Arizona State Museum and Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners receive Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections Award

Arizona State Museum and Massachusetts Board of Library
Commissioners receive Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and
Care of Collections Award

The Arizona State Museum and the Massachusetts Board of Library
Commissioners have been selected to receive the 2008 Award for
Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections.
This annual award is selected by a panel of distinguished
conservation experts from across the nation and is presented jointly
by Heritage Preservation and the American Institute for Conservation
of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC).

The two recipients have shown a sustained and exemplary commitment
to preserving America's heritage--one by caring for its own
collections and the other by promoting collections care statewide.

The Arizona State Museum (ASM) is the oldest and largest
anthropology museum in the Southwest.  The museum's Preservation
Division is responsible for the care and preservation of a
world-renowned collection of artifacts from indigenous peoples of
the American Southwest and northern Mexico.

One of ASM's largest preservation projects to date is the Southwest
Pottery Project, an initiative to protect the museum's collection of
ceramic vessels. Designated an official Save America's Treasurers
Collection in 2000, the Project received donations from many diverse
sources, such as local philanthropists, tribal communities, local
businesses, charitable trusts and foundations, federal agencies, and
private donors. Community volunteers also supported the project and
contributed over 22,000 hours.

   "The work of the Arizona State Museum to connect its community to
    preservation is a model for all museums across the country,"
    said Eryl Wentworth, Executive Director of AIC. "Not only did
    the project raise awareness for the collection's preservation,
    but incorporating local volunteers demonstrated the community's
    support, which, in turn, attracted donors."

According to the 2005 Heritage Health Index survey of our nation's
collections, only 44% of institutions use volunteers for
conservation and preservation activities.  The Arizona State Museum
was praised by the Award panelists for utilizing this potential so
effectively for the preservation of its southwest pottery
collection.

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) is a state
government agency with responsibility for library services
throughout the state.  For the last 20 years, the MBLC's commitment
to preservation has helped library and archival collections all
across Massachusetts.

MBLC began a statewide preservation program in 1988 which included a
series of preservation workshops on topics such as care and handling
of library archival materials, disaster preparedness and recovery,
basic repair of library and archival materials, and collections
security.

In 1998, the MBLC initiated the Emergency Assistance Program to
assist organizations in disasters. Components of the program include
training workshops, disaster supply caches at sixteen locations
across the state, technical assistance through MBLC or the Northeast
Document Conservation Center (NEDCC), and a "weather alert" email
system.

MBLC also worked closely with the NEDCC to develop dPlan, an online
disaster-planning tool, in 2001.  This free resource is available
for any library, archive, or museum and provides a template for
organizations to create a disaster plan.

The Award panelists were impressed with MBLC's exemplary efforts to
promote preservation efforts and emergency assistance across
Massachusetts. Lawrence L. Reger, President of Heritage
Preservation, added,

   "The 2005 Heritage Health Index survey of our nation's
    collections found that 78% of public libraries do not have an
    emergency plan with staffed trained to carry it out. I commend
    the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners for addressing
    this statistic by providing resources to help libraries develop
    and implement an emergency plan."

The Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of
Collections has been presented on an annual basis since 1999.
Previous recipients include nationally prominent organizations such
as Colonial Williamsburg and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and
smaller institutions such as the Historical Society of Frederick
County (MD) and the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto. In 2007, the
Cleveland Public Library received the award.

The award will be presented to the Massachusetts Board of Library
Commissioners on July 10, 2008 at a meeting of the organization's
Board of Directors. The award presentation for the Arizona State
Museum will be in Fall of 2008.

The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic
Works <URL:http://aic.stanford.edu> is the national membership
organization of professional conservators dedicated to preserving
the art and historic artifacts of our cultural heritage for future
generations.

Heritage Preservation <URL:http://www.heritagepreservation.org/> is
a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving our nation's
heritage. Its members include museums, libraries, archives, and
other organizations concerned with saving the past for the future.

Nominations are invited for the 2009 Award for Outstanding
Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections. The deadline
is December 15, 2008. For additional information, see

  <URL:http://www.heritagepreservation.org/awards/aic.htm>


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 22:5
                  Distributed: Thursday, July 17, 2008
                        Message Id: cdl-22-5-002
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