A roadmap for making a salvage plan. Valuing and prioritising heritage objects

Abstract

One of many measures to prevent or at least mitigate damage to cultural heritage sites is to make a salvage plan for items with heritage value. Several guides and manuals have been written for museums to help in the work of ascribing values to their collections. A review of international work on emergency response planning, salvaging of items and detailed information on preventive work shows that only two guidelines mention how to prioritise heritage items when making a salvage plan. This article combines relevant guides and manuals with experiences from projects undertaken in Norwegian churches. It presents a roadmap that can be used by non-professionals in their work on salvage plans. The roadmap contains all steps from preparation and background work, to relevant discussions and assessment of heritage items, in combination with the definition of salvage needs and of the vulnerability of the valuated items. By including when and how to involve the needed experts, this article offers a tool that fills a gap for the management and the owners of cultural historical buildings.