Fire at CitiStorage warehouse, Brooklyn

Last Friday, a CitiStorage records storage warehouse in Brooklyn caught fire. The facility housed tens of thousands of cubic feet of records created by several New York City agencies, including the Administration for Children's Services, the Health and Hospitals Corporation, the Department of Environmental Protection, , and the Department of Correction; earlier reports that the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development also had records at the facility have turned out to be incorrect. In addition, it may have housed records created by courts that are part of New York State's Unified Court System; however, some or all of these records may have been stored at an adjacent CitiStorage facility unaffected by the fire. In addition, approximately 300 cubic feet of archival UJA Federation records were destroyed by the blaze; fortunately, the bulk of the federation's archival records had been taken out of the warehouse and transferred to the American Jewish Historical Society well before the fire began.

With the exception of the UJA Federation records, it seems that most of the records destroyed in or dispersed by the fire were ultimately slated for destruction. However, some of them contain information that is restricted under state or federal law -- and the ferocity of the fire, firefighters' efforts to combat the blaze, and weather conditions scattered large quantities of them all over the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg. Records found on the streets and waterfront of Williamsburg included "charred medical records, court transcripts, lawyers’ letters, sonograms, bank checks" and a host of other documents containing personal medical, financial, and legal data. Some were marked "confidential," and some contained Social Security Numbers. The City of New York has dispatched contractors to retrieve and securely destroy as many of these records as possible, but "scavengers and artists" and other area residents are also picking up the documents they encounter.

Earlier this week, the New York Times published an article that, in an roundabout way, questioned why city agencies "would store thousands of paper records in cardboard boxes stacked floor to ceiling" and why medical records were housed in a commercial storage facility.

As a records professional, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. We place boxes of records on shelves not only to maximize space but also to minimize the impact of fire; stacked boxes of records catch fire more slowly than stacks of loose papers. We generally use cardboard boxes not only because they are cheap and practical but also because they provide records with a modest degree of protection from water used to combat fire and because, unlike plastic, it won't melt.

As far as use of commercial storage facilities is concerned, I would much rather have records stored in a clean, secure, climate-controlled, and adequately fire-protected facility than in some government buildings I have visited. (Of course, one might question whether the CitiStorage warehouse was an appropriate choice: it's literally a stone's throw away from the East River -- in an area that may have experienced some flooding as a result of Hurricane Sandy -- and close to an oil refinery. However, no storage facility is ideal, and cost and convenience may have made CitiStorage seem like a reasonable choice.)

Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused the fire, which was actually the second of two fires reported at the facility last Saturday morning, and why the building's sprinkler system didn't douse it before it got out of control. At the time of this writing, it seems unlikely that the fire was deliberately set.

I'm not helping to respond to this disaster, and at the risk of passing on misinformation I'm not going to say much about the response effort. However, I do know that records professionals from multiple government agencies are actively working to assess losses and determine how best to deal with damaged records and that more information will emerge as this effort progresses.

Fire at the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences, Moscow

Last weekend, two facilities housing large quantities of records were affected by fire. Last Friday, the library of the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences in Moscow, Russia caught fire. The blaze affected approximately 21,500 square feet of the library building and caused approximately 1,000 square feet of the building's roof to collapse. The damage to the institute's collections, which include published and manuscript materials, is staggering:

According to preliminary estimates, the library lost about 15 percent of its collection, which was estimated at 14.2 million documents.

Among the destroyed works were rare publications from the 16th-20th centuries, as well as unique United Nations documents. Works that were not destroyed completely suffered severe damage from smoke and water. The computer servers holding 3.5 million digital copies of the collection may also have been damaged. Additionally, the collapsed roof of the building has left many remaining documents exposed to the elements.

It will be difficult to determine exactly what has been lost since most of the library’s content had not been digitized and both card catalogues were entirely destroyed in the disaster.

At the time of this writing, the cause of the fire is unknown and recovery efforts have just begun. My heart goes out to the staff of the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences is Moscow, who are about to embark upon a long, arduous journey -- and who will not live to see the journey's end. My own repository suffered a devastating fire almost 104 years ago, and some of my colleagues are still rehousing and stabilizing damaged materials and investigating new techniques for recovering information obscured by charring and other fire-related damage. I expect that this work will continue long after we are all gone.

I hope that the international library and archives communities rally to support the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences. I'll keep an eye out for developments on this front and will post updates when appropriate.

Electronic records disaster preparedness workshops in New York State

Owing to the extensive damage that eastern New York State suffered as a result of the remnants of Hurricanes Irene and Lee and that New York City and Long Island experienced as a result of Hurricane Sandy, archives throughout the state are devoting a lot more attention to disaster preparedness and recovery.  They're also trying to fill in some gaps in the existing professional literature, which is pretty squarely focused on paper and film-based records.  In an age in which ever-increasing quantities of archival records are created and housed digitally and repositories create and maintain access tools electronically,  archivists and records managers need to know how to protect their digital assets and recover data stored on electronic media.

In an effort to give archivists and records managers the tools they need, two organizations are offering electronic records disaster preparedness and recovery workshops next month.

First, on 7 March, the Metropolitan New York Library Council and New York University's Moving Image Archiving and Preservation program are offering an all-day Disaster Preparedness and Response Bootcamp for Mixed Media Collections workshop in New York City:

Description
When a disaster strikes and valuable collections are damaged, the clock begins ticking. The actions taken in the first few hours and days are critical to the long-term recovery of the material. Yet this is also the time when more damage can be done due to chaos, carelessness, and lack of preparation. Disaster preparedness plans can provide guidance, but every disaster is different and disaster plans need to be adapted to the specific response scenario. This workshop will focus on disaster preparedness planning and first response, and will provide participants with the opportunity to think on their feet, get hands-on handling experience, discuss challenges, and learn from real-world case studies.

