The “MayDay” project: promoting disaster preparedness

The purpose of this article is to make readers aware of the MayDay effort, an annual event, begun in 2006, designed to be the one day each year that emergency preparedness is concentrated on fully, and to encourage participation in MayDay 2007. The article also lists some general resources for disaster planning and preparedness.

This is a viewpoint article discussing the MayDay initiative, and ways to enhance disaster planning and preparedness in cultural institutions.

The article finds that MayDay 2006 launched a new initiative for disaster preparedness and planning. The idea is that this will become an annual time when cultural institutions dedicate the day to emergency preparedness and planning. Selected results of the first MayDay are described and the ideas for MayDay 2007 events are listed.

This article provides information and examples of appropriate MayDay activities by describing MayDay 2006 events and providing pointers to online resources to assist archives and museums identify activities for MayDay 2007.

Since Hurricane Katrina, substantial focus has been placed on disaster planning and preparedness in cultural organizations. This article promotes concrete actions that can be taken to enhance disaster planning and preparedness in cultural institutions and identifies resources on the Internet to help archives and museums in this endeavor.