Thanks to http://board-js.blogspot.com/2009/03/cologne-historical-archive.html for the following translation of http://archiv.twoday.net/stories/5566219/

In respect to the human and cultural catastrophe, relating to the Cologne Historical Archive's building collapse on March 3rd 2009 (Multilingual information available on International Council on Archives), Salon Jewish Studies extends its usual information supply to help persons affected and to rescue as much as archival material as possible. The text below is based on the reporting by Klaus Graf in Archivalia.

Possbilities of aid (The system for effective rescue of material is in a developing state: This means ‘patience’ for all the supporters) German version on Archivalia

I. Aid in person, logistics, material

Archivists and Archives please contact:
Archival consultations of LVR Rheinland
Phone 0049-(0)2234-9854-255
Email: rwwa@koeln.ihk.de [Rheinisch-Westfaelisches Wirtschaftsarchiv Koeln]
This is the place where the aid is developed and coordinated and forwarded to the local crisis team in Cologne. (Contact to the LVR in English is possible.)
Alternatively, you can email the crisis team in Cologne: rwwa@koeln.ihk.de

Conservators please contact (Updated):
Bert Jacek (University of applied siences Cologne)
Email: bert.jacek@fh-koeln.de (details needed see above)

Information for both archivists and conservators (UPDATED)
Personal Data needed in Email-requests: name, agency, possible dates and working hours as well as your contact information)
Min. duration of work assignment is 3 days. Work will be done all week long (7 days). There are shifts of 6 hours starting at 8:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Accommodation and board will be taken care of.
Tasks at the scene in Cologne for Archivists and conservators:
Fellows who want to join the team in Cologne are going to
1) record rescued material in lists
2) develop the future working process (restauration, professional storage solutions)
3) provisionally box the material

(For general requests, please contact the archival information service of the LVR Rheinland
under +49 (0)2234 9854-225)

stack-rooms holders (UPDATED)
The material that is capable to be stored, will be taken to a new building of the Cologne Historical Archive. For this purpose shelves are needed.
Please contact: afz.archivberatung@lvr.de
You are ask for the following data:
1) Archive's name
2) Shelf surface in meters (please tell the shelf measurements: lenght, width, distance between shelf surfaces)
3) location and facilities of the stack-room (air-conditioning, cooling or the like
4) duration of storage possibilities (in months)

Owners of cold-storage rooms (in Cologne area):
Some of the documents were wet when rescued, they were frozen. The crisis team is now looking for cold-storage rooms around Cologne. Available companies please contact:
kuehlraeume@wir-retten-unser-stadtarchiv.de (Archivalia 05.03.2009 22:51)

Citizens can register for three possible dates to help, on:
http://www.koelner-stadtarchiv.de/melden.html

II. Financial Support

Donations for the families of the victims:
Recipient: Stadt Köln
Account Number: 190 319 0419
Heading: Severin
Bank Name: Stadtsparkasse Köln-Bonn
Bank Code: 370 501 98

Donations for the Historical Archive to rescue the archival inventory:
Recipient: Freunde des historischen Archivs der Stadt Köln e.V. [Society of friends of the Historical Archive City Cologne e.V.]
Account Number: 1900458959
Heading: Rettung Archiv
Bank Name: Sparkasse Köln Bonn
Bank Code: 370 501 98
(The society issues receipts for the donations.)

OR:

Recipient: Verein der Freunde des Stadtarchivs Mannheim e.V. [Society of friends oft he City Archive Mannheim e.V.]
Account Number: 663 636 600
Heading: Spende für Köln
Bank Name: Dresdner Bank AG Mannheim
Bank Code: BLZ 670 800 50
(The society issues receipts for the donations.)

Via Mail (UPDATED): Historische Gesellschaft Köln, Mailbox 10 22 51, 50462 Cologne,
Contact-Information: phone +49 (0) 221 5102604, fax +49 (0) 0221 5736-203 E-Mail: sekretariat@koelnerhausundgrund.de

III. Virtual Reconstruction of the Archival Material

The Digitized Historical Archive Cologne is collecting any kind of scans that have ever made of the inventory. If you hold any of this, please contact: http://www.historischesarchivkoeln.de/index.php?lang=en

Thanks to http://board-js.blogspot.com/2009/03/summary-of-latest-developments-based-on.html for the following Summary!

The Chamber of Engineers of the German district of Nordrhein Westfalen hardly accused the city of Cologne and the Cologne transport services. It seems that persons in charge did not take crucial indications seriously (RP-Online 08.03.2009 17:28 via Archivalia@Twitter).

