October 1, 2020
MotorCities is offering three great FREE opportunities in October to hear from subject matter experts and get practical advice as part of its 2020 Lunch & Learn Series, now being presented live via Zoom.
The first session is called "Archiving Basics and Collections Preservation" and takes place on Wednesday, October 7 from 12 – 1:30 p.m. with presenter Mark Harvey, State Archivist, Michigan History Center/Archives of Michigan in Lansing. Harvey has been the State Archivist for over 22 years. He has a B.A. from Calvin College, a M.A. in history and a Masters of Library and Information Science from Wayne State University.
The second session is entitled "Rising to the Challenge When Disaster Strikes” on Wednesday, October 14 from 12 – 1:30 p.m. with Mary Fahey, Chief Conservator, The Henry Ford in Dearborn. In her role, Fahey oversees preservation activities for The Henry Ford and provides technical oversight, training and project management for both traditional museum exhibitions, living history sites and educational programs that utilize historic artifacts. She trains staff in the areas of disaster preparedness, historic housekeeping, handling, proper display and the general care and management of artifact collections. She also advocates for best practices regarding new acquisitions, storage, climate control, conservation, handling, documentation, collection care, disaster preparedness and the management of hazardous materials in collections.
The third session is “Bringing Back Buildings and Collections” with John Rybiski, General Manager of BELFOR Property Restoration in Livonia on Wednesday, October 21 from 12 – 1:30 p.m. Get practical advice on overcoming damage to buildings and collections, as well as working with remediation professionals. A discussion will be included about determining replacement cost for insurance and planning purposes. The Sarah Jordan Boarding House in Greenfield Village and other properties will be featured to highlight restoration challenges.
Rybiski has over 38 years of experience in the fire restoration industry. His responsibilities include oversite and strategic management of large projects and supervising project management personnel on complex restoration jobs. He is a trusted building consultant for major insurance carriers including Travelers Insurance, Chubb, Brotherhood Mutual, and Hastings Mutual. His experience ranges from hands-on restoration specialist to senior estimator/consultant and project manager. John specializes in Historical Preservation and large loss management and is a recipient of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network Building Award and the Ann Arbor Historic Preservation District project of the year award.