The IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf is part of a multi-year, multi-faceted IMLS national initiative to raise public awareness and inspire action to care for the collections held in public trust by libraries and museums throughout the United States. The initiative is grounded in the results of A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report on the State of America’s Collections, which reports that a stunning 190 million objects in U.S. collections need conservation treatment.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is dedicated to providing resources and encouragement to ensure that future generations are able to connect to the rich cultural, scientific, historic, and aesthetic insights and knowledge embedded in the nation’s collections. The Bookshelf is also made possible by the generous contributions of the Getty Foundation and the Henry Luce Foundation.
Why a Bookshelf?
The IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf is intended to provide small and medium-sized libraries and museums with essential resources needed to improve the condition of their collections.
What does The Bookshelf contain?
The 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. The Bookshelf contents were selected based on recommendations of a panel of experts convened in cooperation with Heritage Preservation. The Bookshelf includes books and DVDs, as well as a guide to online resources and an annotated bibliography of all the materials. It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues. Such texts as The National Trust Manual of Housekeeping (published by the British National Trust in 2005), the Field Guide to Emergency Response (published by Heritage Preservation in 2006), and Essentials of Conservation Biology (published by Primack in 2006) are among the recent publications included in the Bookshelf. For a complete list of the Bookshelf publications, click on the IMLS Bookshelf Bibliography link at the top right of this page.
Who will get the Bookshelf?
The Bookshelf will be distributed free of charge to 2,000 institutions. Under a cooperative agreement, AASLH is purchasing, promoting, and distributing the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf. Recipients will include attendees at Connecting to Collections events as well as institutions that apply for the bookshelf using a simple electronic process.
For application and detailed information, please visit the American Association for State and Local History website: http://www.aaslh.org/Bookshelf/.
