To further understand the impact of climate change on these cultural and information repositories, the Institute of Museum and Library Services based in Washington, D.C. has awarded a grant to LSU School of Library & Information Science Associate Professor Edward Benoit III and LSU Department of Geography & Anthropology Associate Professor Jill Trepanier with collaborator Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability Associate Professor Jennifer Vanos. The research team will use geographic information system analysis to identify GLAM-specific risks, including tropical cyclone wind and/or flooding damage, inland precipitation and extreme heat signatures. They will use further statistical estimation of risk and visualization to develop a comprehensive risk assessment scale that will allow institutions to properly identify their climate change-related risks, create emergency management plans, develop short- and long-term mitigation plans and prioritize funding opportunities. The project will leverage a target group of more than 92,000 cultural heritage intuitions within the United States including art museums, children’s museums, history museums, natural history museums, science museums, zoos and nature centers, historical societies, historical sites, college and university archives …
