Heritage Health Index: A Historic Opportunity in Your Mailbox this Summer

This August, over 15,000 collecting institutions nationwide will receive by mail the Heritage Health Index, a survey of unprecedented scope and scale that will result in a comprehensive picture of the condition and preservation needs of this country’s collections.

Participation in the Heritage Health Index survey by institutions large and small is essential. In a letter that accompanies the survey, Heritage Preservation President Lawrence Reger and Institute of Museum and Library Services Director Robert Martin call on recipients to take the time to complete the survey. They point out that “survey results will be used extensively in the years ahead as administrators, policy makers, government agencies, and private funding sources make decisions that affect the preservation of collections.”

The Heritage Health Index will assess collections in all media, in all formats, in all types of institutions, and in every state. A high level of participation is needed to ensure that the results are an accurate representation of the full range of collections in the United States. Twenty-six national organizations and federal agencies have shown their support of the Heritage Health Index by agreeing to appear on the letterhead that accompanies the survey.

Heritage Preservation asks its members and other supporters to help spread the word and encourage participation in the Heritage Health Index. For information on what you can do to help, click here.

Archives, historical societies, libraries, museums, and scientific organizations that have been chosen to participate in the survey will first receive a phone call verifying their address. After the phone call, a survey package will be mailed. While seeing the survey in print can be helpful in getting started, participants are encouraged to complete the survey on line. For more information on the on-line survey, click here.

The Heritage Health Index is administered by Heritage Preservation in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, with major funding from the Getty Grant Program, and additional support from the Henry Luce Foundation, Bay Foundation, Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Peck Stacpoole Foundation, and Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Heritage Health Index may be found at www.heritagepreservation.org/programs/HHIFAQ.htm.