A Disaster Recovery Plan for the Australian National Herbarium

4. RECOVERY

Recovery involves the initial clean up of the affected area(s), the salvaging of materials involving sorting into categories according to treatment needs and the treatment of those materials in the short term (stabilisation of materials). The longer-term restoration of materials is detailed in Section 5 Restoration & Rehabilitation.

Recovery should commence as soon as possible after the emergency situation has been stabilised. If the Fire Brigade, Police or SES has attended, permission must be given by those authorities to enter the premises.

The Collections Recovery Coordinator and Salvage Controller(s) should enter the premises first, but below are some important points that all staff should note before commencing the recovery process.

4.1 Important Principles for All Recovery Staff

Remember: the safety of people always comes first . Dealing with damaged collections will proceed after injuries have been attended to and building(s) have been declared safe.
Think before acting! Taking time to consider safety principles and recovery priorities is vital to ensuring the safety of staff and to most effectively minimising the damage to the collection.
Be aware of the danger of electrocution through water. DO NOT enter a flooded area until maintenance and service personnel or the Fire Brigade have checked the area is safe.
Watch out for hazards - for example, slippery floors, items beneath water, broken glass, electrical cables, anything that may have become structurally unsound as a result of the emergency (eg shelving).
Beware of burning plastic as it may give off toxic fumes that can be fatal.
Wear appropriate protective clothing.
Beware of mould spores, which if inhaled into the lungs, can cause a disease called aspergillosis, which has symptoms similar to TB. Masks and gloves must be worn if handling mouldy material.
Use appropriate lifting methods.
Do not use any electrical devices that may have been damaged in the emergency, until a qualified electrician has checked it. Water and fire can cause corrosion of internal parts of electronic appliances that is not always apparent.
The emergency and recovery areas should not be accessible to the public. Advise on-lookers that news of recovery progress can be obtained through the public relations/communications office.
Staff should have an adequate supply of refreshments.
Staff should be properly rested; trauma may be both physical and mental. Specialist counselling may be necessary.
Keep records of all expenses.

4.2 Role of Collections Recovery Coordinator

(Deputy Director – Science and Information (ANBG), Director of CPBR (CSIRO))

After responding to a report of an emergency with the actions outlined in Reaction (section 3) and when it is safe to do so (i.e. after declared so by emergency services, if in attendance) attend to the following tasks:

Arrange for the fire brigade to pump out excess water if area is flooded;
Secure the affected area;
Ensure lighting is adequate. Use torches and light sticks (from Disaster Bins) if necessary;
Request the Facilities Coordinator to provide Security Officers if needed;
Check that shelving is structurally sound and arrange for building services/maintenance to stabilise shelving before any salvage work proceeds;
Delegate the task of notifying staff to assist in the Recovery operation, using the Staff Contacts List in Appendix G, ensuring that:
the number of staff attending is appropriate for the scale of the Recovery operation;
staff are allocated shifts, to avoid worker fatigue;
details of staff names (and any volunteers) and hours worked are recorded.
Enlist the services of a Conservator (See Appendix A) if necessary;
Nominate someone to deal with media enquiries at the ANBG and alert the Communications section at CSIRO. Keep this person/group informed about progress and updates on information appropriate for the public.
Ask someone to contact the Bureau of Meteorology (Appendix D) to obtain a local forecast which may determine the course of action to be taken (cold weather and low humidity may mean there is more time to act, hot weather and high humidity may mean that more immediate action is needed. Continuing storms may require SES to rig tarpaulins over the damaged area).
Enquire with the Manager of the Photographic Unit about use of a camera.
Nominate a photographer (one for the whole site) and refer them to the Role of Photographer (section 4.3).
Monitor progress and adjust plans as appropriate. Particular attention should be paid to bottlenecks, complaints from salvage workers, the effect of the environmental conditions, the adequacy of supplies of materials, equipment, expertise, personnel, space and security of collection material.
Communicate with Salvage Controller(s) and Facilities Coordinator about any developments or changes to operational plans.
Notify insurance company and liaise with the company until all claims have been lodged.
Ensure that senior management are kept informed of progress.

4.3 Role of Photographer

(Nominated by Collections Recovery Coordinator)

A photographic record of events should be made for our own records and to substantiate any insurance claim.

