[Libs-Or] From IMLS - Museums, Libraries, and Archives Urged to Apply for Free IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf

[Ann Reed]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 2008

Press Contacts
202-653-4632

Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth at imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner at imls.gov 

Museums, Libraries, and Archives Urged to Apply for Free IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf
 
Apply between January 5, 2009, and March 9, 2009

Washington, DC-Based on the enthusiastic response from museum, library and archive professionals throughout the country, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) will offer a third, and final, round of competition to distribute an additional 1,000 copies of the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf. Online applications can be submitted to the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) between January 5, 2009, and March 9, 2009, at www.aaslh.org/Bookshelf.

The IMLS Bookshelf, supported in the third application period by the Henry Luce Foundation, is a core set of texts that are essential for the care of collections. To date, 1,841 IMLS Bookshelves have been distributed to cultural heritage institutions. Every state and territory, including Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands has received a copy of the IMLS Bookshelf. 

The IMLS Bookshelf, valued at approximately $800, focuses on collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries' special collections, with an added selection of texts for zoos, aquaria, public gardens, and nature centers. It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues. The final set of recipients will also receive a recently published book by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC). The AIC Guide to Digital Photography and Conservation Documentation is a comprehensive guide to photographic equipment, software, and processing for those who use digital photography for conservation documentation. The complete Bookshelf bibliography and the list of application questions are available for review at www.aaslh.org/Bookshelf. 

Recipients of the IMLS Bookshelf will also receive two guides: The Bookshelf User's Guide and the Guide to Online Resources. Both documents are available on the IMLS Web Site at www.imls.gov/collections. 

The IMLS Bookshelf is part of Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a multi-year initiative to help improve the care of our nation's collections. IMLS began the initiative in response to A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report on the State of America's Collections, a 2005 Heritage Preservation study supported by IMLS, which 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. 

Priority for the IMLS Bookshelf will be given to smaller institutions, but large museums and libraries with special collections are also eligible to apply. For the third round, organizations such as state libraries and museum associations, which may wish to circulate the IMLS Bookshelf within their states, are also encouraged 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, email Terry Jackson at jackson at aaslh.org or call 615-320-3203. 

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. 

The American Association for State and Local History, the Cooperating Partner of the Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, 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 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.