Learning Outcomes
Participants will be introduced to critical first response steps as well as logistics considerations and operational requirements of a salvage and recovery scenario for cultural heritage collections. Participants will also learn how to improve their disaster preparedness plans so that when the next disaster strikes, caretakers will be ready to respond. While handling and recovery procedures for different media types will be discussed, it will not go into great detail on conservation procedures for specific media types. Recovery procedures for media such as video, audio, and film will be emphasized, due to the unique requirements of these media, and lack of available literature.

Disclaimer
Portions of this workshop will be videotaped. By registering to participate in this workshop, you grant METRO and MIAP the right to record and distribute through audio/video recording your image and/or comments or questions that may result from your participation.
Please be advised that you will get dirty during the course of this workshop. Please dress accordingly.

This workshop is being taught by Kara van Malssen, who is a Senior Consultant for AudioVisual Preservation Solutions and a graduate of the Moving Image Archiving and Preservation Program who first started doing multimedia disaster recovery work in Katrina-stricken New Orleans.  (Check out her master's thesis -- it's superb.)

The registration fee for this workshop, which is partially supported by the Institute of Library and Museum Services, is $45.00.  The workshop will be held at the Metropolitan New York Library Council's Training Center, which is located at 57 East 11th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10003.

 Second, on 26 March, the New York State Archives is offering a three-hour Electronic Records Disaster Planning & Response workshop in Albany:

Description
This workshop specifically focuses on electronic records disasters. Electronic records are susceptible to damage from water from floods or fires, heat from fires, power surges, computer viruses, and accidental or intentional destruction of data. Participants will learn how to mitigate these risks and respond should disaster occur.

Goals
This workshop will explain:

• How to assess your organization's risk of experiencing an electronic records disaster
• How to reduce the chances that a disaster will damage your electronic records
• How to salvage various types of electronic media
• How to recover data stored on damaged electronic media

Although this workshop has been customized for Records Management Officers employed by New York State government agencies, anyone may attend and most of the information contained within it will be of use to archivists and records managers working in a wide array of settings.

Although my employer's website doesn't identify any workshop instructor by name, I developed and am teaching this particular offering (apologies for the shameless self-promotion).  If you can't make it to Albany on 26 March, please note that we're planning to offer it again in the reasonably near future -- perhaps in person, quite possibly online.

There is no registration fee for this workshop, which will be held in the 11th floor conference room of the Cultural Education Center, Albany, NY 12230.

Reconstructing an organization's history in the wake of a disaster

On 29 October, Hurricane Sandy devastated eastern New Jersey and southeastern New York State. Dozens of people died, scores of homes and commercial buildings were destroyed, and the region's transportation infrastructure suffered extensive damage. Thousands of people are still struggling to salvage damaged possessions from houses that are damaged beyond repair or living in houses and apartment buildings that still lack electricity, gas, water, and other utilities. The governors of New Jersey and New York estimate that the total cost of their states' recovery will be approximately $79 billion.

Since 29 October, several of my colleagues have been fielding calls from state and local government agencies, colleges and universities, libraries, non-profit organizations, and other entities in New York State that have been affected by Sandy. I expect that we'll continue to get these calls for at least a few more weeks; several of the people who have been in contact with us have yet to receive permission to enter their facilities and inspect their records in person.

My involvement in the recovery effort has been pretty much limited to answering occasional questions relating to salvage of damaged electronic media, but I have been in touch with a non-profit organization that lost over twenty years' worth of archival records and publications when its storage space flooded. The records might have been salvageable, but they were discarded by building management, which didn't consult with the organization -- or any of the other organizations that used the same storage facility -- before doing so.

The organization -- which does life-saving work -- has a keen sense of its own history and wants to ensure that its work is documented appropriately. It has some ideas about how to recover its lost institutional history, but would appreciate suggestions from people who have gone though similar experiences. My colleagues and I were able to supply some suggestions, but we're more accustomed to helping people salvage damaged records. Moreover, the archival professional literature doesn't devote much attention to this topic. I thought that at least a few of this blog's tens of regular readers might have some additional ideas. If you have any ideas to add to the following list of strategies for reconstructing an organization's history in the wake of a disaster, please comment on this post.  Thanks!

1. The organization has a substantial social media presence, and its staff recognized right away that issuing a call for donations of older publications and other items might help to replace at least some of the materials that were lost.

2. The organization's office space wasn't damaged, and staff should search their file cabinets, laptops, desktops, and server for older files. A full-scale records inventory is probably in order.

3. The organization is headquartered in New York State but has several geographically distant branch offices. The other offices probably have paper or electronic copies of at least some lost records and publications.

4. The organization has a board of directors and an advisory group, and we suggested reaching out to current and former members of these bodies. (I'm really hoping that at least one member has pack-rat tendencies.) Current and former staff members may also have kept copies of records and publications that they helped to create; they may also have photographs and other materials that might help to document the organization's history.

5. An oral history project centering on current and former board members and staffers may help to recapture information that isn't present in surviving records.

6. The organization's finances are audited by an outside firm, and the firm may have copies of older financial records. The organization's outside counsel may also have copies of records of enduring or operational value.

7. The Internet Archive has been crawling the organization's site since the late 1990s, and a cursory review of the oldest crawls reveals that publications and other content that is no longer part of the organization's live site are available through the Internet Archive. A systematic review of the Internet Archive's crawls of the site may be in order.

Salvage and recovery of water-damaged solid-state electronic media

In the wake of tropical storms Irene and Lee, I've done some research into how to salvage and recover data housed on flood-damaged electronic media. There are some great, media-specific resources out there:

• Hard drives: Library of Congress; U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
• Data tapes and analog audio and video tape: Association of Moving Image Archivists; Library of Congress; NARA; Specs Brothers
• CDs and DVDs: Library of Congress; NARA
• Floppy diskettes (yep, some people still use them): NARA

However, at present, information about how to salvage and recover data housed on solid-state media such as flash drives and digital camera and smartphone memory cards and solid-state devices such as portable music players (sometimes used to record audio), tablet devices, and computers with solid-state drives (e.g., MacBook Airs) isn't readily available. As a result, I contacted several vendors who specialize in recovering data from electronic media and devices damaged in floods, fires, and other disasters and asked for their advice. What follows is an initial summary of these conversations. I hope that it fills a gap in the existing professional literature -- and that no one who reads this blog ever has cause to make use of the following advice.

