AIC 53rd Annual Meeting

The Local History Services team at the Minnesota Historical Society was founded in 1916. For over a century it has supported smaller organizations across the state of Minnesota to interpret and preserve the history of their community. In 2019, Local History Services added a full-time conservator dedicated to supporting the capabilities of individuals and small organizations to care for their own collections. In part, this role was established to help with emergency planning, preparedness, and response for collecting organizations across the state of Minnesota.Minnesota is home to a thriving art, culture, and heritage community. As an example, there are an estimated 562 historical organizations in the state, ranging from tiny all-volunteer area history museums to the Minnesota Historical Society. Minnesota is susceptible to natural disasters including tornados, flooding, fires, and winter storms that threaten the long-term preservation of cultural heritage.This presentation will discuss Local History Services role in emergency preparedness and response and how it has evolved to become more collaborative over time. The role of field services will be explored in examples ranging from in-person response and disaster plan writing workshops to mutual assistance networks and the Minnesota Alliance for Heritage Response. Finally, the crucial elements of partnership and respectful cooperation in our work will be highlighted.