Watch Your Inbox—Heritage Health Index Survey Begins in July

Washington, DC – In July 2004, the Heritage Health Index questionnaire will arrive at 15,000 archives, historical societies, libraries, museums, and scientific organizations nationwide. This survey of the condition and preservation needs of collections will—for the first time—produce a national picture of the state of artistic, historic, and scientific collections held by the full range of institutions that care for them.

“Survey respondents have a unique responsibility to assure that the evidence of our artistic, historical, and scientific heritage survives into the future,” said Dr. Robert S. Martin, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). “We cannot afford to wait to identify collections that are at risk for immediate and permanent loss. I encourage all institutions that receive the Heritage Health Index survey to complete it thoroughly and promptly.” The Heritage Health Index is administered by Heritage Preservation in partnership with IMLS.

Heritage Preservation estimates that about 50,000 institutions hold collections, including books, manuscripts, paintings, photographs, archeological artifacts, natural history specimens, historic objects, audio-visual materials, and digital media. The survey will be distributed to collecting institutions of all types and sizes in all U.S. states and territories.

The Heritage Health Index will provide baseline information that is needed to guide future preservation planning and programs, target urgent needs for increased funding, and establish a more secure future for the nation’s cultural heritage. As Heritage Preservation President Lawrence L. Reger explained, “Statistics are routinely gathered on the state of our nation’s schools, hospitals, and environment, but no such comprehensive data exist on the state of our collective heritage, which is vital to the quality of life of our citizens.”

The results and recommendations that come out of the Heritage Health Index will be publicized and distributed widely and given to key national and state policy makers. The data will also give collecting institutions and their leadership a context in which to view their collections’ condition and preservation needs.

The Heritage Health Index was planned with advice from 35 national associations and federal agencies whose constituents are collecting institutions. More than 60 leading conservation, preservation, and collections management professionals consulted with Heritage Preservation to write the Heritage Health Index survey questionnaire. It includes all major issues related to the care of collections, including environmental conditions, preservation activities, preservation staff, preservation budget, and quantity and condition of collections. Institutions that tested the questionnaire considered it a useful self-assessment, helping them gather information that could be used in long-range preservation plans and funding requests.

The Heritage Health Index has received major funding from IMLS and the Getty Grant Program and additional support from the Bay Foundation, Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Peck Stacpoole Foundation, and Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.

For updates on the Heritage Health Index, check the Heritage Preservation Web site at www.heritagepreservation.org.

About Heritage Preservation – Heritage Preservation is a non-profit 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 information on the Heritage Health Index, contact Kristen Overbeck Laise, Heritage Preservation, 1012 14th Street, NW, Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20005, 202-233-0800, klaise@heritagepreservation.org.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services – IMLS is an independent Federal agency that fosters leadership, innovation, and a lifetime of learning by supporting the nation’s museums and libraries. Created by the Museum and Library Services Act of 1996, P.L. 104-208, IMLS administers the Library Services and Technology Act and the Museum Services Act. The Institute receives policy advice from the Presidentially appointed, Senate confirmed National Museum and Library Services Board. Over the last two decades, IMLS has made more than 5,200 grants for conservation through their Conservation Project Support grant and Conservation Assessment Program. For more information, including grant applications, contact IMLS at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20506, 202-606-8536, or www.imls.gov.

About the Getty Grant Program – The Getty Grant Program is part of the J. Paul Getty Trust, an international cultural and philanthropic institution devoted to the visual arts located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. The Grant Program provides critical support to institutions and individuals throughout the world in fields that are aligned most closely with the Getty’s strategic priorities. It therefore funds a diverse range of projects that promote learning and scholarship about the history of the visual arts and the conservation of cultural heritage, and it consistently searches for collaborative efforts that set high standards and make significant contributions. Since its inception in 1984, the Grant Program has supported over 3,200 projects in more than 150 countries. Further information is available from the Getty Grant Program, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 800, Los Angeles, CA 90049, 310-440-7320, or www.getty.edu.