First, a few general guidelines:

• Restoring data from backups is always easier and cheaper than recovering data housed on damaged electronic media. Back up your data!
• A good disaster management plan will reduce the risk that your media will be damaged. For more information about developing such plans, consult the New York State Archives publication Preparing for the Worst: Managing Records Disasters.
  
• Floods and burst pipes aren't the only water-based disasters. First responders use water to fight fire and to keep down dust from collapsed structures. If your media is burned or crushed and wet, treat it as water-damaged.
  
• In some instances, you may have no choice but to try to recover data from damaged media. Backups may be incomplete or become corrupt, and sometimes records created immediately before disaster strikes (e.g., photographs documenting a crime scene) are so valuable that the time and expense associated with recovery is warranted.
• When disaster strikes, salvage damaged media and stabilize it long enough to determine whether your backups are complete and intact. If your backups are complete and readable or the records on the damaged media are less than essential, don't attempt to recover the data stored on the damaged media; however, as noted below, the cost of attempting to recover non-essential data from water-damaged flash drives and memory cards is so low that you might want to give recovery a shot. If the records are essential and backups don’t exist, are incomplete, or have been corrupted, attempt to recover the data housed on the damaged media.
• Actions suitable for water-damaged paper records may destroy electronic media. Although solid-state media should be air- or rice-dried (see below), some types of electronic media (e.g., hard drives) should be kept wet. Freeze- or vacuum-drying or using heat to speed air drying will likely destroy most forms of electronic media, and using heat to speed air-drying may also damage or destroy media.
• Protect yourself. Before you enter a flooded area, consult with emergency personnel and make sure that it's safe to enter. Contaminated water and live electricity -- keep in mind that uninterruptible power supplies attached to hardware may be live well after the power goes off -- pose serious safety risks, and noxious gases can build up, particularly in basements. Wear appropriate protective gear.
• Be prepared to document the disaster. If you need to file an insurance claim, your insurer will likely want photographs illustrating the extent of the damage. If the disaster is small (e.g., you drop a thumb drive housing important records into a cup of coffee), you may want pictures for your own records. If you're an archivist, records manager, or conservator, you may also want images to incorporate into presentations, publications, or other training materials. You may also need to take notes about the scope of the disaster and the location of hardware and media (first responders sometimes disconnect stuff and move it around).

Now, down to the nitty-gritty of salvaging and recovering water-damaged solid-state media and devices. If you're confronted with water-damaged solid-state media or devices, the following guidelines will maximize your chances of recovering your data.

Before you begin your initial salvage and stabilization effort, make sure you have the appropriate supplies on hand. For solid-state media and device(s), you'll need, at minimum, some clean, dry, lint-free cotton cloths (in a pinch, old bedsheets or garments will do) and some gallon- or quart-sized zippered plastic storage bags. Odd as it may seem, you may also want to have some uncooked white rice on hand.

Salvage and stabilization of flash drives and memory cards

• Remove memory cards from devices and disconnect drives from powered-down hardware.
• Wipe off any surface dirt and water with a clean, dry, lint-free cloth and then air-dry the media as soon as possible: place the media on a clean, dry, lint-free cotton cloth and prop it up in a way that speeds drainage.
• You may use fans and dehumidifiers to facilitate the drying process.

Salvage and stabilization of solid-state devices (e.g., cell phones, tablet devices, computers with solid-state drives)

• Unplug or remove the battery as soon as possible and gently shake the device to remove water lodged in ports and other openings.
• Wipe off surface dirt and water with a clean, dry, lint-free cotton cloth and then air-dry or "rice-dry" the device. To air dry the device, place it on a clean, dry, lint-free cotton cloth and prop it up in a way that facilitates drainage. You may use fans and dehumidifiers to speed the process. To rice-dry the device, place it in a zippered plastic storage bag and then fill the bag with uncooked white rice. If you must retain the device for more than 2-3 days, replace the rice to reduce the risk of mold growth. (FYI, this "rice-dry" technique may also bring water-damaged cell phones or digital cameras back to life . . . but I don't think I would trust such a device in a mission-critical situation.)

After you've salvaged and stabilized the media or device(s), assess whether recovery is warranted. Do you have complete, uncorrupted backups of the records stored on the media or device? If you do, restored the data from the backups and discard your damaged media. If you don't, how valuable are the records? Are they essential to your business operations or a court proceeding? Are they of immense historical (or, in the case of personal files, sentimental) value? How great is the cost of recovering the data? As noted below, the cost of attempting to recover non-essential data from a flash drive or memory card is quite low. The cost of having a vendor recover data from a solid-state device can be quite high. You have to determine whether the value of the records warrants the cost of recovering them.

If you determine that the data is essential and warrants the cost of recovery, you'll need to contract with a vendor that specializes in data recovery work. Many state archives maintain lists of such vendors, and a quick Web search will identify many others.

If the data is non-essential, discard the media or device appropriately; however, if the data is stored on a flash drive or memory card, you may want to try to recover it yourself. Damaged flash drives and memory cards that house legally restricted or sensitive data should be physically destroyed (by a recycling vendor or with a hammer or shredder), and damaged devices that house such data should be sent to a vendor that will destroy their drives and recycle their other components. Damaged media and devices that don't contain such data can probably be recycled by vendors who specialize in processing electronic waste.

Recovering data from flash drives and memory cards

• If the data is essential, send the drive or card to a qualified disaster recovery vendor.
• If the data is non-essential, attempt to read the files on the damaged device. If you are successful, copy the files onto new media and discard the damaged media. If you are not successful, admit defeat and discard the media or, if you are attempting to recover data from a memory card, decide whether the purchase of commercial recovery software (prices begin at around $30.00) is warranted.

Recovering data from solid-state devices

• Air- or rice-dry the device(s) and then send the device(s) to a qualified disaster recovery vendor. These devices are difficult to open and require special handling. Do not attempt to recover the data yourself.

