So Now What? Dealing with Materials After a Disaster

Recent disasters across the country have presented small and mid-sized institutions with the unique challenges of not only dealing with health and safety for people but how to deal with the collection materials. During this special May Day 2025 webinar, participants will: 

• Learn ways to protect volunteers, staff, and themselves 
• Find out ways to properly dispose of items in their community 
• Hear a case study from the 9/11 Memorial Museum for examples of health hazards associated with disaster response and recovered artifacts. 

Presenters

Brandy Howard, PE, CIH, CSP, is the Group Manager of Industrial Hygiene and Asbestos at Terracon’s Denver office. Brandy holds a BS in Engineering and a MS in Environmental Science and Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. Brandy has been a consultant for over 15 years and works with clients in various industries to deliver cost-effective environmental, health, and safety solutions to support their operations. Brandy currently serves as the Vice Chair for the AIHA Museums and Cultural Heritage Industry Working Group and was a research partner on the Museum Poisons Test Kit project.

Tara Kennedy is the Head of Preventive Conservation at the Yale Library Center for Preservation and Conservation. She holds a MLIS and a certificate of advanced studies in Library and Archives Conservation from the University of Texas at Austin, an MS in Forensic Science from the University of New Haven, and a Bachelor’s degree in Art History from Northwestern University. Before coming to Yale, she worked at the National Archives, the Smithsonian, and the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center in Omaha, Nebraska. She is a Professional Associate with the American Institute of Conservation (AIC). She is an active member of the AIC National Heritage Responders, and former co-chair of the AIC Health and Safety Network. Outside of her preservation work, she is a volunteer for the Doe Network, the Online International Center for Unidentified and Missing Persons.

Kerith Koss Schrager is an objects conservator and Head of Conservation at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Kerith specializes in occupational health and safety for cultural heritage workers and has degrees in both Environmental Health Sciences (2022) and Conservation (2007) from New York University. Prior to her current position, she was the owner of The Found Object Art Conservation, LLC and has also held positions with the Brooklyn Museum, Field Museum, and National Museum of Asian Art of the Smithsonian. Kerith also serves as adjunct faculty at the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She is a Professional Associate member of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) and a former Chair of both their Health & Safety Network and Conservators in Private Practice (CIPP) Specialty Group.

Resources

• C2C Care Presentation But First, PPE! How to Protect Volunteers, Staff and Yourself
• C2C Care Presentation After the Disaster – Handling and Disposing of Impacted Items
• C2C Care Presentation Recovering and Caring for Artifacts after a Disaster: Lessons from the 9/11 Memorial Museum
• C2C Care So Now What? Dealing with Materials After a Disaster Resources

Recording May 6, 2025 Duration 1 hour 8 minutes

This resource has had a long history of being supported by the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, alongside individual donors. Our IMLS funding was terminated in April of 2025. Since then, FAIC is most appreciative of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation and individual donors who have stepped up to help support FAIC as we navigate how to keep this vital program moving forward.

If you have benefited from Connecting to Collections Care, please consider a gift today.