1 General security management
The general security management section covers all the issues and measures relating to the overarching organizational framework for a cultural institution’s preparedness for and response to a wide range of damage and emergency scenarios.
The key tool here is the emergency plan which is tailored to the particular institution and sets out the individual methodologies to be used and organizational arrangements such as, for example, responsibilities and deputies, emergency contact details, evacuation plans, priority lists, as well as cooperation and contractual partners.
All emergency planning is based on an individual risk assessment which looks at both the general picture and individual threats.
It is vital that all the specifications and documents are regularly reviewed and updated and that the information and training provided for internal and external stakeholders are kept up to date.
Structured collections management based on a complete inventory is an essential prerequisite for effective preventive measures.
The SiLK guidelines are intended as an aid for the protection of cultural property. The guidelines relating to security management in general and the individual topics focus on protecting physical property. They describe the safeguarding and long-term protection of the collections, buildings and assets in the care of cultural institutions.
Issues relating to the protection of people present in these institutions – staff and visitors – are addressed only tangentially since in Germany such matters are already comprehensively covered by statutory requirements (building regulations, directives governing workplaces and places of assembly, etc.).
Protection of cultural property in Germany
In contrast to personal safety, in Germany there exist no legally binding standards or statutory minimum standards at all for the protection of cultural property. The responsibility for taking appropriate measures therefore rests with the individual museums, archives, libraries or other institutions themselves.
As with all cultural matters in Germany, the protection of cultural property falls within the remit of the individual German states. The physical conservation of collections to preserve cultural heritage is therefore primarily the responsibility of the states and municipalities.
Apart from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (Beauftragte/r des Bundes für Kultur und Medien / BKM), centralized nationwide activities may only be undertaken by professional associations and interest groups such as ICOM or the German Museums Association (Deutscher Museumsbund / DMB), and these are always only on a non-binding voluntary basis. Unfortunately, to date it has not been possible to agree binding minimum standards as concrete recommendations for conservation-related issues.
The SiLK guidelines provide cultural institutions with a framework and pointers which they can use to develop their own individual policies tailored to their institution and to their own particular circumstances. At the same time the guidance must be generally applicable and conform to current formal and technical standards.
Prevention
When seeking to protect cultural property, the primary objective is prevention: every effort should be made to prevent an incident occurring in the first place, or to reduce the probability of occurrence to the greatest possible extent.
Should emergencies or disasters strike nonetheless, the specified organizational, structural and technical protective measures will help to minimize the damage suffered.
This also applies to hazards that cause or aid a gradual deterioration over time, for example usage of archive materials or wear and tear caused by museum visitors. This is likewise applicable to all harmful environmental influences such as climatic factors, light, radiation, pests or pollutants. The protective measures specified are designed to minimize harmful effects.
Risk assessment
The key question that all cultural institutions that hold collections have to address is how they can best prepare themselves for any emergencies that may arise. What steps should be taken to put a suitable organizational framework in place?
Before commencing actual emergency planning, it is necessary to conduct a risk assessment tailored to the particular institution. The risk assessment indicates what potential threats are relevant to the institution and the probability of their occurrence. On this basis it is then possible to plan, roll out, implement and practice the protection measures that are critically important for the institution in question.
Emergency plan
It is vitally important for every institution to draw up its own emergency plan in which the necessary responses to emergency scenarios are planned and organized in advance. The plan defines who is responsible for performing what duties in an emergency (establishment of a permanent crisis team) and the practical steps to be taken in specific instances. It describes the internal organization (emergency contact numbers, deputies) and how staff are to be notified. Cooperation with external support organizations – especially the fire service and the police – must be organized. For instance, it must be borne in mind that in the event of a fire, staff will no longer have access to the building and consequently will also be unable to help with evacuation.
The emergency plan also serves as a reference handbook in which all the relevant information is collated. This includes a whole range of documents such as operating instructions for the technical systems, a list of emergency materials and their locations, telephone lists and contractual documents.
Evacuation
Particular attention should be paid to the evacuation plan, the core element of which is the priority list. This list is drawn up in advance so that, if objects need to be moved in an emergency, the difficult decision about which objects should be evacuated first will not need to be taken under time pressure or by persons unfamiliar with the objects. It can provide practical guidance on taking decisions in certain situations, e.g. what collections take priority for any given type of disaster, what rooms should be evacuated first in what circumstances, how to achieve as much as possible even if there is little time and only a few helpers are available (in which case the decision may be: better to save a lot of small paintings rather than one large painting that can only be moved by several people using specialist tools, which would be very time-consuming).
The emergency plan will include a list of possible emergency storage locations for the cultural objects if they need to be evacuated, set out the evacuation procedure, organize secure storage at the new location, and organize initial restoration work for the objects. Contractual arrangements with cooperation partners are in place for all measures.
Updating
If it is to be effective, all the elements of the emergency plan must be regularly reviewed and updated. Any changes (e.g. to the architecture, personnel, structures or organization) can have an impact on the security policy. Every relevant measure should therefore be incorporated in the policy immediately. All the elements from the risk assessment through to the individual elements of the emergency plan must be reviewed and updated where necessary.
The need for this process of reviewing and updating must be communicated to all staff who make or implement decisions about changes. An appropriate and speedy response in an emergency situation is only possible if all the people and institutions involved are kept informed.
Documenting and evaluating “near incidents” can be helpful for verifying the effectiveness of the emergency plan: What was the response in the given circumstances, what worked well, where were mistakes made, were there any gaps in the emergency plan? The emergency plan can then be continually optimized for the institution concerned.
Another decisive factor is conducting regular drills with all staff, and with external agencies as well where appropriate. Training can familiarize staff with the action they should take in an emergency.
Cooperation
Cooperation with other cultural institutions in the city or region is important, especially for smaller institutions. Mutual assistance and advice can be provided by establishing “preparedness networks”. Such networks have many advantages, e.g. institutions do not all need to keep emergency materials on hand, personnel trained in the handling of cultural objects are available to help in emergencies, one institution could obtain the assistance of a paper restorer from another institution, or rooms in another institution could be utilized if evacuation is necessary.
The time and effort required to put an emergency plan together has been proved well worthwhile as it allows the action to be taken in an emergency to be planned, organized and practiced in drills, and thus prevent an emergency escalating into a disaster.
Lending
Lending items to other institutions creates additional risks for the objects in question. All the risks must therefore be considered in advance and must be taken into account in any lending decision, and also when subsequently deciding on the shipping and presentation of objects, as well as any preparations or follow-up.
A standardized “facilities report” should be used to assess and plan the project. This report should include information on the institution, the building and exhibition spaces, on fire safety and anti-theft measures, on lighting, air conditioning and pest prevention, on shipping and storage conditions and on emergency planning.
Inventory
A complete inventory of all objects is essential for systematic emergency planning, for safeguarding and salvaging in an emergency, as well as for tracing and identifying objects or repairing damage after a disaster.
Along with the basic data (inventory number, photo, description, artist/producer, title, year), other relevant information to be provided in the inventory include an object’s location (building, room, position), material composition and a description of its condition as well as dimensions, weight and shipping specifications.
Backup copies of the data should therefore be stored separately (in a different building from the original) or copies of catalogs must be kept off-site. For sites where documentation records are to be stored, a risk assessment analogous to that for storage/exhibition rooms should be carried out and appropriate protective measures implemented. All the relevant risks (e.g. fire, flood, theft) must be taken into account.
Although such documentation records cannot replace originals, in the event of loss or damage they will provide a valuable source of information and can be helpful for tracing, salvaging, repairing, replacing or reconstructing objects.