A person will be nominated by the Collections Recovery Co-ordinator to:

Photograph the overall area.
Photograph specific shelves, cupboards, damaged materials.
Photograph progress of salvage operations.

4.4 Role of Facilities Coordinator

(Collections Coordinator and/or the Curation Coordinator (CSIRO), herbarium technician (ANBG))

The Facilities Coordinator(s) is responsible for ensuring the Recovery Teams have the equipment they need to clean, salvage and stabilise collection materials, including organising treatment facilities as required.

The facilities coordinator should refer to sections 2.2.3 and 2.2.4 of this plan on Recovery Work Areas and Supply of Equipment and Materials.

The Facilities Coordinator(s) may need to perform the following tasks:

Organise emergency security, if necessary.
Stabilise the environment. Keep air-conditioning operational, if practical, setting as low a temperature as possible to prevent the growth of mould. Aim to reduce temperature to 18º C and the RH to 50%.
Air should be kept circulating if possible. Open windows and doors and place oscillating fans to circulate air, located in CSIRO storeroom on Level 2 (see Appendix B for exact location).
If at any point during recovery a substantial part of the collection becomes affected by mould it may need to be treated with fungicidal fog. This should only be undertaken by professionals.
Make sure recovery teams have enough equipment eg wet/dry vacuum, mops and industrial blowers/dryers as required.

Recovery Treatment Facilities

Liaise with Salvage Controller about extent of need for recovery treatment facilities i.e. freezer, air-drying and warm air-drying facilities as well as temporary storage space for unaffected materials being removed from collections areas while the site is rehabilitated.
Nominate/locate recovery treatment areas and facilities as required. These should be as close as possible to the affected area and should not be accessible to the public. There may be opportunities afforded by collaboration with other organisations (eg DISACT).
Freezer space (-20ºC) will be required for all wet vascular plants as well as any wet books and other paper based materials. If a large number of cryptogam specimens are affected then these will also require freezing, otherwise they will require air-drying and warm air-drying facilities.
Limited freezer space is available in the preparation rooms on both sites (see section 2.2.4).
Ambient air-drying space may be required in the short term for any wet cryptogams (from the ANBG herbarium), any artworks or maps from the ANBG Library and any smoke damaged items from any of the collection areas. In the long term, air-drying space will be required for books and paper materials being treated after initial refrigeration.

Warm air-drying space may be required for wet fungal specimens (from the ANBG site) in the short term and ultimately for any wet vascular plant specimens being treated after initial refrigeration.

Fungi are usually dried in the ANBG dehydrator, a small unit of nested trays, however this will be too small to treat more than just a few affected fungal specimens. The ANU Botany and Zoology Department may have some such dehydrators that could be borrowed, but greater capacity may still be required. The dryer in the preparation room on Level 1 at the CSIRO site is usually run at a setting too high for fungi. If the heat on this dryer is turned right down it can be used to dry wet fungal specimens. There are also ovens in the labs at the CSIRO site, but the same considerations about temperature apply -low temperature heating with high air flow is ideal. Alternatively, or possibly in addition to these options, a large scale dehydrator could be assembled using wire racks (such as those in the cryptogam preparation room at the ANBG site), in conjunction with commercially hired blow dryers. Wire racks should be fairly easily acquired at the time of the disaster if existing racks are insufficient (more space to set dehydrators up in, may also be required).

Liaise with Salvage Controller about extent of need for equipment. Organise equipment as needed, such as:

table(s)/trestle(s);
trolleys ;
boxes;
crates;
paper towelling;
waxed paper;
plastic bags;
vehicles for transporting salvaged Collection material to treatment areas;
plastic clothes lines;
plastic sheeting for lining trestle tables;
pallets for placing materials on, which can be loaded onto trucks using a forklift;
forklift

Identify a Refreshments Area and organise refreshments – especially fresh drinking water.

After the initial clean up and evacuation of collection materials has been completed, assess the extent of damage to the building, furniture and fittings and plan the rehabilitation of the site (see Restoration and Rehabilitation, Section 5).

