Fall 2010

In This Issue

• 2011 CAP Application Released
• New Preparedness Resource for Tribal Cultural Heritage
• Last Two Connecting to Collections Webinars in Early December
• Think Like a Firefighter!
• IMLS Releases Connecting to Collections Report
• Alliance for Response Local Programs Make New Gains
• Save the Date: Heritage Preservation's 2011 Annual Meeting
• Collections Award Presented to the Architect of the Capitol
• Dec. 15 Deadline Approaching for Nominations for the 2011 Award
• University of Chicago Introduces New Collections Care Courses
• Grant Roundup

The 2011 Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) application is now available on Heritage Preservation’s website at www.heritagepreservation.org/CAP. CAP supports a general assessment of the collections, environmental conditions, and site of small and mid-sized museums in order to provide a report containing prioritized recommendations for improving collections care. The application may be downloaded in Microsoft Word or PDF format. In addition, for the first time ever, applicants may submit their applications via an online form. The postmark deadline for submitting applications is midnight, January 21, 2011. For more information, call 202-233-0800 or e-mail cap@heritagepreservation.org. Heritage Preservation’s CAP is supported through a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Heritage Preservation is pleased to announce a new national initiative, Getting Ready in Indian Country: Emergency Preparedness and Response for Native American Cultural Resources. Developed with support from the National Park Service and the Office of Environmental Compliance of the Department of the Interior, Getting Ready in Indian Country is intended to advance emergency preparedness, stimulate discussion, and inspire new projects for the care and protection of tribal heritage. Click here to view the project report and recommendations, comprehensive resource inventory, and preparedness discussion questions.

Heritage Preservation, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), is over halfway through a series of six webinars based on the national initiative Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action.  Free of charge and geared to staff of museums, libraries, and archives who seek to enhance collections care at their institutions, these webinars have been immensely popular, with over 1300 individuals registered and approximately 250-400 attending each of the four webinars held so far.  It’s not too late to register for the last two, “Public Outreach and Collections Care” on December 2, and “Getting the Most from Your Bookshelf:  Care of Paper, Photographs, and Audiovisual Collections” on December 9.  To register for these webinars, view recordings of previous sessions, and get more information, click here.

Think Like a Firefighter! 
The Incident Command System (ICS), a proven tool for managing disasters, has been adapted for use by cultural institutions in a new handbook co-published by Heritage Preservation and RescuingRecords.com.  The book is written by David Carmicheal, Director of the Georgia Division of Archives and History. Implementing the Incident Command System at the Institutional Level: A Handbook for Libraries, Archives, Museums, and Other Cultural Repositories shows step-by-step how to use ICS for incidents large and small. Click here for more information.

IMLS Releases Connecting to Collections Report
Heritage Preservation is proud of its partnership over the last three years with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) on the Connecting to Collections initiative. Launched in response to the Heritage Preservation report, A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report on the State of America’s Collections, the initiative has included a national tour to four U.S. cities and Washington D.C.; an international summit; the distribution of nearly 3,000 sets of essential texts on collections care; the awarding of more than 60 grants for statewide collaboration on collections care; and the creation of American Heritage Preservation Grants (AHPG). In October, IMLS released a report on the initiative. Click here to read the full, richly illustrated report in PDF format.

Alliance for Response Local Programs Make New Gains 
In October alone, Alliance for Response affiliates in Pittsburgh, New York City, and Ohio held membership meetings and educational programs, with nearly 100 participants in attendance in New York. Savannah Heritage Emergency Response(SHER) used tools from Heritage Preservation’s Risk Evaluation and Planning Program (REPP) to assess city-wide risks to cultural heritage. The Triangle Area Cultural Resources Emergency Network (TACREN) in Raleigh has created a local disaster assistance hotline. Click here to keep up with all the news from Alliance for Response.

Save the Date: Heritage Preservation's 2011 Annual Meeting
Save the Date for Heritage Preservation’s 2011 Annual Meeting, to be held on June 1, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown.  Refreshments will be served at 3:30 pm, followed by the meeting program at 4:00 pm.    More information will be posted on www.heritagepreservation.org in the months ahead.  If you are not a Heritage Preservation member and would like to be added to a mailing list for information on the meeting, email Lauren Hunley.

Collections Award Presented to the Architect of the Capitol 
On Tuesday, September 21, at the U.S. Capitol Building, the 2010 Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections was presented to the Architect of the Capitol (AOC).  Attended by AOC and Congressional staff, independent conservators, Heritage Preservation Board members and other distinguished guests, the morning's events included a special tour of current and past AOC projects, conducted by Curator of the Capitol Barbara Wolanin.  The other recipient of the 2010 award was the Friends of ‘Iolani Palace in Honolulu, Hawaii.  For more information on this year’s recipients, click here.

Photo Caption: Pamela Hatchfield, Vice President of the Board of AIC, Stephen T. Ayers, AIA, LEED AP, the Architect of the Capitol, and Mervin Richard, Chair of the Board of Heritage Preservation. 
Photo credit:  Architect of the Capitol

Dec. 15 Deadline Approaching for Nominations for the 2011 Award
December 15, 2010 is the deadline for nominations for the 2011 Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections.  This award is presented annually to an organization in North America that has been exemplary in the importance and priority it has given to conservation concerns and in the sustained commitment it has shown to the preservation and care of its cultural property. For information on how to nominate an institution, please click here (self nominations are welcome.)  For more information on the award, please click here.

University of Chicago Introduces New Collections Care Courses
A new program of courses in the care of collections has been launched at the University of Chicago’s Graham School of General Studies.  This fall’s course covered environmental issues; courses on care of photographs and collection management are ahead.  The faculty includes professionals from major museums and libraries in Chicago.  The courses are both for staff of smaller collecting institutions and for individuals who want to care for personal collections.  Click here for more information.

Grant Roundup

NEH – Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections
Deadline: December 1, 2010
IMLS - Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
Deadline: December 15, 2010
IMLS - Connecting to Collections Statewide Implementation Grants
Deadline: December 15, 2010
NEH – American’s Historical and Cultural Organizations: Implementation Grants 
Deadline: January 12, 2011
NEH – American’s Historical and Cultural Organizations: Planning Grants 
Deadline: January 12, 2011
NPS – American Battlefield Protection Program
Deadline: January 13, 2011
IMLS -Museum Grants for African American History and Culture
Deadline: January 18, 2011
Heritage Preservation/IMLS - Conservation Assessement Program
Deadline: January 21, 2011
IMLS - National Leadership Grants 
Deadline: February 1, 2011
IMLS - Native American Library Services: Basic Grants with Education/Assessment Option
Deadline: March 1, 2011
NPS - NAGPRA Grants
Deadline: March 2, 2011

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