Maximising Success and Minimising Cost in Heritage and High Net Worth Claims By the High Net Worth & Specie SIG

Transcription

1 Maximising Success and Minimising Cost in Heritage and High Net Worth Claims By the High Net Worth & Specie SIG Speakers James McDowell, Underwriter, AXA Art Emma Dadson, Director, Harwell Document Restoration Services

2 Maximising success and minimising costs in heritage and high net worth claims

3 About Harwell Award-winning specialist service provider Established in 1979 pioneer in sector Surge event capacity and capability Dealing with instructions per year High calibre client portfolio Partnership with ATR

4 About Harwell Clients in Ireland National Museum / National Archives / National Library Trinity College and all the universities Local authorities Chester Beatty Library / Archbishop Marsh s Library Government departments Northern Ireland

5 Restoration possibilities Everything CAN be restored, BUT Objects deteriorate quickly when wet Mould growth Adhesions (e.g. Prints sticking to glass) Swelling / Distortion (e.g. Images) Ink migration Swift stabilisation (<72 hours) in a freezer Averts secondary damage Minimal initial cost vs remediation of mould Determine disposals / restoration priorities

6 Case study

7 Time is of the essence.. Take control and prevent secondary damage. Rapid deterioration from mould growth, ink migration, distortion Arrest damage by stabilisation (e.g. freezing, chilling, stable ambient storage, as appropriate) Deframe if glazed Be aware of environmental affects on nondamaged items.

8 Case study Summer 2007

9 Time is of the essence Secondary damage Is a genuine threat Costs a lot to rectify Is usually COMPLETELY AVOIDABLE! stabilisation doesn t commit you to anything Involving contents restoration experts may very well save you money

10 Restoration possibilities

11 Restoration possibilities

12 Restoration possibilities Depends on the nature of material

13 Handling damaged items Don t discard material from a heritage organisation triage appropriately but conservation may be possible

14 Restoration possibilities

15 Restoration possibilities Documents Books (modern and antiquarian) At a fraction of replacement costs Antiquarian material e.g. manuscripts, parchment, vellum etc. Photographs prints & negatives Stamps Vinyl records Audio-visual materials Artwork e.g. oil paintings, watercolours, prints & drawings Rare and unusual objects via a network of conservation specialists.

16 Water-damage process Triage Recovery ideally <72 hours Stabilisation Weeding Specialist drying Decontamination Post-drying cleaning and repackaging Conservation (where required)

17 Case study: Waterford Archive, Ireland.

18 Freeze-vacuum drying Recognised as best practice for drying water damaged documents, pioneered at Harwell in Freeze-vacuum drying or freeze-drying conditions. Optimal drying conditions applied for different media

19 Fire-damage process Triage prioritise water-damaged items Stabilisation (low rh) Cleaning Cost depends on extent of damage Deodorisation techniques appropriate for paper

20 Emergency planning and Harwell organisations retain Harwell for disaster recovery support Priority User Service Forms part of their emergency plan Who? Heritage organisations Functional / research collections Records and archives United by need to maximise restoration opportunities for their collections

21 Emergency planning in heritage sector Safeguarding Heritage at Risk Study 77% have an emergency plan All scales of institution Volunteer run institutions national collections 30% had suffered a disaster in the last 5 years 68% water damage 11% fire damage Harwell s training role Different from business continuity plans focus on physical recovery

22 Emergency planning in heritage sector Why do they prepare? Collections are often not replaceable No second chances - time is critical to minimise primary / secondary damage Preservation management of the collection High emotional involvement High profile incidents of major loss Museums Accreditation requirement Some not insured / high excess High risks - location & poor maintenance

23 Emergency planning in the heritage sector How do they prepare? 24/7 response Containment & evacuation Disaster kits Roles and responsibilities Priority lists Floor plans Salvage guidance for damaged objects Supplier lists Regard it as their job to protect collection

24 Case study

25 National Library of Wales

26 National Library of Wales

27 National Library of Wales

28 National Library of Wales How did their plan minimise the damage? Timing of 2.30pm on a Friday made no difference Protected items in advance (boxing) Floor plans, priority lists in advance Kit and suppliers Contact information and local knowledge e.g. Jewsons, local authority generator Staff engagement motivated & enthused Emergency sheeting and evacuation

29 National Library of Wales How did their plan minimise the damage Welfare (pizza upon arrival) Health and safety integrated into the approach Emergency plan responded as a business continuity operation / communications Social media & website updates Calm and authoritative leadership Building restoration

30 Glasgow School of Art Complex mix Higher education Historic building semi collapsed Historic interior Library collections Archival collections Modern records Public highway Worst imaginable timing

31 Glasgow School of Art

32 Glasgow School of Art

33 Glasgow School of Art

34 Challenges Appreciating the scale

35 Challenges

36 Challenges Method DIY mentality limitations Potential application 1 1,000,000 items Crating timing for 20 books Hours for salvage (30,000 items or 1500 crates) Equivalent days (10 salvage personnel, 7.5 hours on-site) Crating 3 minutes 75 1 Bagging, then crating 8 minutes Bandaging, bagging, then crating 28 minutes

37 Challenges Pragmatic approach required Making best of a bad situation Plans universal regardless of scale Labour Own staff exhausted and stressed Better used for their collections skill, not brawn Reciprocal networks Liabilities? Contractors Many have to be reminded to put in their insurance details into their plan

38 Challenges plans untested

39 Challenges Building restoration Relying on own facilities sections vulnerable no scalability for surge Drying out buildings complex Failure to do it properly can lead to widespread mould growth on unaffected material Contents of stores are hygroscopic and very vulnerable to extremes Additional costs for temporary offsite storage may be necessary

40 Conclusions Heritage claims are often very high profile Staff attitude is different Prepared to get their hands dirty Knowledgeable, committed, a huge potential asset to the claims process STABILISE wherever possible Remember the building!

41 HDRS Any questions? Harwell Document Restoration Service Dalton Building Maxwell Avenue Harwell Science and Innovation Campus Didcot OX11 0QT T / E. emma.dadson@hdrs.co.uk W.

42 Contacts James McDowell T: Website: Emma Dadson T: Website:

43 The High Net Worth & Specie SIG is sponsored by: Lead sponsors Supporting