4.5 Role of Salvage Controller(s)

(Library/Collections Managers)

In cooperation with the other Salvage coordinator(s), direct and coordinate the activities of the recovery teams in the following activities:

Initial clean up of the collections area(s)
Salvaging and sorting material into treatment categories
Stabilization of materials

If a Conservator is in attendance the Salvage Controller(s) may wish to confirm that the procedures for treating material given in this Plan are appropriate for the given situation at the time of the emergency. Any recommended changes to procedure should be communicated to the recovery team members.

The Salvage Controllers should:

Appoint and organise recovery team(s), assigning different teams to different locations e.g. herbarium, library, photography unit, live specimens area. Teams should consist of no more than five people. It may be appropriate to designate some people/teams to cleaning tasks and others to salvaging.
Fully brief recovery teams, issuing clear instructions about operational procedures, i.e. Recovery Team duties (outlined in section 4.7). There is a laminated copy of the Role of the Recovery Team included in each disaster bin which can be circulated amongst team members. Alternatively, section 4.7 can be photocopied to provide paper versions. Paper versions have the advantage that they can be annotated with any changes suggested by the Conservator at the time of the emergency.
Designate a member of each recovery team to be the team leader, responsible for recording the decisions made by the team and the Salvage Controller(s) and for liaising with the Collections Recovery Coordinator when appropriate. This person should also select examples of damaged items to be photographed by the photographer.
A form for documenting evacuation of material is located in Appendix C and copies are kept in the Disaster Bins. All items being relocated from a Collections area should be recorded on one of these forms.
Collect all completed forms that document removal of collection material.

The Salvage Controller should provide guidance on sorting materials into treatment categories, according to the guidelines given for their collection area (sections 4.8 – 4.11), ensuring materials receive the most appropriate treatment for their condition.

The Salvage Controller may decide to:

Refer material to the Conservator, if in attendance, for advice on treatment needs, or request the Conservator carry out urgent specialised treatment, where appropriate.
Not treat the material further because it is too extensively damaged. A record must be kept of such material and retained until all insurance claims are settled.

The Salvage Controller should liaise with Facilities Coordinator about:

equipment and facility requirements.
the location of any external facilities arranged by the Facilities e.g. locations to which materials should be transported for drying, freezing etc.

Once material has all been stabilised, in consultation with the Collections Recovery Coordinator and the Facilities Coordinator, plan the longer-term restoration of the materials and the ultimate return of materials to the Herbarium site.

4.6 Role of Conservator

(A professional conservator may be recommended by DISACT)

Provide advice on-site to help the Salvage Controller(s) and recovery teams in sorting material.

Carry out any urgent specialised conservation work on individual items.

Assist the Salvage Controller(s) to assess the damage to the Collection and provide an estimate of monetary value for insurance purposes.

4.7 Role of Recovery Team

4.7.1 General Recovery Procedures - Relevant to all Collection Locations

Under the supervision of the Salvage Controller(s), the Recovery Team(s) will conduct the following tasks:

Initial clean up of the Collection area;
Salvaging and sorting of materials into treatment categories; and
Stabilization of materials (short term treatment).

General Clean Up Procedures

Locate disaster bins (red plastic wheelie bins; one in each collection area).
If water is still dripping over collection material, cover with plastic sheeting if not already covered (rolls of plastic sheeting are kept in the storeroom at CSIRO (Level 2 see Appendix B) and in the Herbarium at ANBG).
Channel water from plastic sheets into buckets; investigate how to stop the flow of water.
Organise the removal of as much water as possible from shelves, cupboards and floor using wet/dry vacuum, mops etc. Fully dry the area as soon as possible, using industrial blowers/dryers if necessary.
Mop up excess water by confining water to as small an area as possible.
Do not push water from one floor to the next, down the stairs or into the lift well.
Open any wooden cupboard doors and remove any wooden drawers before they swell shut.
Cover or remove as much unharmed material as necessary to prevent damage e.g. from water dripping from wet material being transported through the area.
Remove obstacles from floors.

General Salvage Procedure

Deal with Collection materials in the following order:

Material identified for Priority Salvage and Treatment (listed with recovery procedures for specific collection areas and also in Appendix A);
Any items lying on the floor if they are obstructing access;
Any items lying in water;
Most damaged or most fragile; and
Least damaged.

However, if the disaster involves fire, many items are likely to be unrecoverable due to charring. In such circumstances the least damaged material should be salvaged first, from the highest priority areas (i.e. from locations housing Items of Priority Salvage status, the floor and anything lying in water).