Establish a relationship with your disaster recovery vendor as quickly as possible. Most vendors have 24/7 phone coverage, and they may be able to provide additional stabilization and recovery advice, offer pickup service (particularly in major metropolitan areas), and provide special handling or packing instructions. Moreover, the sooner recovery begins, the greater the chance it will be successful.

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration has a great list of security and other considerations that should be discussed with prospective vendors and incorporated into service contracts. I have only one thing to add: be honest about the nature of your disaster. If your media or device came into contact with water that may have contained biological or chemical hazards, tell the vendor about it. Vendors have the protective gear and equipment needed to work with contaminated material and they deal with embarrassing situations (e.g., "I dropped my camera in the toilet!") all the time, but they need to know what's coming their way.

As far as sending the media or device(s) to the vendor is concerned, follow the instructions provided by the vendor. However, you will probably be asked to do the following:

• Place each piece of media and each device into a zippered plastic storage bag.
• Surround each bagged piece of media or device with bubble wrap.
• Pack the media or device(s) appropriately.
• If sending portable media to a vendor, you may be able to use a rigid shipping envelope. You can also use a box at least twice as large as the media.
• If sending device(s) to a vendor, use a box at least twice as large as the device
• If using a box, immobilize the media or device(s) with packing material (N.B.: some vendors will request that each piece of media and each device be placed in its own box)
  
• Ship to the vendor via overnight delivery service

Disclaimer: I am not liable for any losses or damages resulting from following any of the advice contained within this post.

Labor for Your Neighbor

Being in Albany is a little strange right now. Anyone who stays close to the city and its environs could be forgiven for thinking that nothing's out of the ordinary. The bundles of tree limbs that appear on the curbs on trash day make it plain that a storm recently passed through, but that's par for the course for upstate New York in August.

Less than an hour away in any direction, however, life is anything but normal. Irene wreaked havoc in and around the Schoharie Valley, the Catskills, the Adirondacks, and in Vermont. Eleven New Yorkers -- one of them the wife of a recently retired colleague -- and Vermonters died, hundreds of people -- among them a colleague's son and daughter-in-law -- have lost their homes, tens of thousands of others are cleaning up flooded homes and businesses, and many others are largely cut off from the outside world as a result of washed-out bridges and roads. Farmers in eastern New York and Vermont have suffered devastating losses of crops and livestock.

It's increasingly apparent that history is one of the casualties of Irene: historic covered bridges in nearby Schoharie County and in Vermont were swept away by flood waters, the Revolutionary War-era Guy Park Manor in Amsterdam, New York may have to be demolished, and several of my colleagues have helped local governments salvage water-damaged records. All of them have come back to the office visibly shaken by what they've seen.

I realize that Irene's impact wasn't limited to New York and Vermont -- people in twelve states are dead as a result of this storm -- and that several other states are also dealing with severe flooding. However, I also know that a disproportionate number of this blog's tens of regular readers live in the Albany area, so I'm focusing on local matters in this post.

If you want to help your flood-affected neighbors, you have several options:

• Governor Cuomo is asking New Yorkers to take part in a “Labor for your Neighbor” volunteer effort on Labor Day weekend to assist in local clean-up efforts in the Schoharie Valley, Catskill and North Country Regions. Volunteers will devote a few hours on Sunday or Monday in the affected regions helping people in flood-stricken areas clear their homes of the mud and debris Irene left behind. The New York National Guard and the New York State Office of Emergency Management will coordinate volunteer efforts and transport volunteers. If you are interested in taking part, sign up here. (N.B.: Advance registration is mandatory -- you can't simply show up and expect to be put to work!)

• If other commitments or health issues prevent you from taking part in Labor for Your Neighbor, you can donate to the United Way of New York via the Labor for Your Neighbor Web page. All contributions will be funneled to reputable charitable organizations serving the affected areas.

• If you're looking for other ways to help in New York, the Albany Times-Union has posted a list of organizations seeking volunteer assistance (advance registration required!) or monetary donations. N.B.: the list includes a historic site and a public library.

• If you want to help our neighbors in Vermont get back on their feet, the Vermont indie newsweekly Seven Days has posted a list of ways you can do so.

Please, please do what you can.

Coming home to a disaster

I have a post in the works about 2011 Society of American Archivists annual meeting session 705, Theft Transparency in the Digital Age: Stakeholder Perspectives, but circumstances have forced me to shelve it for a few days.

I was away from Albany for a little more than a week, and in that time the area experienced two earthquakes -- the big one with the Virginia epicenter and a little one with an Altamont, NY epicenter -- and the after-effects of Irene. The first earthquake jolted people but didn't do any damage (at least around here) and the second one seems to have slipped by without much notice, but Irene has done horrific damage and may do still more: at the time of this writing, water levels in several New Jersey and Connecticut waterways are still rising and new evacuations have been ordered.

Eight New Yorkers -- including the wife of a former colleague -- are dead, and more than thirty people in eleven other states have lost their lives. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are still without power, and an estimated 500 homes have been destroyed. Prattsville, Maplecrest, Windham, Margaretville, and several other Catskills communities have suffered grievous damage, as have Keene and several other Adirondack communities. Flood waters entered Schenectady's Stockade District, which features homes built by Dutch settlers and their immediate descendants, and several historic neighborhoods in Troy. Roads and bridges throughout central and eastern New York are washed out or under water. The historic Blenheim Bridge in Schoharie County, which was until Sunday the longest covered bridge in the world, is among the casualties.

At present, several communities in New York and Vermont have lost all roads linking them to the outside world; the National Guard is airlifting essential supplies to several of the affected Vermont localities. Pervasive road and bridge closures make travel difficult if not impossible, and it may be weeks before anyone can truly assess the extent of the damage.

New York cultural heritage institutions affected by this disaster should be aware of the following resources:

• The New York State Archives and New York State Library have created a special Web page that outlines the services that they can provide to libraries, state agencies, local governments, and other entities affected by Irene. The State Archives and State Library are also responsible for gathering information about disasters affecting cultural heritage institutions and can point to additional resources. Both institutions can be reached by phone or via e-mail.
  
