Avoiding Ambulance Chasers: Working with Emergency Recovery Vendors

After a disaster happens, it’s human nature to want things to return to normal as quickly as possible. That feeling can affect one’s ability to vet disaster recovery vendors. This webinar will provide information so that you understand what these companies offer. As a result, you will feel more confident investigating and working with recovery vendors. Learn how to prepare with disaster recovery vendors before disaster strikes; what types of services disaster recovery vendors offer; which questions to ask vendors so that you get the services you need (not the ones you don’t); and know in advance what are appropriate answers to those questions. Sample documents such as Request for Proposal (RFP) and contract templates will be provided for your use. The webinar content applies to your cultural institution as well as the family home.

Presenter

Tara Kennedy is the Preservation Services Librarian at Yale University Library. She holds a MLIS and a certificate of advanced studies in Library and Archives Conservation from the University of Texas at Austin, an MS in Forensic Science from the University of New Haven, and a Bachelor’s degree in Art History from Northwestern University. Before coming to Yale, she worked at the National Archives, the Smithsonian, and the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center in Omaha, Nebraska. She is a Professional Associate with the American Institute of Conservation (AIC). She is an active member of the AIC National Heritage Responders Working Group, and co-chair of the AIC Health and Safety Committee. Outside of her preservation work, she is a theater critic for OnStage Blog and a volunteer for the Doe Network, the Online International Center for Unidentified and Missing Persons.

FAIC encourages Collecting Institutions to set aside time every May to do one thing for emergency preparedness: the MayDay campaign is all about building emergency planning into your calendar. Viewing this webinar qualifies as an emergency planning activity, so make sure that it’s on your agenda! FAIC will be collecting stories about the planning activities undertaken by the nation’s museum, libraries, and archives – share your story starting on May 1 and you will be eligible for a prize drawing from Gaylord Archival www.surveymonkey.com/r/MayDay2018