When removing material from shelving and cupboards, remove items from the top shelves first to avoid the shelving or cupboards becoming top heavy and falling over.

General Sorting Procedure

Collection materials should be sorted into categories according to their treatment needs.

Generally, material that is mouldy, or wet, should be frozen to arrest the growth of mould or prevent mould from forming on wet materials until such time as there is space and expertise available to treat these materials properly.

Some items should not be frozen, however, such as artworks, photographic materials and some botanical specimens (if avoidable). These should be either air-dried immediately, warm air-dried immediately or given professional treatment. Sorting and stabilising procedures specific to each Collection area are given in sections 4.8 – 4.11.

In some instances materials may be too extensively damaged to recover. The Salvage Controller must be consulted before any materials are deemed unrecoverable. A record must be kept of any casualties.

General Procedure for Packing and Documenting Removal of Collection Materials

Prepare material for transport to treatment areas according to the following procedures:

Pack materials in plastic-lined boxes or crates
Pack materials with similar treatment requirements together and try to keep similar format materials together e.g. pack herbarium specimens for freezing together in one crate and books for freezing in another crate.
Ensure that all loose parts of an item are packaged together, using plastic bags.
Pack books flat or spine down.
Pack herbarium specimens flat, in plastic bags in boxes.
Do not pack things too tightly.
Fill spaces in crates with bubble-wrap.
Relocation of the Collection, or any part of it, must to be clearly documented. Record all comings and goings of materials on printed recording sheets (provided in Disaster Bins and in Appendix C).
Each box or crate should be labelled with a number, the treatment type (air drying, freezing etc) and the location from which the contents of the box have been removed.

Stabilisation Procedure - Materials to be Frozen

Speed is essential: do not allow material to dry out.

Allow excess water to drain from the material but do not press materials to remove water.

Do not try to remove mould from wet material, as it will smear.

Clearly mark any mouldy material as being such.

Botanical specimens

Pack bundles into plastic bags and place flat in boxes for transporting
Pack specimen boxes into plastic lined boxes

Books

If a book is wet and closed, leave it closed. If it is wet and open, leave it open. Place a wet open book in a plastic bag and then into a box or crate lying flat. Do not pack too many such items on top of each other.
Do not remove covers from books.
Sheets of waxed or freezer paper should be wrapped around every other book.
Any colour plates or glossy pages should be interleaved with waxed or freezer paper.
Pack books into boxes spine down.

Stacks of paper

Place a stack of wet paper in a plastic bag. Do not try to separate pages while wet.

4.8 RECOVERY PROCEDURES FOR ANBG HERBARIUM

The ANBG Herbarium Collections are located on Level 1 of the Botany Building, as marked on the site map and floor plans given in Appendix B.

Collection materials present:

Botanical specimens (vascular plants and cryptogams), paper catalogue cards and some books.

Items for Priority Salvage and Treatment:

Type specimens are located in two filing cabinets in the centre of the Herbarium (draped in plastic). There is also one column of types housed in the compactus’, labelled with a sign saying ‘Types’; it is the eastern bay of the central stationary unit of the southern row of compactus (the row closest to the Herbarium entrance).

Sorting Materials into Treatment Categories

Materials should be sorted according to their immediate treatment needs, into the following categories:

‘Freeze’ is recommended for any damp, wet or mouldy material, as a matter of urgency. (Freezing retards the growth of mould.)
‘Warm air dry’ is recommended for small numbers of fungal specimens (uses low level diffuse heat).
‘Aerate’ or ‘air-dry’ involves placing item in a room with rapidly circulating fresh air, recommended for drying small numbers of cryptogam specimens and to dispel odours from smoke damaged materials.
‘Remove from site for temporary storage’ may be recommended for undamaged materials or for stable (i.e. dry) physically damaged materials. This may be required if the premises are not safe for collection materials to remain, or if the premises require thorough cleaning.
‘Leave in situ’ may be appropriate if the environment has been stabilised and is safe for housing collection materials. This may be appropriate for materials that are:
a) undamaged – dry dust and debris can be vacuumed off undamaged materials in situ; or
b) physically damaged but are stable (i.e. dry). If the environment is safe, items may be left in situ until restoration treatment can be applied.