• The Library of Congress has published an online guide to recovering from floods and other water disasters; of particular note are videos showing how to clean CD's and audio and video cassettes that have been immersed in flood water.
• Heritage Preservation has posted a 10-minute video outlining how to recover materials affected by water-based disasters and other helpful resources.

If you're an individual attempting to salvage damaged family treasures, the following resources may be helpful:

• The Library of Congress has published a guide to salvaging and preserving family history materials affected by various types of disasters.
• The Heritage Preservation video about recovering from floods and other water disasters contains a lot of good advice for anyone seeking to save water-damaged materials. Heritage Preservation has also compiled a handy list of links for people seeking to save family treasures damaged by disaster.

If you would like to help those affected by Irene, consider donating your money or your time to one of these reputable charitable organizations.

New York State Capitol fire

First page of the Flushing Remonstrance, a petition from the freeholders of Flushing and Jamaica, Long Island, to New Netherland Governor Peter Stuyvesant protesting his ban on Quaker religious meetings, 1657. This document, which is particularly noteworthy because it was written by non-Quakers and is widely regarded as a precursor of the United States Constitution's guarantee of religious freedom, was badly damaged by the 25 March 1911 New York State Capitol fire. Dutch Colonial Council Minutes, 1638-1665, series A1809-78, New York State Archives, Albany, N.Y. Zoomable version available here.

One hundred years ago today, fire swept through the west side of the New York State Capitol, which then housed the collections of the State Library and the State Museum; the State Archives, which eventually took custody of the State Library's collection of state government records, had yet to be created. The fire claimed the life of night watchman Samuel Abbot and consumed 450,000 books, 270,000 manuscripts, 1,000,000 catalog cards, all of the State Library's other administrative records, and almost all of the State Museum's mammoth collection of Iroquois artifacts.

The 1911 fire remains one of the worst library fires in American history, and my colleagues and I deal with its aftereffects on a daily basis. Owing to the manner in which the records were stored, records from the British colonial and Revolutionary War eras were particularly hard-hit. Although some of these records had been transcribed and published prior to the fire, others were lost forever. Every archivist who staffs the State Archives references desk has had to tell researchers who found citations to colonial and Revolutionary War records in old books that the records in question were destroyed on 29 March 1911. Our State Library cohorts are accustomed to conveying the same sad news to researchers looking for certain manuscript collections and rare books.

Earlier today, my State Library colleagues Paul Mercer and Vicki Weiss, who have written a book about the 1911 fire and its aftermath, gave a lunchtime talk that focused on Albany's built environment at the time of the fire, the holdings of and physical space (oh, what a gorgeous space it was!) occupied by the State Library, and the utter devastation wrought by the 1911 fire.

The talk also highlighted the heroic salvage efforts undertaken by State Library staffers, some of whom risked their lives to save books and historical records, and for the rest of the day I kept thinking about the things that they did and said. For example, I knew that State Archivist A.J.F. Van Laer had been instrumental in rescuing the badly burned Dutch records, which he was in the midst of translating. However, I had no idea that he began salvaging records while the firefighters were still putting out the last of the flames, that he spent all day working in dripping wet clothes, or that he walked home, still soaked from head to toe, in freezing temperatures. I had never heard of Joseph Gavit, the librarian whose position as head of the stacks endowed him with intimate knowledge of the library's layout and holdings and who rescued the State Library's folio prints of John James Audubon's Birds of America -- deeply "human things" that, in his estimation, particularly warranted saving -- as bricks rained down around him. I understood instantly why Van Laer and Gavit unhesitatingly took such risks.

As Vicki and Paul pointed out, the recovery effort is ongoing. Van Laer, Gavit, Harland Hoyt Horner -- who rushed into the burning State Capitol to rescue the state's constitutions, a draft copy of the Emancipation Proclamation in Abraham Lincoln's own hand, George Washington's farewell address, and other treasures -- and the many nameless men and women who appear in photographs of the 1911 salvage operation began the work that my contemporaries are doing today. As you can see in this new online exhibit, my State Archives colleagues Susan Bove and Michael Grant are still conserving records that were burned in the 1911 fire. Our State Library colleagues are also conserving manuscripts and books and seeking to replace items that were lost in the flames a century ago. When my contemporaries and I are gone, future generations of archivists, librarians, and conservators will (I hope) carry on the work that Horner, Van Laer, Gavit, and their contemporaries began. The State Library and the State Archives both hold boxes of ashes and charred scraps that our predecessors found in areas known to house valuable materials and carefully preserved in the hope that technology would someday facilitate their reconstruction. We've discovered that scanning these scraps sometimes recovers text that cannot be read with the naked eye, and technology may well enable our successors to reconstitute the materials that our forebears saved.

If you live in New York's Capital District, WMHT will air an hour-long documentary about the State Capitol fire and its aftermath this Thursday, 31 March 2011, at 9:00PM -- immediately after the 8:00PM American Experience documentary about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which took place four days before the State Capitol conflagration. Given that these two fires spurred New York State and the nation to modernize fire safety and building codes, it's entirely fitting that these documentaries are being aired back-to-back.

Haiti, one year later

As you know, on 12 January 2010, an earthquake wreaked havoc on Haiti. Approximately a quarter of a million people died, countless others suffered devastating injuries, and countless more lost their homes and their jobs. The earthquake also destroyed much of the country's already fragile human and physical infrastructure.

On the first anniversary of the quake, millions of Haitians continue to live in cramped and increasingly dangerous tent cities. With a few notable exceptions, reconstruction efforts have not even begun -- and the political impasse that followed in the wake of November's inconclusive elections will doubtless cause additional delay.

I apologize for relying so heavily upon a single source, but last night's Frontline episode, The Battle for Haiti (viewable online) offers a provocative argument: Haiti's core problem is the culture of lawlessness and corruption that predated the earthquake and was made much worse by it.

