ANLA offers advice and assistance with preservation issues such as emergency and disaster planning, global preservation assessments, preservation policies and procedures and basic preservation advice. ANLA’s Professional Development and Outreach Officer can help your institution to identify and address preservation issues and concerns.

Advice and Assistance

Emergency and Disaster Planning

ANLA has always stressed the importance of emergency and disaster preparedness. We can help member institutions to develop their own customized emergency and disaster plans using the Newfoundland and Labrador Emergency Procedure Template For Archives and Libraries. This template, based on the “Plan-Builder” Disaster Preparedness Plan Template produced by Maines & Associates, N.Y. , has been customized by ANLA staff to fit local conditions. Member institutions may file copies of their completed disaster plans at the ANLA office for safekeeping.
Contact the ANLA office for a list of emergency contacts.

Global Preservation Assessment (GPA)

ANLA encourages its member institutions to conduct Global Preservation Assessments. A global preservation assessment (GPA) looks at all aspects of your institution’s operations and provides recommendations for preservation priorities. GPAs are required if your institution plans to apply to do treatment or re-formatting activities of at-risk material under the National Archival Development Program (NADP). A GPA is also useful in supporting requests for funding from parent organizations or other funding bodies.

A GPA must be conducted by a trained conservator. Your institution will work directly with the conservator to review institutional policies and in determining preservation priorities. The final preservation assessment includes a written report, which provides a list of prioritized recommendations and a suggested preservation strategy.

Member archives may apply for NADP funding to cover the cost of conducting a global preservation assessment. Contact the ANLA office for a list of qualified conservators or for the cost of conservation activities as recommended in their completed global preservation assessment.

If you require additional information on global preservation assessments, please contact the ANLA office.

Preservation Policies and Procedures

Preservation policies and procedures are the lifeblood of an institution’s preservation activities. They reflect the institution’s commitment to the preservation of its holdings and the integration of preservation concerns into all aspects of archival operations. ANLA’s Preservation Policies and Procedures For Small Archives Handbook provides useful templates for your board to follow in creating these documents for your institution. This publication is available from the ANLA office.

ANLA’s distance education course, Policies and Procedures for Small Archives , also includes specific advice on the creation of preservation policies and procedures. This correspondence course is available upon request.