FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2009
Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
907 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 (IMLS), announced today that 907 museums, libraries, and archives have been selected to receive the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf. She made the announcement during her opening remarks at the fourth and concluding Connecting to Collections forum, Stewardship of America’s Legacy: Answering the Call to Action in Buffalo, NY. This is the third and final installment of the Bookshelf program, which has distributed 2,751 sets of books, online resources, and a user’s guide to institutions in every part of the country. To see the list of recipients, click here.
“When IMLS and our partners began the journey to help save America’s collections three years ago, we knew that money and appropriate resources would prove major barriers between many of our nation’s collecting institutions and proper collections care,” said Dr. Radice. “With the Connecting to Collections Bookshelf initiative, we were able to offer these institutions tools to help them preserve and conserve their treasures for future generations. We commend them for answering this call to action.”
The Bookshelf comprises resources for collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries' special collections, with an added selection of texts for living collections. It is a component of Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a strategic initiative by IMLS to address the challenges described in A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report on the State of America’s Collections, an IMLS-funded study conducted by Heritage Preservation.
Most recipients have small budgets and staff, 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, as are zoos, aquaria, botanical gardens, and nature centers.
The IMLS Bookshelf was made possible by a cooperative agreement with the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) with support from the Getty Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.
“Given the Getty's longstanding commitment to the care of museum and archival collections, we are pleased to partner with IMLS and other foundations to provide key conservation resources to the institutions that most need them,” said Getty Foundation Director Deborah Marrow.
“We are delighted to help make this important material reach so many institutions around the country,” said Ellen Holtzman, Program Director for American Art at the Henry Luce Foundation.
“The Kress Foundation is delighted to be working with IMLS to ensure the broadest possible access to this important reference resource,” said Max Marmor, President of the Kress Foundation.
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