Investigation and Evaluation of Crisis Management in Museums, Libraries, and Documentation Centers of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts in the Central Plateau of Iran

The current research was conducted to assess the situation and investigate and evaluate the crisis management in the libraries, museums, and cultural heritage documentation centers of the central plateau of Iran, in terms of the conditions of buildings and works. 

Survey-descriptive research method, semi-structured questionnaire, and interview using questionnaire and descriptive analysis based on standard were used.

Findings indicated that 100% of the evaluated centers are located in areas that are threatened by various risks, and 95% of them are exposed to both natural and unnatural risk factors and industrial disasters. In terms of the types of possible accidents, more accidents were drought (subsidence, sinkhole, and dust) and earthquake (100%), fire (95%), theft (92.5%), vandalism (55%), pests (48.5%) and air pollution (47.5%). There are many problems and obstacles regarding the implementation of crisis management. Most curators were dissatisfied with the unfavorable conditions of crisis management. Lack of necessary and continuous training regarding crisis management for curators and employees of museums, lack of insurance coverage of buildings and museums, lack of crisis control plan, lack of effective and continuous communication with specialists and organizations with special services in the field of crisis management, lack of budget forecast, and lack of sufficient knowledge and skills in this area were among the problems and obstacles that were identified after the analysis. 

One of the basic problems, in addition to financial, human, administrative, and structural resources, is the lack of a suitable model, especially based on the country’s climate. The model of crisis management as a road map and specifying the path for proper planning in the three areas of prevention, in the crisis situation and after the crisis is very necessary. In the current research, after examining the situation, it was found that there is no indication of a suitable model based on the region’s climate in the three areas of prevention, during and after the crisis.