Sweet Briar Museum Receives Conservation ‘Bookshelf’

From staff reports

The Sweet Briar Museum has been named one of 851 museums, libraries and archives, representing every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, selected to receive the “IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf.”

The “Bookshelf” is a core set of conservation books, DVDs, and online resources donated by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary source of federal funding of the nation’s museums and libraries.

By the end of 2008, IMLS and its cooperator, the American Association for State and Local History, will award a total of 2,000 free sets of the “Bookshelf.”

“We are pleased to announce the first group of IMLS ‘Bookshelf’ recipients,” Anne Radice IMLS director, said. “These small libraries and museums are taking up the charge to care for America’s heritage.

“A recent national study tells a sobering story about the state of America’s library and museum collections. Without immediate action we stand to lose important collections that are at the heart of the American story.”

Sweet Briar is among the first to receive this set of resources based on an application describing the needs and plans for the care of its collections.

Christian Carr, Sweet Briar Museum director, teaches a class called “Curating, Collecting and Connoisseurship,” which introduces students to the best practices standards in museums.

“These books will be an invaluable part of the curriculum,” she said. “They will also be used as references by students undertaking internships at the museum and the student workers who serve as museum assistants.”

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.

It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness and culturally specific conservation issues.

The IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Its mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas.

It 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 and to see the complete list of recipients, visit the IMLS Web site.