Fifty students, lectures and further staff of the Archivschule Marburg will assist the Cologne Historical Archive authority at the scene. The team from Marburg will help to rescue, record and range the archival material. They are going to start there work on Monday March 9th. (Archivalia 08.03.2009 16.28)

On Monday, 9th 2009 the "Konferenz der Archivreferenten des Bundes und der Laender" will consult about assistances that can be offered to the Cologne Historical Archive. (Archivalia 08.03.2009 16:45)

Tonight the body of the seventeen-years old Kevin, one of the two missing persons, was discovered in the debris. It was also reported on a press conference, held today in Cologne, that tonight a collection of seals has been founded. The provisional roof of 50 m is going to be built altogether in two days. (Archivalia 08.03.2009 16:14)

From http://www.oaister.org

Title Ulrich von Richental's Chronicle of the Council of Constance, by Karl Küp.
Author/Creator Kup, Karl, 1903-
Publisher New York, The New York public library,
Year 1936.
Resource Type text
Language English
Source http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015068225112
Note 20 p.
Note (LCCN)37018188
Note (OCoLC)ocm07426960
Note BX 830 .1414 R52 K9
Subject Richental, Ulrich von, ca. 1365-1437?; New York Public Library.; Illumination of books and manuscripts--Germany.
URL http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015068225112
Rights We have determined this item to be in the public domain according to US copyright law through information in the bibliographic record and/or US copyright renewal records. The digital version is available for all educational uses worldwide. Please contact HathiTrust staff at hathitrust-help@umich.edu with any questions about this item.
Data Contributor University of Michigan Library Repository

After the "human and cultural" catastrophe of March 3rd 2009 - the collapse of the Cologne Historical Archive's Building (GoogleNews) - an initiative called The Digital Historical Archive Cologne (unfortunately only in German until now) was launched. People are asked to search for photographies, copies and (micro-)films of archival material from the collections of the Cologne Historical Archive. Documents can be uploaded on the website itself.

http://www.historischesarchivkoeln.de/index.php?lang=en

Furthermore it is possible to support the archive by donating:
For the rescue of archival collections
Recipient: Freunde des historischen Archivs der Stadt Köln e.V. [Society of the Friends of the Historical Archive of the City of Cologne]
Account-Nr.: 1900458959, Bank-Code: 370 501 98, Bank: Sparkasse KölnBonn
Keyword: “Rettung Archiv”
The Society of the Friends of the Historical Archive of the City of Cologne will certificate donations.

For support of persons affected
Recipient: Stadt Köln, Kontonummer: 190 319 0419
Bank: Stadtsparkasse Köln-Bonn, Bankleitzahl: 370 501 98
Keyword: Severin

Thanks http://board-js.blogspot.com/2009/03/please-help-to-diminish-catastrophe-of.html

The UK's JISC Digitisation Programme is delighted to announce that
another two of its digitisation projects are online and available open
access.

Freeze Frame: Historic Polar Images, 1845-1982 from the Scott Polar
Research Institute, University of Cambridge
http://www.freezeframe.ac.uk/

East London Theatre Archive: Theatre in East London from the 19th
Century the present day, University of East London
http://www.elta-project.org/

"On the afternoon of Tuesday 3 March, the building of the Historic Archive of the city of Cologne in Germany collapsed along with two neighboring buildings. According to news reports, rescue workers are searching for people believed to be missing after the collapse. The building dated from the 1970s and contained some 65,000 original charters as well as valuable collections of maps, images, posters and files.
ICA expresses its profound sympathy and support for all those at the Historic Archive of the city of Cologne following this tragic incident. ICA has a deep concern about disaster recovery and prevention management, especially for the well-being of archive staff and researchers, and is addressing this important issue through the Programme, and through existing and future partnerships.
News reports on the incident are available on the web. A selection are included below:

In English:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/03/03/germany.cologne.building.collapse/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7921988.stm
http://archiv.twoday.net/stories/5558898/
In French:
http://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/2009/03/03/le-batiment-des-archives-municipales-de-cologne-s-effondre_1162876_0.html
http://www.bluewin.ch/fr/index.php/138,128781/Allemagne__un_batiment_des_archives_historiques_s_#39;ecroule_a_Cologne/
In German:
http://www.ksta.de/html/seiten/992279212917/
http://www.koeln-nachrichten.de/lokales/neues-aus-koeln/historisches_archiv_einsturz.html "

Link:
http://www.ica.org/en/2009/03/04/message-sympathy-and-support-cologne-archives

Lost in the Archives

By ERIC JAGER

When I tell people that the five years I spent researching and writing my last book included about a month and a half of work in the French national archives, they often look skeptical or even laugh, saying, "Right, research in France. That sounds really tough." Sometimes they pantomime the copious drinking of wine. Or they ask why anyone needs to go to the archives at all, since everything is now on the Internet.

Actually there's a lot that isn't on the Internet. And once you fly across the ocean in a cramped economy seat, arrive in Paris with your luggage and research notes, locate your rented apartment, renew your pass at the archives, secure a numbered spot in the crowded manuscripts room, find your documents in the catalogs, carefully write the shelf marks (call numbers) on the neat little forms provided for that purpose, and stand in line to hand your requests to the harried or indifferent clerk at the call desk — your work has only begun.

Read more at
http://chronicle.com/temp/reprint.php?id=0hwrmfyybxymz1p4drzssy1khkk3q52q