[Conntech] IMLS Conservation Forum: Preserving America’s Diverse Heritage

[Douglas Lord]

For those of who may be interested, the dates and location are set for
the IMLS Conservation Forum: “Preserving America’s Diverse
Heritage”

January 31 - February 1, 2008 in Atlanta, GA

The press release:

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
(http://www.imls.gov/collections/index.htm) 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.

Douglas C. Lord
Division of Library Development
Connecticut State Library
Middletown Library Service Center
786 South Main Street
Middletown, CT 06457
1-800-437-2313 (in CT only)
860-704-2204
http://ct.webjunction.org
dlord at cslib.org