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Library Receives Conservation Bookshelf
(Posted: April 15, 2008) (Printable Version)
New resources are available to students and staff at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith who want to know more about preserving treasured objects and artifacts for future generations.
Boreham Library at UA Fort Smith has received a Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, a core set of conservation books, DVDs and online resources provided through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The IMLS plans to distribute 2,000 sets of the materials by the end of 2008.
Boreham Library Director Wilma Cunningham said the donation has great benefits for UA Fort Smith.
“This collection is especially relevant to our campus with our program for training historians and archivists for a variety of museum and park careers,” said Cunningham. “Training our students, as well as our staff, to properly handle and preserve historical materials will become an investment in our future by linking valuable materials to our past.”
The IMLS Bookshelf, which Cunningham said was valued at approximately $500, will be kept in the Pebley Historical and Cultural Center in Boreham Library. Online materials will be linked through the Library’s catalog. Boreham Library was one of the first to receive the resources. The university’s selection was based on an application describing the needs and plans for care of its collections. Dennis Van Arsdale, technical services librarian, wrote the grant request.
The IMLS is the primary source of federal funding of the nation’s museums and libraries. The gift is provided through IMLS and its cooperator, the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH).
The IMLS Bookshelf focuses on collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries' special collections, with an added selection of texts for zoos, aquaria, public gardens, and nature centers. It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues.
The IMLS Bookshelf is a crucial component of Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a conservation initiative that the Institute launched in 2006. IMLS began the initiative in response to a 2005 study by Heritage Preservation documenting the dire state of the nation’s collections.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development.
For more information on the IMLS Bookshelf at Boreham Library, contact Cunningham by telephone at 788-7205 or by email at wcunning@uafortsmith.edu. To learn more about the Institute, visit www.imls.gov, or contact Jeannine Mjoseth by telephone at 202-653-4632 or by email at jmjoseth@imls.gov.
| Article by: Sondra LaMar, Director of Public Relations | |
| Photo(s) by: Sondra LaMar |
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