Treatment needs should be assessed on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the Salvage Controller and using the criteria set out in Table 4.1(next page) for guidance.

Muddy materials

Generally, mud should only be removed when the material is completely dried. If the mud is already dry the item can be treated as physically damaged for sorting purposes; if the mud is wet the item should be treated as any other wet item.

Contaminated materials

Items that are contaminated by sewage or fire retardants should be dealt with immediately as they pose a hazard to occupational health and safety. Protective clothing and gloves must be worn at all times when handling contaminated materials. Ideally any materials contaminated by sewage or fire retardants should be washed in clean water. However, if materials are water-soluble or paper based, washing may not be appropriate. In such cases, contaminated items should be contained in plastic bags, secured with rubber bands and clearly labelled as contaminated (with the type of contamination specified). If wet, contaminated material should be frozen for treatment at a later date by a conservator. If dry, once the item is contained in plastic bags it can be treated as physically damaged items.

Stabilisation Procedure – Cryptogam Specimens to be Air-dried or Warm Air-Dried

The procedure for drying small numbers of wet cryptogam specimens at the time of the disaster is the same as that used to dry cryptogam specimens after initial freezing. This method is given in section 5.3 (Restoration Procedures- Treatment of Frozen Materials, Wet Cryptogam Specimens).

Transporting materials to treatment facilities

Transport materials to treatment facilities/ recovery areas at locations to be advised by Facilities Coordinator or Salvage Controller at the time of the emergency.

Table 4. 1 Recommended treatment for collection materials of the ANBG Herbarium. Materials should be sorted into treatment categories depending on the condition of the item (type of damage). If condition of an item falls under more than one category, treat for the condition with the greatest urgency.

	Condition of damaged item
	Undamaged (dry)	Physically damaged (dry)	Smoke damaged (dry)	Muddy	Contaminated	Wet	Mouldy
Urgency status:	Urgency low (condition stable)			Dry muddy items: Urgency low Damp or wet muddy items: Urgency high	Urgency HIGH (contaminated materials should be dealt with promptly especially if wet)	Urgency HIGH (condition actively deteriorating)	MAXIMUM Urgency (condition actively deteriorating)
Books & Paper Catalogue Cards	May need to: remove from site for temporary storage; or leave in situ.		May need to: remove from site for temporary storage; aerate; or leave in situ.	If mud has dried – treat item as physically damaged. If mud is still wet – treat item as wet.	Contain in two plastic bags Ψ; clearly label as contaminated. Freeze if wet, or, if dry – treat as ‘physically damaged’.	Freeze
Vascular plant specimens						Freeze
Cryptogam specimens (excluding fungi)						Freeze if large-scale disaster, otherwise air-dry* immediately.	May be un-recoverable ƒ . If in doubt, air-dry if small scale**, otherwise freeze and assess later.
Fungal specimens						Freeze if large-scale disaster, otherwise warm-air-dry* immediately.	May be un-recoverable ƒ . If in doubt, warm-air-dry if small scale disaster**, otherwise freeze and assess later.

Ψ Protective clothing and gloves must be worn at all times when handling contaminated materials.
* Large-scale disaster in this context is defined as involving more cryptogam specimens than can be processed for drying in one day (the number will depend on personnel and resource availability at the time of the disaster).
** Small scale disaster = the number of affected cryptogam specimens are few enough to process for drying in one day.
ƒ The Salvage Controller must be consulted before any specimens are condemned. A record must be kept of any casualties.

4.9 RECOVERY PROCEDURES FOR CSIRO HERBARIUM

The CSIRO Herbarium Collections are located in compactus in two rooms on Level 1 and one room on Level 2 marked on the site map and floor plans given in Appendix B. Specimens may also be located in the mounting area, the preparation room, the loans area and in people’s offices.

Collection materials present:

Vascular plant specimens and some books.

Items for Priority Salvage and Treatment:

Type specimens located in the ‘Type room’, Level 1 (see floor plan in Appendix B). Eucalypt Types are located in the main collection, in Building 502A (Level 1, northern compactus ). Orchid Types are located in the main collection, in Building 502A (Level 2, southern compactus ). There may also be some type specimens in the loans section of the compactus in Building 502 and in people’s offices.

