Preservation Services at Dartmouth College: There's an App for That!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

There's an App for That!

Following on the disaster preparedness theme of last week's post, I'd like to highlight an app that is making the library and museum preservation rounds - ERS: the Emergency Response and Salvage App created by Heritage Preservation and the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training(NCPTT).

This handy mobile application is based on the Heritage Preservation Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel and provides easy to follow guidelines for responding to water damage caused by floods, leaks, storms, and fires. The great thing about this app...well, there are many, but one great thing is anyone can download it, thus increasing the chance of getting it quickly into the hands of someone who is in the very early stages of a clean up operation. The app is free and works on iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad devices.

ERS is well organized with easy to understand icons. The brief headings lead you to basic information for disaster preparation (when you know a storm or flood may be coming your way), how to stay safe when assessing the disaster site, and a glossary of salvage techniques to help non-specialists understand the terms used in the recovery guidelines. There is information about handling a wide range of materials including textiles, photographs, books, and computer disks. It even has advice for taxidermy mounts!

The Task Force icon links you to the Disaster Planning and Response resources on the Heritage Preservation website, which contain even more information: experts to call, videos, checklists, and free downloads.

Thank you Heritage Preservation and NCPTT for a terrific app!

Written by Barb Sagraves.

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Contributors

Deborah Howe Is the Collections Conservator at Dartmouth College Library. She's been involved in the book community for over 20 years. She is a member of the Guild of Book Workers and teaches classes in the Book Arts program.

Ryland Ianelli Is a cartoonist and Project Specialist in the Dartmouth Preservation Services department. He graduated from Reed College with a BA in Art History in 2008 and, more recently, from the Center for Cartoon Studies with an MFA in Cartooning in 2010. In addition to his work in Preservation and the Digital Production Unit, he is currently drawing and writing for various independently published comics and anthologies.

Barb Sagraves has been head of Preservation Services since its creation in 1995. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan SLIS program, has an MA in Medieval History from Michigan State University, and a BA in History from the University of Oklahoma. In her role as department head, Barb has overall responsibility for the preservation program and policies at Dartmouth College Library and is in charge of the Book Arts Program.

Jenny Mullins has been the Digital Preservation Librarian for Dartmouth College Library since May of 2014. Prior to coming to Dartmouth, she preserved video and audio collections, helped build a digital repository and worked in book and paper conservation labs. Jenny is a member of ALA and co-chair of the Preservation Metadata Interest Group for 2015-17.