The episode centers upon the approximately 4,000 prisoners -- many of them gang leaders and other hardened criminals -- who escaped from a Port au Prince prison on 12 January 2010, took refuge in the tent cities, and promptly began killing, raping, and stealing from their fellow citizens. Despite the dogged efforts of the police, capturing and re-incarcerating the prisoners isn't easy: many prison and court records were destroyed in the earthquake, the police are woefully outnumbered, the court system is slow and corrupt, and gang leaders can often buy their way out of prison.

However, it quickly becomes apparent that the escaped prisoners are but one symptom of a much deeper problem. Police chief Mario Andresol, who is leading efforts to recapture the prisoners and is consistently depicted as decent and devoted to his country, asserts that "honest people don't go into politics in Haiti" and that gangs proliferate and prosper because of their role in getting out the vote in Haiti's poorer districts. The corruption and the ever-present specter of violence discourage desperately needed foreign and domestic business investment, drive educated Haitians to emigrate to the United States and Canada, force hundreds of thousands of Haitians to live in constant fear, and lead the many non-governmental organizations working in Haiti to act independently of the government. Andresol's ultimate conclusion -- that Haiti would be better off under a benevolent strongman -- may be deeply unsettling, but it's not particularly surprising.

The Battle for Haiti notes repeatedly that, in addition to the destruction of prison and court records, pre-earthquake recordkeeping deficiencies limit the ability of the police to apprehend criminals. Even a cursory review of news reports and reports issued by non-governmental organizations active in Haiti reveals that pre- and post-earthquake records issues are impeding the recovery effort in a variety of ways:

• As The Battle for Haiti points out, the Haitian police never had the fingerprint and photographic records that enable police forces in many other countries to identify criminals without relying upon witnesses or informants.
• Tent cities persist because many land records were destroyed as a result of the earthquake; as a result, non-government organizations are reluctant to built temporary housing because they fear that landowners will reassert their ownership claims and evict newly settled inhabitants.
• Many Haitians either lost their birth certificates and other essential identity documents as a result of the earthquake or never had them to begin with -- and thus find it difficult to sit for school exams, apply for jobs, and register to vote. Worse yet, children without documents may also be exploited by people who falsely claim kinship.

Some of these problems are doubtless the result of poverty and lack of formal schooling. If you are living on less than $2.00 a day and have never attended school, traveling to a distant office to secure a birth certificate is not likely to be on your list of priorities. Some of them are directly attributable to the earthquake itself. Most Haitian government buildings collapsed on 12 January 2010, and most of the people who were responsible for creating and maintaining essential records perished died at their desks. And, of course, some of them are no doubt the result of pervasive corruption. The absence of good records makes it easier for crooked people to do crooked things, and if you're a corrupt official intent upon using your position to enrich yourself, you devote minimal effort to your official job duties.

Good recordkeeping can't overcome the myriad problems that Haiti faces, but it is an essential component of any effort to establish and uphold the rule of law. No one can compel the Haitian government to improve its recordkeeping practices, but non-government organizations such as Plan Canada have made detailed recommendations regarding issuance of birth certificates. Provided that the Haitian government -- or a segment thereof -- takes up the suggestion, the global archival and records management communities should be willing and able to step in and provide needed training and advice. We already have an Archivists Without Borders (which needs to be much larger than it is), and perhaps its time for a Records Managers Without Borders . . . .

On a more immediate note, the Haitian people still have pressing, immediate needs. Doctors Without Borders and Partners in Health were active in Haiti prior to the earthquake, provide lifesaving services, and are widely recognized as having their financial priorities in order. Doctors Without Borders is currently operating eight hospitals and supporting several other health facilities and Partners In Health has developed an extensive and highly effective network of paid community health workers. If you're in a position to give, please click on the links at the top right of this page (N.B.: At present, Doctors Without Borders is accepting online donations only for its general fund, which may be used in Haiti or in another country in need. If you want to restrict your donation to its Haiti fund, donate via phone at 1-888-392-0392).

Nashville

It's kind of surprising that the situation in Nashville hasn't gotten more attention: the city and surrounding communities are experiencing a 500-year flood. At least 10 people in the city have died as a result of the severe storms that swept through the region over the weekend; people elsewhere in Tennessee and in Kentucky and Mississippi also lost their lives. At the time of this writing, the city's historic district, landmarks such as the Grand Ole Opry, and other neighborhoods are still flooded. Recovery will likely take years.

At present, it's hard to tell just how badly the city's archives and other cultural heritage institutions have been affected by the flood. Parts of the city are still off-limits to everyone except emergency personnel, residents are being encouraged to stay off the roads, and many archivists, librarians, and curators are focused -- and rightfully so -- on making sure that their loved ones are safe or on salvaging what they can from their flood-damaged homes.

Word is starting to get out via e-mail and the Web sites of repositories in the area:

• A colleague of mine learned today that although the main Tennessee State Library and Archives building experienced only minor problems, the State Records Center is located in an area that flooded quite badly. Staff are waiting for permission to travel to the facility and assess the extent of the damage.
  
• The main branch of the Nashville Public Library, which houses the Special Collections Division, was open today. Almost all of the branch libraries, including the Metropolitan Government Archives facility, were also open.
• Although a roof leak prompted the temporary closure of Vanderbilt University's Central Library, all of its libraries were open today.

However, at this time, the status of many cultural heritage institutions in the area remains unknown. Some might have escaped the floods with little or no damage, but some may have been devastated. I'm really hoping that the Grand Ole Opry Photo Archives is not housed in the now-flooded Grand Ole Opry complex, but my outsider's suspicion is that it is. Other institutions and music venues whose business records warrant permanent preservation are likely affected as well; some legendary clubs have suffered extensive damage.

Wondering how you can help? A number of reputable organizations are accepting donations earmarked for flood victims, and the Society of American Archivists' National Disaster Recovery Fund for Archives provides financial support for disaster recovery activities.

May Day

The first day of May means different things to different people. In Europe and the United Kingdom's former colonies of settlement, it's a day marked by Roman Catholic celebrations of the Virgin Mary or secular springtime festivities. In many parts of the world -- but not the United States -- today is Labor Day or International Workers Day. This year, May 1 also marks the running of the Kentucky Derby, which is always held on the first Saturday in May.