Sorting Materials into Treatment Categories

Materials should be sorted according to their immediate treatment needs, into the following categories:

‘Freeze’ is recommended for any damp, wet or mouldy materials, as a matter of urgency. (Freezing retards the growth of mould.)
‘Aerate’ or ‘air-dry’ involves placing item in a room with rapidly circulating fresh air, recommended for dispelling odours from smoke damaged materials
‘Remove from site for temporary storage’ may be recommended for undamaged materials or for stable (i.e. dry) physically damaged materials. This may be required if the premises are not safe for collection materials to remain, or if the premises require thorough cleaning.
‘Leave in situ’ may be appropriate if the environment has been stabilised and is safe for housing collection materials. This may be appropriate for materials that are:
a) undamaged – dry dust and debris can be vacuumed off undamaged materials in situ; or
b) physically damaged but are stable (i.e. dry). Such items may be left in situ until restoration treatment can be applied.

Treatment needs should be assessed on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the Salvage Controller and using the criteria set out in Table 4.2 (next page) for guidance.

Muddy materials

Generally, mud should only be removed when the material is completely dried. If the mud is already dry the item can be treated as physically damaged; if the mud is wet the item should be treated as any other wet item.

Contaminated materials

Items that are contaminated by sewage or fire retardants should be dealt with immediately as they pose a hazard to occupational health and safety. Protective clothing and gloves must be worn at all times when handling contaminated materials. Ideally any materials contaminated by sewage or fire retardants should be washed in clean water. However, if materials are water-soluble or paper based washing may not be appropriate. In such cases, contaminated items should be contained in plastic bags, secured with rubber bands and clearly labelled as contaminated (with the type of contamination specified). If wet, contaminated material should be frozen for treatment at a later date by a conservator. If dry, once the item is contained in plastic bags it can be treated as a physically damaged item.

Transporting materials to treatment facilities

Transport materials to treatment facilities/ recovery areas at locations to be advised by Facilities Coordinator or Salvage Controller at the time of the emergency.

Table 4. 2 Recommended treatment for collection materials of the CSIRO Herbarium. Materials should be sorted into treatment categories depending on the condition of the item (type of damage). If condition of an item falls under more than one category, treat for the condition with the greatest urgency.

	Condition of damaged item
	Undamaged (dry)	Physically damaged (dry)	Smoke damaged (dry)	Muddy	Contaminated	Wet	Mouldy
Urgency status:	Urgency low (condition stable)			Dry muddy items: Urgency low . Damp or wet muddy items: Urgency high	Urgency HIGH (contaminated materials should be dealt with promptly especially if wet)	Urgency HIGH (condition actively deteriorating)	MAXIMUM Urgency (condition actively deteriorating)
Books	May need to: remove from site for temporary storage; or leave in situ.		May need to: remove from site for temporary storage; aerate; or leave in situ.	If mud has dried – treat item as physically damaged. If mud is still wet – treat item as wet.	Contain in two plastic bags Ψ; clearly label as contaminated. Freeze if wet, or, if dry – treat as ‘physically damaged’.	Freeze
Vascular plant specimens

Ψ Protective clothing and gloves must be worn at all times when handling contaminated materials.

4.10 RECOVERY PROCEDURES FOR ANBG LIBRARY

The library at the ANBG is on the first floor of the Botany Building. See Appendix B for exact location.

Collection materials present:

Books, journals, pamphlets, large and small format sheet material, artworks (paintings, drawings, prints and photographs), a range of magnetic media (cd’s, videos, DVD’s and audiocassettes) and vascular botanical specimens in the ‘Public Reference Herbarium’.

Items for priority salvage:

All items in Rare Book Room (see floor plan in Appendix B).

