has caused an enormous devastation. The amount of people that lost their lives is beyond imagination. At the moment basic humanitarian aid and the rebuilding of a functioning infrastructure is crucial.
However,as soon as the situation in Haiti has become more stable,Blue Shield wants to help to enable experts from all over the world to support their Haitian colleagues in assessing the damage to the cultural heritage and therefore to the identity of their country. Subsequently,Blue Shield wants to support recovery,restoration and repair measures necessary to rebuild libraries,archives,museums,monuments and sites.
An important task of ANCBS is to coordinate information. ANCBS needs to know who and where the experts are. ANCBS therefore calls upon archivists,restorers,curators,librarians,architects and other experts to register online as a volunteer.
ANCBS wants to be able to bring experts in contact with those organizations that will send missions to Haiti,and make sure that volunteers will be informed about the situation in Haiti.
Please join Blue Shield to help your Haitian colleagues.
More information at the website.
Information from the ICA- first and second update on Haiti;list/statement of needs (download pdf at this link)
The International Council on Archives wants to publicize throughout the international community the efforts of our Haitian colleagues,who have formed a crisis cell “Heritage in danger”,on the fringes of the official commission for the evaluation of buildings and reconstruction. An initial statement of requirements has been issued and you will find a copy of it attached. The Secretariat has very recently been in touch with Jean-Wilfrid Bertrand,the National Archivist of Haiti,and Jérémy Lachal,Executive Director of Libraries Without Borders,currently on mission in Port-au-Prince. Jean-Wilfrid and others have confirmed that the items on the requirements list are really needed,and that,if anything,it is an under-statement. Jean-Wilfrid has in particular emphasized the urgent requirement for tarpaulins. These are needed to protect records that are at present lying on the ground,because the buildings that previously housed them have been destroyed. If nothing is done now,they will be completely exposed during the forthcoming rainy season. ICA is now working as a matter of urgency on ways of getting these and other materials to him at Port-au-Prince as quickly as possible.
…from the “equipment”section of the list:
2.2. Equipment
2.2.1. 60,000 acid-free archive storage boxes (350 x 350 x 350
mm)
2.2.2. 150,000 plastic gloves
2.2.3. 150,000 protective masks
2.2.4. 30,000 rolls of adhesive tape (neutral glue)
2.2.5. Pencils,felt-tips,labels,acid-free wrapping paper,glue,
string,zinc-coated paper clips,staplers,needles,8½ x 11,
8 ½ x 14 size paper
2.2.6. 50 laptop computers
2.2.7. Three computer servers
2.2.8. 100 tents to act as temporary shelters for records and
salvage personnel
2.2.9. 20 two-way handheld radio transceivers
2.2.10. 20 mobile phones
2.2.11. 15 digital cameras of semi-professional specification
2.2.12. 8 GPS (global positioning system) devices
2.2.13. 200 safety helmets with lamps (miner’s helmet-style)
2.2.14. 30 heavy duty flashlights
2.2.15. 10 pick-up trucks
2.2.16. 5 lorries
2.2.17. Temporary storage facility measuring 10,000 square meters.
The managers of the Canne-à-Sucre historical park have
offered a storage facility,which is far too small
2.2.18. 2000 struts or props with hydraulic jacks
2.2.19. 2000 tubular scaffoldings with gaskets
2.2.20. 30 20 x 40 feet containers
2.2.21. 100 metal trunks (or durable plastic)
2.3. Financial Resources
We need money to:
2.3.1. Provide logistical support (fuel,food,transportation,
communication expenses,etc.
2.3.2. Rent storage facilities
2.3.3. Rent or buy second hand containers
2.3.4. Offer incentive pay for non volunteer workers
2.3.5. Purchase records,photographs,audio and video material
created prior to the earthquake
2.3.6. Write a damage report with photographic evidence
2.3.7. Purchase inventory software and set up a database
Full list of needs,requirements available in PDF at the bottom of this ICA announcement.
A few sources of information:
dLoc (Digital Library of the Caribbean)
Cultural riches turn to rubble in Haiti quake- New York Times