Preparing for disaster

JOLIET -- Will County Historical and the Park Forest societies received grants of $500 to assist in presenting a workshop, "How to Prepare for and Respond to Disaster."

Gayle Crompton of Will County Historical Society and Jane Nicoll, archivist for the Park Forest Historical Society, were co-presenters of the workshop.

Crompton and Nicoll attended a four-day class in May at the Campbell Center for Preservation. In return for free tuition to that class, the attendees were mandated to hold similar workshops in their own regions of Illinois.

Those invited to attend the workshop were from museums, historical societies and libraries in eastern Will County and southern Cook County. Crompton and Nicoll shared handouts and information, giving other agencies in the region resources to assess their property, and to prepare to construct a disaster plan. Information on how to respond to a disaster and salvage techniques was also provided.

Disaster planning is a national initiative of several historic agencies in the United States. The Heritage Health Index, a survey conducted in 2004, with results released in 2005, revealed that America's historic collections are a public trust at risk.