Past Meetings & Events
June 11, 2024: Several AFR Pittsburgh members took a short road trip to visit IUP Libraries in Indiana, PA. Attendees were given a tour of the library, including Special Collections and Archives, by Dr. Harrison Wick (Assoc. Professor, Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist of IUP Libraries). We discussed a recent roof disaster and repairs the library has undergone, thankfully losing very little beyond records boxes in the collection due to the ensuring waterfall indoors. Dr. Wick brought out several items from their collection and talked about the collecting scope of the IUP Libraries' Special Collections and Archives.
November 16, 2023: Our chapter received a microgrant from FAIC this year to host a half-day workshop on moving and renovating collections and the links with disaster preparedness and response. Attendees watched a pre-recorded workshop taught by NEDCC staff (Moving and Renovating: Collections Concerns), followed by three local cultural heritage professionals speaking on their own experiences (Lori Benson, Independent Museum Professional; Nicholas Hartley, Records Manager for the Pittsburgh Office of the City Clerk; and Dr. Harrison Wick, Assoc. Professor, Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist of IUP Libraries). This event was held at the Library Resource Facility of the University of Pittsburgh.
April 1, 2022: For the first in-person meeting in several years, we held a mold workshop at Chatham University, sponsored by the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts and funded by the PA State Historical Records Advisory Board. Taught by Miranda Nixon, attendees learned all about mold, how to recognize it, prevent it, and respond to it in collections. The workshop concluded with a hands-on "mold" remediation exercise using chalk dust.
July 19, 2021: We hosted a joint meeting with the Three Rivers Archivists via Zoom called Pandemic Preparedness and Experiences. Kara Furman from the Philadelphia Museum of Art spoke of her organization's difficult experiences during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Anaïs Grateau of the University of Pittsburgh spoke of incorporating pandemic preparedness into institutional disaster planning.
November 15, 2019: As a delayed 10 year celebration (11 years instead!), we held a full-day event themed Fires & Floods, which was cosponsored by the History Center Affiliates Program and hosted at the Fred Rogers Center at Saint Vincent College. Many speakers talked of their experiences; movies featuring the Florence, Italy floods and book restoration at the time were shown; attendees practiced cleaning soot and charred materials; and tours were given of the archives storage area along with the Fred Rogers exhibit and the McCarl Coverlet Gallery.
July 19, 2019: A rare summer meeting was held at the Homewood Cemetery where attendees were guided through a practice exercise on risk assessments, providing tips on how to conduct a basic one in-house for their organization. Director of Programming, Jennie Benford, also spoke to our group on the archival collections at the Homewood Cemetery.
September 8, 2017: We held an open meeting at the Preservation Dept. at the University of Pittsburgh, University Library System, to discuss future goals and meeting ideas for our chapter. Topics included grant opportunities tied to the Performing Arts Readiness Network, workshops and presentations we can offer the newest members to the group and field, and plans for the upcoming 10 year anniversary of our group. A brief tour and overview of the department was given as well.
March 24, 2017: Our spring meeting was held at the Allegheny County Emergency Operations Center and included a tour of the 911 call center. Presentations were given on the tools and resources available through the Dept. of Homeland Security, the city's Threat & Hazard Identification Risk Assessment (THIRA), and working with the Region 13 Fusion Center to report suspicious activity and submitting Requests for Information (RFI).
March 26, 2016: Held at University of Pittsburgh's Library Resource Facility, AFR-PGH members came together to discuss Digital Preservation for our Spring meeting. We viewed ALCTS Preservation Week 2015 webinar entitled “Digital Preservation for Individuals and Small Groups.” Guest speaker Ashley Taylor focused on the early digital preservation& digital forensics efforts in the University Library System at Pitt.
November 20, 2015: At Chatham University's JKM Library, Dr. Mario Majcen discussed Western Pennsylvania winter weather patterns which was both very informative and frequently humorous. A representative of Church Restoration Group and D.T. Mistick & Co., where gave a brief presentation of their ability to preserve historic and sacred spaces, as well as fine art and liturgical furnishings, and disaster recovery operation. The pictures of the mold infested home were unforgettable!
September 18, 2015: 18 AFR-Pgh members took the hour drive out of the city to visit the Iron Mountain Facility where we learned the background of the company and toured the vaults, digital conversion lab, and data center.
March, 27th, 2015: Our Spring meeting was held at Soldiers & Sailors Hall of Valor in Oakland. The meeting featured a presentation by Renae Barger, Executive Director of the National Network Libraries of Medicine Mid-Atlantic Region. She discussed the organization's role in disaster planning and preparedness. The presentation also showcased the many resources available at their website.
