FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2007

IMLS Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov

Save the Date! Reserve Now! IMLS Conservation Forum,
“Preserving America’s Diverse Heritage”,
Set for January 31 - February 1, 2008 in Atlanta

WASHINGTON, DC—A national initiative designed to save the nation’s at-risk collections brings its message to Atlanta, Georgia, January 31- February 1, 2008 when the Institute of Museum and Library Services presents “Preserving America’s Diverse Heritage” at the High Museum of Art and Woodruff Arts Center. The forum, organized in cooperation with Heritage Preservation, gives special attention to collections held in small and medium-sized museums, libraries, and archives.

The forum is open and free of charge to staff and board members of museums, libraries, and archives as well as to conservation professionals, representatives of government, funders, and the media. Advance online registration is required by January 15. Program and logistical information and online registration are available at www.imls.gov/collections/tour.

IMLS’s Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action is a multi-year, multi-faceted national program. The Atlanta forum is the first of a series of four national forums, to be held in 2008 and 2009, called the National Tour sponsored by IMLS in cooperation with Heritage Preservation. The meetings are designed to raise awareness among leaders of small and mid-sized museums and libraries about the importance of collections care and to give them practical information, tools, and resources to inspire action nationwide.

“Preserving America’s Diverse Heritage” will address the many challenges facing America’s diverse cultural collections, from the handling of culturally sensitive objects, to caring for oral history archives, to the special needs of photographs and audio-visual materials, to the difficulties in attracting funding. The forum will provide both information and inspiration to help participants care for significant collections and mobilize support in their communities.

The forum’s speakers are top conservators and other distinguished professionals from throughout the nation. They include: keynote speaker, Lonnie Bunch, Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture; Sven Haakanson, Executive Director of the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak, Alaska and recent recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship; Loretta Parham, Director of the Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, and Susana Leval, Director Emeritus of El Museo del Barrio. Other experts include nationally recognized photograph conservator Debra Hess Norris of the University of Delaware/Winterthur and Alan Lewis, who has advised both the Library of Congress and the National Archives on preservation of audio-visual materials.

The forum will be held in the Rich Theater of the Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, Georgia. There will be no on-site registration, so please register on-line by January 15.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
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.

About Heritage Preservation
Heritage Preservation is the national organization dedicated to preserving our nation’s heritage. Its members include libraries, museums, archives, historic preservation organizations, historical societies, conservation organizations and other professional groups concerned with saving the past for the future. For more information, please visit www.heritagepreservation.org.