Chuck Patch has worked in cultural heritage institutions for over 30 years, 17 of them as the Director of Information Systems at the Historic New Orleans Collection. He has been an independent consultant since 2008 and teacher with Johns Hopkins University since 2010.He was an early proponent of integrated Library-Archives-Museum systems and led his institution in the development of one of the first, commercial integrated LAM information systems. In conjunction with an IMLS grant funded project, he instituted digital asset management policies at his institution in 2003, successfully merging collections information and technical metadata to output images and data to a local DAMS and a statewide digital library in a combination of formats, including Adobe Digital Negative (dng) and Jpeg 2000. As an IT manager, he oversaw the implementation of a communications and data infrastructure linking multiple buildings in the French Quarter and was involved in planning for the renovation of historic buildings as well as new construction. Following Hurricane Katrina, his department established an online clearinghouse for staff communication during the evacuation.Patch has been a collaborator, principal investigator and project manager for numerous grant funded projects including an IMLS National Leadership grant project, the Collins C. Diboll Vieux Carré Digital Survey (a major architectural index of New Orleans buildings) and the New Orleans Obituary Index Project.Patch has been contracted by a variety of institutions to identify and recommend solutions to information bottlenecks. He has participated in a number of national working groups on museum information management issues, including service as a member of the Core Team in the Mellon funded ConservationSpace project. He has proven grant writing skills, and has worked with institutions to develop funded projects.Specialties: Collections Information Management,Digital Asset Management,Disaster planning