|  It
has been almost a month since our first national conservation
summit held at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in
Washington, D.C. As you may know, the summit is part
of the Institute’s multi-year initiative, Connecting
to Collections: A Call to Action.
As we gear up for the next steps in the
initiative, we have been energized by the enthusiastic
notes of thanks from some of the summit participants.
Four representatives from each state, Puerto Rico, and
the District of Columbia attended the summit.
The most important gain from the conference for Dwight
McInvaill, director of the Georgetown County Library
in South Carolina, was returning to his locality, “with
a sense of urgency about the need to share and to protect
our historical materials. I understand now how interrelated
these two aspects are, because citizens will be more
apt to dedicate resources to historical treasures that
they know and value,” he wrote.
Deborah Gangloff, director of South Dakota’s
Days of ’76 Museum, wrote, “I came away
from the conference not only with tools I can use, but
with a new respect for my colleagues and a greater understanding
of our country itself. I didn’t expect that this
would be a patriotic experience for me, but that is
exactly what it was. And I am more determined than ever
to save the collections entrusted to me.”
These letters mean a lot to us and spur
momentum for the next steps. In the next few months,
we will post on our Web site streaming video, photos,
and the keynote remarks from the summit. Later this
year, we will make available a DVD of summit highlights.
The Web page links to other components
of the initiative such as an RFP we posted July 16,
2007, for a cooperator to oversee Connecting to
Collections: The National Tour. Following on the
success of the summit, four forums will take place in
cities across the nation beginning in January 2008 and
continuing through June 2009. Other parts of the initiative
include
- the Conservation Bookshelf, comprised
of books, bibliographies, a guide to on-line resources,
DVDs, or other high-quality materials that will be
made available through a streamlined application process,
and
- planning grants to each state, commonwealth,
and territory for the purpose of creating conservation
plans to address the recommendations of the Heritage
Health Index. The agency plans to make these awards
over two fiscal years.
So stay tuned. And thank you for raising
awareness in your communities on the importance of protecting
our nation’s collections.
- Anne-Imelda M. Radice,
Ph.D., Director, IMLS |
| State Program Site Visit
to Juneau and Anchorage, AK, Michele Farrell, Senior
Program Officer, July 15-19.
State Programs Site Visit to Austin, Abilene,
and Fort Worth, TX, Robin Cabot, Senior Program Officer,
July 16-20.
"Building the Cyberinfrastructure
in the U.S.," Joyce Ray, Associate Deputy Director
for Library Services, JISC Digitisation Conference sponsored
by the Joint Information Systems Committee (U.K.), Cardiff,
Wales, July 19-20.
2007 Federal Funding Seminar, hosted by
US Congressman David Davis. Kevin O'Connell, Congressional
Affairs Officer, Kingsport, TN, August 7.
“Collaboration and Coalition Building,”
George V. Smith, Associate Deputy Director for State
Programs, Panel Chair, 2007 COSLA Executive Leadership
Institute, Madison, WI, August 12-16.
State Programs Site Visit to Baton Rouge, LA, Robin
Cabot, Senior Program Officer, August 13-17.
State Programs Site Visit to Lansing, MI, Laurie Brooks,
Senior Program Officer, August 20-24.
State Programs Site Visit to Richmond,
VA, Terri Brown, Senior Program Officer, August 28-30.
"If You Fund It, Will They Come?"
panel discussion, Joyce Ray, Associate Deputy Director
for Library Services, Society of American Archivists,
Chicago, IL, August 29-September 1.
"World Cultural Economic Forum,"
Schroeder Cherry, Counselor to the Director, State of
Louisiana Office of the Lieutenant Governor, New Orleans,
LA, August 24-25.
African American Association of Museums
Conference, Schroeder Cherry, Counselor to the Director,
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham, AL, August
30-31.
“Connecting Collections and Conservation
for Heritage Health,” Nancy Rogers, IMLS/NEH Senior
Project Coordinator, Association of State and Local
History annual meeting, Atlanta, GA, September 6.
State Programs Site Visit to Concord,
NH, Robin Cabot, Senior Program Officer, September 10-15.
“Outcomes-Based Evaluation” and "Evaluation:
An Institutional Decision-Making Tool," Karen Motylewski,
Evaluation Officer, Florida Association of Museums,
Clearwater, FL, September 16-17.
State Programs Site Visit to Lincoln,
NE, Laurie Brooks, Senior Program Officer, September,
16-20.
“IMLS Funding – Providing a Bridge of Opportunities
for Your Museum,” Mary Estelle Kennelly, Associate
Deputy Director for Museum Services, Association of
Midwest Museums (AMM) and Michigan Museums Association
(MMA) 2007 National Conference, Mackinac Island, Michigan,
September 25-28.
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