State Library represented at IMLS nationwide conservation program

The State Library of Iowa is one of just 13 institutions from Iowa selected to participate in a nationwide conservation program organized by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a federal agency, and Heritage Preservation, a Washington DC based, not-for-profit organization.

As part of "Connecting to Collections: Raising the Bar," Barbara Corson, program director for Library Services, represented the State Library in a two day regional conference held in Davenport, Iowa, last week joining fellow museum and library professionals from eight states— Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.  On the agenda were ways of creating and sustaining conservation plans and engaging the media and the public in the important process of saving the cultural heritage of American communities.

“We are honored to have been among those institutions chosen to participate in this in-depth program,” says Corson.  “Clearly, the IMLS and Heritage Preservation agree with the State Library that conserving our collections is essential to maintaining a sense of place and collective memory for all the citizens of Iowa.”

The invited participants are eligible to compete for a $3,750 cash award. The award, funded by the Bay and Paul Foundations and the Peck Stacpoole Foundation, is intended to encourage participants to implement what they have learned in the workshops.

“The conference at the Figge Museum of Art focused on practical approaches to outreach on behalf of collections. We enlisted a team of experienced presenters who described successful projects and worked with participants to develop strategies of their own,” said Marsha L. Semmel, acting director of IMLS. “It will be exciting to see which institution wins the $3,750 cash award for the most significant follow-through based on this workshop.”

The Davenport conference was the second such regional gathering in the national Connecting to Collections initiative.  In mid-May, the IMLS and Heritage Preservation held a similar workshop in Baltimore, Maryland, for institutions on the East Coast and in the mid-Atlantic region.

In the fall, IMLS and Heritage Preservation will present a series of webinars featuring topics covered in the Davenport and Baltimore workshops, including outreach through traditional and social media; resource development; public education and outreach; and how best to use the “Connecting to Collections” resources. For more information visit: www.imls.gov/collections.