Sorting Materials into Treatment Categories

Materials should be sorted according to their immediate treatment needs, into the following categories:

‘Aerate’ or ‘air-dry’ involves placing item in a room with rapidly circulating fresh air. This is recommended for drying large format sheet material stored individually (not in a roll with other sheets), wet artworks (paintings, drawings or prints) and for dispelling odours from smoke damaged materials.
‘Freeze’ is recommended for most damp, wet or mouldy materials, such as botanical specimens, journals, pamphlets, stacks of paper, rolls of paper (eg maps) and books, particularly any leather bound books, and particularly also any item with ’coated’ or ‘glossy’ paper. The following items should NOT be frozen even if wet: artwork (paintings, drawings and photographs) and large format sheet material not in a bundle.
‘Remove from site for temporary storage’ may be recommended for undamaged materials or for stable (i.e. dry) physically damaged materials. This may be required if the premises are not safe for collection materials to remain, or if the premises require thorough cleaning.
‘Leave in situ’ may be appropriate if the environment has been stabilised and is safe for housing collection materials. This may be appropriate for materials that are:
a) undamaged – dry dust and debris can be vacuumed off undamaged materials in situ; or
b) physically damaged but are stable (i.e. dry). Such items may be left in situ until restoration treatment can be applied.
‘Seek advice from Photographic Salvage Controller’ is recommended for wet photographs.

Treatment needs should be assessed on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the Salvage Controller and using the criteria set out in Table 4.3 (next page) for guidance.

Muddy materials

Contaminated materials

Items that are contaminated by sewage or fire retardants should be dealt with immediately as they pose a hazard to occupational health and safety. Protective clothing and gloves must be worn at all times when handling contaminated materials. Ideally any materials contaminated by sewage or fire retardants should be washed in clean water. However, if materials are water-soluble or paper based washing may not be appropriate. In such cases, contaminated items should be contained in plastic bags, secured with rubber bands and clearly labelled as contaminated (with the type of contamination specified). If wet, contaminated material should be frozen for treatment at a later date by a conservator. If dry, once the item is contained in plastic bags it can be treated as physically damaged items.

Transporting materials to treatment facilities

Transport materials to treatment facilities/ recovery areas at locations to be advised by Facilities Coordinator or Salvage Controller at the time of the emergency.

Stabilisation Procedure – Air-Drying Artworks and Large Format Material

Dry flat on adsorbent towelling.

Table 4 . 3 Recommended treatment for collection materials of the ANBG & CSIRO Libraries. Materials should be sorted into treatment categories depending on the condition of the item (type of damage). If condition of an item falls under more than one category, treat for the condition with the greatest urgency.

	Condition of damaged item
	Undamaged (dry)	Physically damaged (dry)	Smoke damaged (dry)	Muddy	Contaminated	Wet	Mouldy
Urgency status:	Urgency low (condition stable)			Dry muddy items: Urgency low . Damp or wet muddy items: Urgency high	Urgency HIGH (contaminated materials should be dealt with promptly especially if wet)	Urgency HIGH (condition actively deteriorating)	MAXIMUM Urgency (condition actively deteriorating)
Botanical specimens; books ; journals ; pamphlets ; small format -sheet material ; *rolls of large format sheet material.**	May need to: remove from site for temporary storage; or leave in situ.		May need to: remove from site for temporary storage; aerate; or leave in situ.	If mud has dried – treat item as physically damaged. If mud is still wet – treat item as wet.	Contain in two plastic bags Ψ; clearly label as contaminated. If wet – treat as wet; if dry – treat as ‘physically damaged’.	Freeze
Magnetic media (CD’s, DVD’s, videos and audio-cassettes)						May need to: air-dry; or seek professional treatment
Artwork (paintings drawings and prints); Individual large format sheet materials					Lie flat in the designated container (folder, box or drawer). Wrap in plastic sheeting if possible. Label as contaminated. Air-dry.	Air-dry Drain off excess water, do NOT wipe or mop surface. Transport flat in their designated container (eg folder, box or drawer).
Photographs					Seek advice from Photographic Salvage Controller about the need for professional treatment.

Ψ Protective clothing and gloves must be worn at all times when handling contaminated materials.
* If several large format sheets are rolled up together they should be treated differently to single individual large format sheets

4.11 RECOVERY PROCEDURES FOR ANBG PHOTOGRAPHIC UNIT

The Photographic unit is located in the Ellis Rowan building marked on the ANBG site map in Appendix B.

Collection materials:

Black and white negatives and prints, colour negatives and prints, transparencies (slides), original artworks, maps and books.

