2012 Ross Merrill Award Recipients Announced: Heritage Preservation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2012 Ross Merrill Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections:

Conservation Assessment Program announces 97 museums to participate in 2012. These small and mid-sized museums located in 34 states, Guam, and the Republic of Palau will have the condition of their collections and historic structures assessed. Read the full announcement here.

The Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel is now available as a mobile application. To learn more about the app click here. To download the app for free to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad click here.

Long known as the authoritative resource for salvaging artifacts after a disaster, the original Wheel has been used by museums, libraries, and archives around the world. This new app makes the Wheel’s invaluable guidance accessible to anyone who is in need of practical advice for saving collections in the first 48 hours after a disaster.

Each year, cultural organizations set aside May 1 to participate in MayDay, an initiative to protect cultural heritage from disaster. What will your organization do this year? Tell us what your organization has planned and enter to win disaster supplies from Gaylord Brothers.

Learn more about this prize drawing, MayDay project ideas, and more.

Updated Live Chat Schedule Announced!

Heritage Preservation moderates the Connecting to Collections online community. The community hosts free live chat events with experts in the field, group discussion boards, and a calendar of online opportunities. Click here to learn more about the community and how to join.

Support Heritage Preservation. Help us match a major grant from the Bay and Paul Foundations.

Click to read Heritage Preservation’s Strategic Plan.

Heritage Preservation is pleased to announce that Francesca Bewer, of the Harvard Art Museums, is the 2012 recipient of the CAA/Heritage Preservation Award for Distinction in Scholarship and Conservation. Click here to learn more about Dr. Bewer and the award.

On May 10 – 11, Heritage Preservation will conduct a workshop on Risk Evaluation and Planning for Tribal Cultural Institutions in Albuquerque. Learn more about this workshop and consider registering. 

Explore the Task Force planning resources page for helpful links and resources.