[Preservenw] IMLS Announces 2010 Awards of Connecting to Collections Statewide Planning and Implementation Grants

[Gary Menges]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2010

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

IMLS Announces 2010 Awards of Connecting to Collections
Statewide Planning and Implementation Grants

Washington, DCRecent flooding in Rhode Island reminds us that everyone 
needs an emergency plan, including cultural institutions. A Rhode Island 
consortium will use its Connecting to Collections: Statewide 
Implementation Grant, announced today by the Institute of Museum and 
Library Services (IMLS), to develop tools and training for a statewide 
disaster plan.

Statewide implementation grants were offered for the first time this year 
to support activities identified through Connecting to Collections: 
Statewide Planning Grants. Planning grants have been offered for three 
years, and today, IMLS announced 14 new planning grants to foster networks 
among organizations in a state, commonwealth, or territory to provide safe 
conditions for its collections, develop emergency plans, assign 
responsibility for collections care, and marshal public and private 
support for collections care. This brings the total number of states and 
territories participating in the planning grants to 56. Both of these 
programs are part of the IMLS Connecting to Collections initiative 
designed to help libraries, museums and archives address issues identified 
in the Heritage Health Index (HHI), a report on the dire state of the 
nations collections. The HHI survey, conducted by Heritage Preservation 
with IMLS support, found that 80 percent of collecting institutions did 
not have an emergency plan for their collections or trained staff to carry 
it out, and approximately 190 million objects could be lost in just a few 
short years without immediate attention.

In addition to Rhode Island, IMLS funded the implementation of plans in 
California, Connecticut, Delaware, and North Carolina to train 
professionals in museums, libraries, and archives to care for collections 
that are important to their communities. The implementation grants total 
$1,207,340, with matching funds of $576,749.

We support Rhode Islands emergency preparedness project, which the states 
museums, archives, and libraries are undertaking despite tremendous 
challenges created by the recent flooding. Dealing with this real-life 
natural disaster will hopefully enable the states cultural institutions to 
address future emergency situations, said Marsha L. Semmel, IMLS acting 
director. These first statewide implementation grants will test new models 
and best practices for collaborative conservation and preservation 
projects. We are pleased that all 50 states and most of the territories 
are now participating in the program.

Partner institutions in 14 state consortiums will receive planning grants 
totaling $540,080, matched with $242,907 of non-federal funds, to foster 
networks among organizations in a state, commonwealth, or territory to 
provide more secure conditions for collections and marshal public and 
private support for collections care. Grantees include one museum 
association, five state libraries, one historical society, a state agency 
that oversees museums and libraries, and six universities and service 
organizations. Each of the principal grantees has several partner 
organizations. Click here to view the winners of this years planning and 
implementation grants.

For more information, please visit: 
http://www.imls.gov/collections/grants/planning.htm. IMLS intends to issue 
additional implementation grants to statewide planning grantees in 2011.