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January 11, 2008 (REVISED January 16, 2008)
Library of Congress and Foundation Center Create New Funding Guide for Preserving Historical, Cultural Collections
The Library of Congress and the Foundation Center, in a joint partnership, have recently compiled a new Web-based fundraising guide to help the preservation community save the nation’s millions of at-risk artifacts for future generations.
The guide, titled "Foundation Grants for Preservation in Libraries, Archives and Museums," is available for free download at the Library of Congress website: www.loc.gov/preserv/.
"America’s collections are essential and they are at risk. We are gratified that the Library of Congress and the Foundation Center are answering the conservation ‘call to action’ with the publication of this important guide," said Anne-Imelda Radice, director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums.
"Foundation Grants for Preservation in Libraries, Archives and Museums" features information on 1,725 grants awarded by 474 foundations from 2003 through 2007 for projects related to preservation and conservation. The guide is presented in PDF file format for easy on-screen scanning or downloading. The information is drawn from the Foundation Center’s database of grants awarded by U.S. foundations. The guide also includes links to additional useful information, such as free tutorials on proposal writing.
"We were very pleased when the Library of Congress approached us to partner on this timely and far-reaching project," said Joyce Infante, the Foundation Center’s senior vice president for institutional advancement. "We’re hopeful that this new publication will prove to be a powerful fundraising tool for organizations working to preserve the nation’s heritage."
"The Library of Congress has a long history of helping cultural stewards preserve the nation’s collections," said Deanna Marcum, associate librarian for Library Services at the Library of Congress. "We are delighted to partner on this guide, which will lead people to funding sources that can support their preservation efforts."
To create the guide, The Library of Congress and the Foundation Center consulted with the Heritage Preservation, a nonprofit group serving libraries, archives and other groups dedicated to preserving historical and cultural collections. In 2005, the Heritage Preservation published the "Heritage Health Index" (2005), the first comprehensive survey on the condition of all U.S. collections held in public trust.
The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, is the world’s preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled collections and integrated resources to Congress and the American people. The Library’s Conservation Division ensures that this universal collection of knowledge and creativity will still exist for future generations by providing appropriate treatment and preventive care for rare and valuable special research materials. Conservation staff members conduct and publish research; create new solutions to storage and care of collections; train Library staff, students, the public and professionals; prevent and respond to disasters; prepare materials for moves, digitization, exhibitions and loans; assess and evaluate new acquisitions and old accessions; monitor and plan collections storage; and stabilize and treat threatened rare materials. For more information, visit www.loc.gov/preserve/conserv.html.
The Foundation Center, established in 1956 and supported today by more than 600 foundations, is the nation's leading authority on philanthropy, connecting nonprofits and the grant-makers supporting them to tools and information they can use and trust. The Center maintains a database on U.S. grant-makers and their grants and also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance philanthropy at every level. For more information, visit www.foundationcenter.org.
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PR 08-008
01/11/08
ISSN 0731-3527
