PIERRE, S.D. -- The South Dakota State Historical Society, in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota and the Association of South Dakota Museums, are collaborating in the Dakota Collections Care Initiative (DCCI). As part of the DCCI, disaster preparedness workshops will be held beginning in late April for museums, libraries and archives.

The free DCCI disaster preparedness planning and response training workshops will be held at four locations in both North Dakota and South Dakota in 2013. The workshops are an opportunity for local collecting institutions to develop or update a disaster with the assistance of a trained conservator, Terri Schindel, who led the 2012 DCCI collections conservation workshops.

To register for the 2013 workshops, go to: http://dcciworkshops2013.eventbrite.com/ Workshops are free, but registration is required. Registration closes one week prior to each workshop.

Twenty travel stipends per location are available for the 2013 workshops. Stipends of up to $100 per person may be used for lodging and mileage reimbursement. They are available on a first-come, first-served basis and may be requested through the online registration process.

The workshops will take place in the following towns and cities. The first dates indicate the Two-Day Planning Workshop. The second date indicates the One-Day Response Recovery Hands-On Workshop:

Dickinson, ND: April 29-30; Aug. 5
Bismarck, ND: May 1-2; Aug. 6
Minot, ND: May 6-7; Aug. 7
Fargo, ND: May 8-9; Aug. 8
Aberdeen, SD: May 13-14; Aug. 12
Brookings, SD: May 15-16; Aug. 13
Pierre, SD: May 20-21; Aug. 14
Deadwood, SD: May 22-23; Aug. 15

Planning Workshop (April-May)
• What to include in your disaster preparedness and response plan
• Risk assessment and hazard mitigation planning
• Coordination with emergency managers and first responders
• Care of collections before, during and after an emergency

Plan Development (May-August)
• Each participating institution develops or updates its disaster preparedness and response plan
• Free mentoring and assistance is provided by Conservator Terri Schindel via phone and email

Hands-on Workshop and Practice Drill (August)
• Response/recovery scenarios
• Drills with first responders

Staff, volunteers and board members from museums, libraries and archives are encouraged to attend, and each organization may bring as many people as they wish to all three workshop days. People are welcome to attend whichever workshops best fit their respective schedules.

For questions regarding registration, contact DCCI representatives at clearfour@btinet.net or clearfive@btinet.net or call 701-355-4458. For questions regarding workshop content, contact Terri at terrikschindel@gmail.com.

The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Tourism. The Department of Tourism is comprised of Tourism, the South Dakota Arts Council, and the State Historical Society. The Department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen. The State Historical Society, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute, is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative/development offices. Call (605) 773-3458 or visit history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call (605) 394-1936 for more information.