Archivists throughout the world observe the first of May in various ways. If my archivist friends on Facebook are any indication, many of them celebrate the coming of spring at the same time as they ponder the history of labor activism (or snicker at the hats worn by some Kentucky Derby spectators). Some of them are also making their way home after having attended the Western Roundup or the spring meetings of the Mid-Atlantic Archives Conference or the Society of Southwest Archivists.

However, for American archivists, in particular, the first day of May has another meaning: it's a time to focus on emergency preparedness. May Day, which is sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, and the Council of State Archivists, grew out of the post-Hurricane Katrina discovery that most American archives either don't have disaster plans or have plans that were developed a long time ago and never updated.

All too often, emergency preparedness takes a back seat to providing reference services, preparing exhibits, responding to Freedom of Information requests, or tackling any one of the many, many other urgent tasks that come our way. However, caring for our collections is one of our most basic professional obligations, and May Day gives us the opportunity to devote some attention to doing so.

I know it's Saturday, and I know it's springtime, but consider taking a few minutes to update your list of emergency contacts (you really should keep a copy at home) or mentally preparing to set aside a little time next week to review your existing disaster plan, confirm that your collections are boxed up and off the floor, or make sure that supplies, not collections, are housed on the shelves directly under those pipes. If you've already done all of these things (good for you!), the Society of American Archivists has a great list of more great May Day ideas.

You might also want to devote a few minutes to thinking about how your personal records. When was the last time you backed up your hard drive, and where exactly are you storing your backup copies? Do you know exactly where your birth certificate, passport, and other essential records are, and could you retrieve them quickly in the event of an emergency? What about those old, loose family photographs you've never gotten around to rehousing? You might not be able to tackle them today, but you probably could order the necessary supplies.

I'm observing May Day by pulling together a master list of select colleagues' home and work phone numbers and e-mails; at present, I keep some of this information in my work ID/cardkey holder, but other snippets are scattered across my personal computer's hard drive, my work e-mail, and my personal e-mail. I'm also reminding myself to set aside a few minutes this week to make sure that the emergency contact information posted next to our electronic records equipment is up-to-date and to skim through my repository's emergency plan. How will you observe May Day?

Iraq National Library and Archive

In 2006-07, Saad Eskander, the Director of the Iraq National Library and Archive (INLA), kept a diary that the British Library posted online. The entries matter-of-factly chronicle Dr. Eskander's efforts to create an institution that comprehensively documents all aspects of Iraqi history, politics, and culture, bolsters democracy by ensuring free access to information, and contributes to the development of an open and egalitarian society. They also illuminate the appalling realities of life for Dr. Eskander and his staff: bombings (at home, on the streets, and at INLA itself), sniper fire, death threats, the kidnapping and murder of relatives, and death at the hands of sectarian death squads and other terrorists.

It's a non-stop chronicle of horror, but the most stunning thing about the diary is the persistence of Dr. Eskander and his staff: despite the omnipresent danger, INLA's librarians, archivists, and other staff kept coming to work day after day. They kept collecting archival materials for the Baghdad Memory Project, developing the INLA Web site, digitizing publications, theses, and dissertations, and preparing exhibits. They also kept recovering materials lost or damaged as a result of the looting that took place in late 2003.

Although life in Baghdad remains dangerous, INLA continues to recover and grow. Staff have started a new electronic journal and are publishing bibliographic reference works, accessioning archival government records, microfilming publications, conserving water-damaged Ottoman records, and taking advantage of new computers and other technology investments. The building housing INLA has a new generator and HVAC system, and approximately 900 people now visit INLA every month. On top of all this, Dr. Eskander is doggedly fighting to get the United States to turn over Iraqi government records that U.S. forces seized in late 2003 and early 2004.

People think that archivists are quiet, retiring souls, and it's true that our professions attract a disproportionate number of quiet, introspective souls. However, they also attract people whose dedication and vision can lead to greatness. I stand in awe of Dr. Eskander and his colleagues.

More thoughts on Cologne

I somehow missed this Der Spiegel article, which was published last week and which highlights the monumental challenges that confront the archivists and conservators leading the recovery effort at the site of the Historical Archive of the City of Cologne. The good news is that as much as 25 percent of the repository's holdings had already been recovered. The bad news is that the weather has not cooperated and that many of the recovered records will require intensive conservation treatment:

. . . The archivists are engaged in a race against time. Soon after the building collapsed, rain began falling on the ruins. Rubble is being brought to a dry warehouse so that workers can carefully sift through it in the search for documents. Once paper gets wet, though, damaging mold quickly sets in. Archive material is being sent to restoration facilities around the country where they will be flash frozen and then stored for two years before they can be cleaned.

It is an immense project, and one which will take years, if not decades, to complete. A restoration workshop in the city of Münster, for example, can restore up to 150 meters worth of documents per year. The material in the Cologne archive, however, took up fully 30 kilometers of shelf space. In addition, Markus Stumpf, who heads up the archival office in Münster, told Handelsblatt that "the personnel necessary for such a catastrophe simply doesn't exist."

Adding to the difficulties is the fact that many of the documents housed in the Cologne archive were parchment, instead of paper. "The parchment used for deeds in the Middle Ages is extremely sensitive to water," Jan op de Hipt, head restorer for the Hamburg state library, told the Hamburger Abendblatt. "Parchment is dried animal skin. When it comes into contact with water, it becomes very soft and begins to shrink."

The recovery effort is in its earliest stages, and the need for facilities, supplies, and expert personnel will not abate in a few weeks or months. If you are interested in helping, Archivalia and Salon Jewish Studies have compiled and translated lots of information for prospective volunteers and donors. Also, Frank Sobiech posted some additional information in a 10 March comment on this blog and Mark added another contact in an 11 March comment. Thanks to both of them for this information.

Recovery efforts in Cologne

Those of us whose German is weak owe a debt of gratitude to Frank Schloeffel at Salon Jewish Studies, who is translating into English Klaus Graf's Archivalia updates on the recovery effort at the Historical Archives of the City of Cologne.

