Succession Planning for Cultural Institutions, Part Two: Resource Roadmap

Cultural sector professionals are notorious for wearing the proverbial many hats and making extraordinary use of scarce resources.  Staff transitions, whether unexpected or planned, can be disruptive and stressful in these environments.  With shifts to the workforce and volunteer pipelines, succession planning and knowledge transfer are becoming more important to address.

Join Dyani Feige, CCAHA Director of Preservation Services, and Tom Clareson, Senior Consultant for Digital & Preservation Services at Lyrasis for a presentation on resources developed as part of a Cultural Stewardship Succession Planning Initiative, funded by a Museum Leadership Grant from the Institute for Museum & Library Services. During the session, they will share examples of tools that have been developed to support succession planning for collections care and management roles, including knowledge transfer guides, sample policies and communications templates, checklists for successful staff transitions, and a framework for internal advocacy for succession planning.

About our speakers:

Tom Clareson is Project Director of the Performing Arts Readiness (PAR) project, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to help performing arts organizations nationwide learn how to protect their assets, sustain operations, and be prepared for emergencies. He serves as Senior Consultant for Digital & Preservation Services at Lyrasis, consulting and teaching nationally and internationally on preservation, disaster preparedness, digitization, digital preservation, special collections/archives, remote storage, funding, strategic planning, and advocacy for libraries, archives, and museums. Clareson serves as Vice President on the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation.

Dyani Feige works with libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural organizations to conduct needs and risk assessments, assist in disaster planning, and help develop policy and planning documents for collections. She also develops and presents education programs on preservation and conservation concerns.

Dyani is a member of the Society of American Archivists (SAA), the American Library Association (ALA), the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC), the Delaware Valley Archivists Group (DVAG), and the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM). She is a recognized Digital Archives Specialist through SAA.

Before joining the staff of CCAHA in 2010 as Preservation Specialist, Dyani worked in the Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives. She has also worked in the New York Public Library’s Preservation Division; for the Conference Board; and in the Special Collections & Archives at Kent State University. Dyani received her MS in Library and Information Science with a Certificate in Archives at Pratt Institute and her BM in Music Business from New York University.

Recorded July 10th, 2024