Items of Priority Salvage:

Original artworks

Sorting Materials into Treatment Categories

Materials should be sorted according to their immediate treatment needs, into the following categories:

‘Professional treatment required’ is recommended for any wet photographic materials.
‘Aerate’ or ‘air-dry’ involves placing item in a room with rapidly circulating fresh air. This is recommended for drying large format sheet material stored individually (not in a roll with other sheets), wet artworks (paintings, drawings or prints) and for dispelling odours from smoke damaged materials.
‘Freeze’ is recommended for most damp, wet or mouldy materials, such as stacks of paper, rolls of paper (eg maps) and books, particularly any item with ’coated’ or ‘glossy’ paper. The following items should NOT be frozen even if wet: artwork (paintings, drawings and photographs) and large format sheet material not rolled up.
‘Remove from site for temporary storage’ may be recommended for undamaged materials or for stable (i.e. dry) physically damaged materials. This may be required if the premises are not safe for collection materials to remain, or if the premises require thorough cleaning.
‘Leave in situ’ may be appropriate if the environment has been stabilised and is safe for housing collection materials. This may be appropriate for materials that are:
a) undamaged – dry dust and debris can be vacuumed off undamaged materials in situ; or
b) physically damaged but are stable (i.e. dry). Such items may be left in situ until restoration treatment can be applied.

Treatment needs should be assessed on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the Salvage Controller and using the criteria set out in Table 4.4 (next page) for guidance.

Muddy materials

Contaminated materials

Items that are contaminated by sewage or fire retardants should be dealt with immediately as they pose a hazard to occupational health and safety. Protective clothing and gloves must be worn at all times when handling contaminated materials. Ideally any materials contaminated by sewage or fire retardants should be washed in clean water. However, if materials are water-soluble or paper based washing may not be appropriate. In such cases, contaminated items should be contained in plastic bags, secured with rubber bands and clearly labelled as contaminated (with the type of contamination specified). If wet, contaminated material should be frozen for treatment at a later date by a conservator. If dry, once the item is contained in plastic bags it can be treated as physically damaged items.

Transporting materials to treatment facilities

Transport materials to treatment facilities/ recovery areas at locations to be advised by Facilities Coordinator or Salvage Controller at the time of the emergency.

Table 4. 4 Recommended treatment for collection materials of the ANBG Photographic Unit. Materials should be sorted into treatment categories depending on the condition of the item (type of damage). If condition of an item falls under more than one category, treat for the condition with the greatest urgency.

	Condition of damaged item
	Undamaged (dry)	Physically damaged (dry)	Smoke damaged (dry)	Muddy	Contaminated	Wet	Mouldy
Urgency status:	Urgency low (condition stable)			Dry muddy items: Urgency low . Damp or wet muddy items: Urgency high	Urgency HIGH (contaminated materials should be dealt with promptly especially if wet)	Urgency HIGH (condition actively deteriorating)	MAXIMUM Urgency (condition actively deteriorating)
Photographic materials: negatives, prints and transparencies (slides)	May need to: remove from site for temporary storage; or leave in situ.		May need to: remove from site for temporary storage; aerate; or leave in situ.	If mud has dried – treat item as physically damaged. If mud is still wet – treat item as wet.	Contain in two plastic bags Ψ; clearly label as contaminated. If wet, treat as wet; if dry, treat as ‘physically damaged’.	Professional treatment may be required
Artwork i.e. paintings drawings and prints; Individual large format sheet materials					Lie flat in their designated containers (boxes or drawers). Wrap in plastic sheeting if possible. Label as contaminated. Air-dry.	Air-dry Drain off excess water, do NOT wipe or mop surface. Transport flat in their designated container (eg folder, box or drawer).
Books					Contain in two plastic bags Ψ; label as contaminated. If wet, treat as wet; if dry, treat as ‘physically damaged’.	Freeze

Ψ Protective clothing and gloves must be worn at all times when handling contaminated materials.

4.12 RECOVERY PROCEDURES FOR LIVE SPECIMENS IN GROWTH CABINETS

Living specimens are grown in growth chambers in the demountables at the Horticultural Research Cottage at the ANBG and in growth cabinets in the Quarantine Room on Level 1 at CSIRO (locations are marked on floor plans in Appendix B).

In the case of an emergency, the Curator of Cryptogams and any other persons growing live specimens in growth cabinets will need to attend to the needs of specimens. The Salvage Controller for Live Specimens (Curator of Cryptogams) should contact the relevant people as soon as possible.

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