The latest translated post brings some good news: three shifts of 20 volunteer archivists are working non-stop at the site, and "up to 15-20% of the archival inventory" has been recovered. Among the materials recovered are two manuscripts written by medieval German theologian Albertus Magnus, dozens of medieval codices, and four of the five volumes of the 16th-century chronicle written by Cologne Councilman Hermann von Weinsberg. Of course, the condition of the records varies widely: some are in astonishingly good shape, while others are wet, torn, or both, and others are likely unsalvageable.

Some amazing photos of the recovery effort and recovered materials are available via Bild (mouse over the image to make scrolling arrows appear), the Kölnische Rundschau, and the Express; American readers should note that the Express page may include content that would likely be considered NSFW in the United States.

(Hat tip: Felipe Diez of Solidarity Köln Historisches Archiv)

More on the Historical Archive of the City of Cologne

The news from Cologne is, in many respects, profoundly disheartening. Earlier today, recovery personnel found the body of one of the young men who had been missing after the Historical Archive of the City of Cologne collapsed on March 3, and the authorities believe that the other missing man is also dead.

The archival losses are also staggering:

The archive's collection of original documents included thousands from Cologne's golden age. The founding charter of the University of Cologne, signed in 1388, was inside, along with the documents that established Cologne as a free imperial city under Emperor Friedrich III in 1475. Two of the four manuscripts in the hand of Albertus Magnus, considered the greatest German theologian of the Middle Ages, were kept in the archive's rare books collection.

For historians trying to reconstruct the past, the greatest loss may be the more quotidian papers: Tens of thousands of receipts issued by the city government between 1350 and 1450, for example, or the 358 volumes of decisions and minutes of the Cologne City Council dating back 700 years.

The archives also contained the personal papers of almost 800 prominent German authors, politicians and composers, including Konrad Adenauer, the first post-war chancellor of Germany. The manuscripts and letters of Nobel Prize winner Heinrich Böll and Jacques Offenbach, a 19th century cellist and opera composer, were stored at the archive. Weimar Republic politician Wilhelm Marx and German-Jewish composer Ferdinand Hiller were among the other notables whose collections have been buried under tons of concrete.

The German archival community is working feverishly to salvage as much of this priceless material as possible, and my thoughts and prayers are with them. Archivists working at the site have already recovered some documents. The weather is not cooperating and the site itself is dangerous, but they press on nonetheless. Other archivists and conservators are in the beginning stages of organizing a mammoth recovery effort and collecting researchers' scanned images or digital photographs of materials held by the Historical Archive.

American archivists concerned about the fate of the Historical Archives owe a special debt of gratitude to Klaus Graf, who has tirelessly compiled and shared news about the disaster and the recovery effort. Many of us in the United States first learned about the catastrophe in Cologne from his March 3 messages to the Archives & Archivists listserv, and his Archivalia posts have been a crucial source of information for archivists around the world. Dr. Graf is also the administrator of a new Facebook group, Solidarity Köln Historisches Archiv, to publicize developments in Cologne, direct prospective volunteers to the organizations coordinating various aspects of the response, and highlight organizations that are accepting financial contributions for the victims' families and for the recovery effort; thanks also to Felipe Diez for starting this group.

Collapse of the Historic Archive of the City of Cologne

The building housing the Historic Archive of the City of Cologne (Historisches Archiv der Stadt Köln) is now a pile of rubble. Fortunately, staffers, researchers, and onsite construction workers inside the building were alarmed by strange noises and left immediately before the structure collapsed earlier today. However, at the time of this writing, three people who were in buildings adjacent to the archives are still missing.

At present, the cause of the building's collapse is unknown. A new subway line is being built under the street in front of the facility, but the section of the tunnel adjacent to the building is apparently complete. The building may also have had structural problems.

Until today, the repository in Cologne was the largest municipal archives in Germany. It held 500,000 photographs and 65,000 documents dating back to 922, including manuscripts by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and materials relating to 20th-century writer Heinrich Böll. Government officials have promised to help salvage the archives' records, but street-level and aerial photographs of the building's remains suggest that many of the records are beyond recovery.

My heart goes out to the families and friends of the missing people, and I hope that all of them were able to escape before the building collapsed or are rescued as quickly as possible. My heart also goes out to the staff of the archives; the loss of records under one's care is incredibly painful. Finally, my heart goes out to the people of Cologne, who have lost a substantial portion of their recorded history.

I suspect that I'm not alone in wanting to send a message of support to my colleagues in Cologne, but at present I'm not sure how to do so. The Historical Archives of the City of Cologne has a "friends" organization, but its very small site lacks an e-mail contact; it does have a PDF copy of a flier about the organization, but the mailing address on the flier is that of the archives itself. I also checked the the Web site of the Federation of German Archivists (Verband deutscher Archivarinnen und Archivare e.V.), but at present it doesn't have any information relating to the collapse. I'll keep looking, and if I find an appropriate point of contact I'll be sure to post an update. And if anyone out there in cyberspace finds a suitable contact, please let me know.

Responding to Ike

News of Ike's impact on Gulf Coast cultural heritage institutions is just starting to come out, and some of the news is very bad. The Society of Southwest Archivists is allowing affected repositories to post updates on staff and collections on the unofficial SSA wiki, the Texas Association of Museums has information about museums affected by the hurricane, and the Texas Library Association is regularly reporting on the status of Southeast Texas libraries.

In 2005, the Society of American Archivists established a fund designed to help repositories affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This fund, which provided assistance to twenty-one archives, has just become the SAA National Disaster Recovery Fund. It will provide "grants that support the recovery of archival collections from major disasters regardless of region or repository type."

Given the extent of Ike's destruction, it's quite likely that the fund's current balance, which was $18,485 as of September 9, isn't going to go very far. Those of us who wish to aid our Gulf Coast colleagues ought to donate to the SAA National Disaster Recovery Fund for Archives at this time. The online donation process is fast and easy.