Contest--Making the case for preservation action to save collections

We all know how hard it is to lift the sense of urgency and priority
for preserving collections, especially in our economically tight and
digitally oriented times. The American Library Association's
Association of Library Collections and Services (ALA-ALCTS) is
sponsoring a competition for the best "2-minute speech" to convince
3 key audiences of the importance of action for preservation as a
part of the first national collection Preservation Week (May 9-15,
2010). The target audiences are:

    Decision makers-directors, board members, elected and appointed
    officials, and other people who choose priorities for action and
    provide the resources;

    Friends, family, visitors and users, and others who work outside
    collecting institutions, and the cultural heritage,
    conservation, and preservation fields-public support is
    essential for preservation action;

    Library, archive, and museum staff outside the preservation or
    conservation fields-shelvers, check-out and ILL staff, building
    operations, and housekeeping personnel can have a significant
    impact on collections preservation.

Here's how the contest will work:

    1.  Select one target audiences (i.e. decision makers; general
        audience; and/or library/archive/museum staff) to persuade
        with a 2-minute speech to support preservation and take
        preservation action. Selection multiple target audiences,
        one 2 minute speech per audience.

    2.  Write a short, compelling, and easy-to-understand argument
        that will persuade your target audience.  Send in one 2
        minute speech per target audience.

    3.  Send your written submissions in one e-mail per target
        audience to Yvonne Carignan, Library Director and Head of
        Collections, Historical Society of Washington, DC,
        carignan<-at->historydc<.>org.

    4.  Yvonne will distribute all submissions to a review panel
        representing preservation, conservation, and collecting
        institutions of a variety of types and sizes.  The panel
        will select the top three entries in each category.  The
        winning "speeches" will be highlighted on the Preservation
        Week Web site <URL:http://www.ala.org./preservationweek> and
        the winners will also receive a surprise from ALCTS.

The deadline for submission is March 8, 2010, so don't delay.

Here are some hints to help:

Send us the reasons for supporting preservation that have worked
with people you know.

    Audience:  Key decision-maker:

        If you had only 2 minutes to convince your institution's
        doubting Board Chair, Director, Major Funder that
        collections preservation should become a strong priority,
        budget priority, high priority, core function  of your
        institution, what would you say? what points would you make?

        If you had only 2 minutes to convince your institution's
        doubting Director that collections preservation should
        become a core function of your institution, what would you
        say?

    Audience:  Friends, family, and neighbors outside the field:

        If you had only 2 minutes to convince your--Great aunt,
        cable or satellite installer, or neighbor that preserving
        cultural heritage collections should become a well-funded
        activity, budget priority, high priority in your community,
        what would you say? what points would you make?

        If you had only 2 minutes to convince your neighbor that
        preserving cultural heritage collections should become a
        high priority in your community, what points would you make?

    Audience:  Line staff in your institution outside preservation
    and conservation:

        If you had only 2 minutes to convince your institution's
        youth librarians, volunteers, shelving staff that by making
        collections preservation a strong priority, high priority,
        core function, they could make a real difference to your
        users, what would you say? what points would you make?

        If you had only 2 minutes to convince your institution's
        volunteers that by making preserving your collections a high
        priority, they could make a real difference to your users,
        what points would you make?

We look forward to reading and sharing the winning submissions!

Jeanne Drewes, Karen Motylewski
Preservation Week 2010 Taskforce


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 23:30
                Distributed: Tuesday, February 16, 2010
                       Message Id: cdl-23-30-001
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