May 4th, 2014: Our May Day meeting was held at the University of Pittsburgh's Hillman Library in Oakland. The meeting featured Pitt Assistant Professor Michael Beach. Mr. Beach is a member of the Pennsylvania 1 Disaster Medical Team (PA-1 DMAT) and participated in relief efforts in the Gulf Coast following Katrina, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey.
October 11th, 2013: For this fall meeting of the Pittsburgh chapter of Alliance for Response met at the Andy Warhol Museum for a presentation on Integrated Pest Management. While pests can be found throughout our cultural institutions the topic has long been taboo. However, these conversations are essential in order to better inform our colleagues for preventing and confronting their own pest disasters. Speakers Amber Morgan, Erin Byrne, and John Jacobs presented on the Warhol Museum’s pest history and the targeted response that was put into place throughout the museum in 2011. This presentation was also given at the Museumpests 2014 Conference. Participants were also given a behind the scenes tour of the Archives where various tools for identification and response were on display.
May 13th, 2013: Everyone who attended the May 13 May Day program had the opportunity to participate in CPR/AED training led by Raina Lewis, from Pittsburgh Emergency Medical Services as part of the COPE (Community Outreach Program and Education) initiative. This training culminated in all attendees receiving their certification.
March 8th, 2013: Our spring meeting was held at CMU and presented a program on digital disasters called "Digital Death: Prevention and Response" that featured three speakers and a panel discussion. The speakers were: Gabrielle Michalek (the Head of Digital Library Initiatives at CMU), Matthew Butkovic (Technical Portfolio Manager for Critical Infrastructure Protection at the Software Engineering Institute at CMU), and Tom Clareson (Senior Consultant in Digital and Preservation Services at LYRASIS). The Google Drive folder has each of the speakers' presentations, the meeting minutes, and a few photos. This meeting had an exceptional turnout of 42 people (our next highest-attended meetings were all of our 2012 programs).
September 20th, 2012: September was National Preparedness Month and in honor of this, our program featured guest speaker Bob Winters, Protective Security Advisor for the Pittsburgh District, Homeland Security. He discussed local disaster response efforts and how cultural institutions can work with Homeland Security. Following his presentation, we conducted our fall business meeting. Check out the meeting minutes for more details.
May 4th, 2012: An additional spring meeting was held at UPitt's Library Resource Facility to debut the shared disaster supply cache that was purchased from an NEH grant. Please see the dedicated page for more details on accessing these supplies as well as a video overview. Additionally, the grant also sponsored a disaster response exercise led by Tom Clareson from Lyrasis. Tom led attendees in a wet materials exercise that demonstrated work space set-up, triage, basic drying techniques, and how to pack up the items for freeze-drying. There are some informative documents from this exercise, great photos, a brief video clip, and the meeting minutes.
April 20th, 2012: Our spring meeting was held at UPitt's Library Resource Facility and afterward included a tour of Pittsburgh's 911 Emergency Operations Center next door. It was an excellent way to see what happens when you place a call to 911 or in the event of a larger area-wide disaster. Please see the meeting minutes in Google Docs. And consider running for a position during our summer election! Photos from the tour are available for viewing here.
November 11th, 2011: Fall meeting at the Mattress Factory. The group toured MF's archival storage facilities and offered advice. We also learned about winterizing our collections. Please see the attachments in Google Docs for the winterizing Powerpoint and the meeting minutes. Our photos from this visit are also available for viewing here.
May 4th, 2011: Meeting at Point Park University to discuss grant awarded for disaster supplies cache and reorganization of the group. The meeting summary can be read here.
October 12th, 2010: Meeting/visit to BELFOR Property Restoration facility in Cuddy, PA.
June 17th, 2010: Meeting at Rodef Shalom for risk assessment, fire safety program, & public relations protocol. The meeting summary can be read here.
March 23rd, 2010: Spring Program, "The Anatomy of Response." The meeting summary can be read here.
September 9th, 2009: Fire Safety and Fire Suppression Workshop. The meeting summary can be read here.
February 27th, 2009: AFR meeting at University of Pittsburgh. The meeting agenda and summary can be read here.
October 20th, 2008: Tabletop exercise, with the agenda available here.
June 4th, 2008: AFR Pittsburgh Kick-off Forum at the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh. Agenda and Planning Committee can be found here in Google Docs.