FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
February 19, 2008
IMLS Press
Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
851 Museums, Libraries, and Archives Selected to Receive
IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf
WASHINGTON, DC—Dr.
Anne-Imelda Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum
and Library Services, announced today that 851 museums,
libraries, and archives, representing every state, the
District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, have been selected
to receive the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf.
The contents of the bookshelf were selected by a
blue ribbon panel of conservation experts; it includes
an essential set of books, online resources, and a user’s
guide that can profoundly impact the ability of small
libraries and museums to care for their collections.
To see the list of recipients, go to http://www.imls.gov/news/2008/021908_list.shtm.
“We are pleased to announce the first
group of IMLS Bookshelf recipients. These small
libraries and museums are taking up the charge to care
for America’s heritage,” said Radice. “A
recent national study tells a sobering story about the
state of America’s library and museum collections.
Without immediate action we stand to lose important collections
that are at the heart of the American story.”
The IMLS Bookshelf was made possible by
a cooperative agreement with the American Association
for State and Local History and with support from the
Getty Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the Samuel
H. Kress Foundation. It is part of Connecting
to Collections: A Call to Action, a strategic
initiative by IMLS to address the challenge described
in A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index
Report on the State of America’s Collections.
The report concluded that:
- 190 million objects need conservation treatment,
- 65 percent of collecting institutions have damaged
collections due to improper storage,
- 80 percent of collecting institutions lack an emergency
plan for their collections and trained staff to carry
it out, and
- 40 percent of institutions have no funds allocated
in their annual budget for preservation and conservation.
Among the 851 institutional recipients,
236 are libraries or archives and 615 are museums. Most
of the recipients have small budgets and staffs and have
demonstrated an urgent need for this permanent resource.
History museums, historic houses, and academic libraries
with special collections are especially well represented
among the recipients. Thirty zoos, aquaria, botanical
gardens, and nature centers are also represented.
Recipients are located in 346 of the nation’s
435 congressional districts.
“The Getty Foundation is delighted
to join with the Institute of Museum and Library Services
in support of the Connecting to Collections Bookshelf,”
said Getty Foundation Director Deborah Marrow. “The
program will help so many small and medium-sized museums,
libraries and archives throughout the country to care
for their important collections. The Getty is committed
to advancing the understanding and preservation of the
visual arts, and the IMLS project makes a clear contribution
toward these goals.”
“The Luce Foundation is proud to
support the IMLS Conservation Bookshelf project, which
will serve as a valuable resource for institutions around
the country and provide significant information on collections
care,” said Ellen Holtzman, Program Director for
American Art at the Henry Luce Foundation.
The IMLS Bookshelf focuses on
collections typically found in art or history museums
and in libraries' special collections, with an added selection
of texts for living collections. It addresses topics including
the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management
and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific
conservation issues. Among the publications selected were
The National Trust Manual of Housekeeping (published
by the British National Trust in 2005), the Field
Guide to Emergency Response (published by Heritage
Preservation in 2006), and Essentials of Conservation
Biology (published by Primack in 2006).
The last application period for the IMLS
Bookshelf is March 1 – April 30, 2008,
with recipients announced in July 2008. Instructions,
qualifications, and the content of the IMLS Bookshelf,
along with the online application form, can be found at
www.aaslh.org/Bookshelf.
Applicants may begin applying on March 1, 2008.
Priority will be given to smaller institutions,
but large museums and libraries with special collections
are also eligible to apply. Federally-operated institutions,
for-profit institutions, and libraries that do not hold
special collections are not eligible to receive the IMLS
Bookshelf. For more information, please contact
Terry Jackson at jackson@aaslh.org
or 615-320-3203.
|
The Institute of Museum and Library
Services is the primary source of federal support
for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums.
The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries
and museums that connect people to information and ideas.
The Institute works at the national level and in coordination
with state and local organizations to sustain heritage,
culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation;
and support professional development. To learn more about
the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.
The American Association for State
and Local History is a non-profit membership
organization comprising individuals, agencies, and organizations
acting in the public trust, engaged in the practice of
history, and representing a variety of disciplines and
professions. It provides leadership and support for its
members who preserve and interpret state and local history
in order to make the past more meaningful to all Americans.
To learn more, visit www.aaslh.org.
The Getty Foundation provides
support to institutions and individuals throughout the
world, funding a diverse range of projects that promote
the understanding and conservation of the visual arts.
The Foundation is part of the J. Paul Getty Trust which
also includes the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Research
Institute, and the Getty Conservation Institute. To learn
more, visit www.getty.edu/foundation.
The Henry Luce Foundation
was established in 1936 by the late Henry R. Luce, co-founder
and editor-in-chief of Time Inc. With assets of approximately
$750 million, the Luce Foundation supports American art,
higher education, Asian affairs, theology, and women in
science and engineering. To learn more, visit www.hluce.org.
The Samuel H. Kress Foundation
was created in 1929 and devotes its resources to advancing
the scholarship, conservation and enjoyment of works of
European art. The Kress Foundation’s programs focus
on the preservation of significant monuments of European
art and architecture, as well as the nurturing of professional
expertise in art history and art conservation. To learn
more, visit www.kressfoundation.org.
|