In addition to the wear and tear of time and exposure that normally endanger museum col lections, larger scale events such as September 11, 2001 , the Northeast Blackout of 2003 , Hurricanes Katrina and Irene and the Vi rgi nia Earthquake of 201 1 have emphasized the threats to collections and underscored the importance of a comprehensive ap proach to risk planning. In response, the American Museum of Natural History has been steadfastly committed to identifying a complete picture of its collections priorities, and is accom plishing an overall risk assessment of its research, exhibit and library/archive collections. The assessment model used for this three-phase project is based on the Cultural Property Risk Analysis Model (CPRAM) developed by Robert Wal ler and colleagues at the Canadian Museum of Nature and adapted to accommodate the specific needs of a large , complex institution. These assessments have provided AMNH ad ministrators with info rma tion crucial to making long-term strategy and policy decisions about red ucing and mitigati ng risks to collections.