> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE IMLS Press Contact:
> January 20, 2000 Eileen Maxwell 202-606-8339
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Heritage Preservation Contact:
> Kristen Overbeck
> 202-634-1422
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Survey Documents Success of Fed's Conservation Program for Small Museums
>
> Washington, DC-Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) grants (funded by the
> federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and administered
> by Heritage Preservation) provide small-to-mid-size museums a service they
> wouldn't otherwise have: the same level of conservation professionalism
> and expertise that large museums receive. These grants help museums
> establish conservation plans to preserve their collections for the public
> for years to come.
>
> A CAP grant enables all types of museums, from art to zoo, to hire an
> expert conservator. The conservator assesses the museum's entire
> collections, environmental conditions, and collections care procedures.
> For museums located in historic buildings, the grant also supports the
> equal involvement of an architectural conservator. The conservator then
> makes recommendations for immediate conservation action and develops
> long-range plans for the collections' care and preservation. The
> conservator's report has the added advantage of lending credibility to
> museums' fund-raising proposals for conservation projects.
>
> CAP is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary year. Over the past 10
> years, IMLS has awarded over $8 million in CAP grants to 1,551 museums.
> Museums in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin
> Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico have participated in the program. When the
> 1999 CAP awards are completed, over 450 conservators will have conducted
> more than 2,700 assessments.
>
> IMLS funded a professional evaluation to assess the overall impact of CAP
> grants on award museums and the conservation field. The survey results
> were published in December 1999 and reveal that:
>
> CAP has had a significant impact on award museums. First, CAP has
> increased the museum staff and board members' awareness of the need for
> improved collections management and care. Second, CAP has increased the
> museums' ability to obtain additional funding for conservation. Third,
> museums have been able to make significant changes and upgrades to their
> collections and facilities. One museum reported in their survey: "As a
> result of CAP, our governing Board allocated enough money...for a proper
> storage area and a conservation lab."
>
> CAP has had a significant impact on the conservation profession. First,
> CAP has encouraged a focus on preventative care and long-range planning as
> well as treatment. Second, CAP has increased the awareness of small
> museums' collections care issues among conservation professionals. One
> conservator reports: "...CAP has made the conservation field more aware
> of preventative, low-cost care..." Another states: "CAP has helped form
> standards...for surveys, follow-up reviews, and has increased conservation
> knowledge..."
>
> Finally, the study reports that CAP has helped preserve many different
> types of collections and facilities that would otherwise have
> deteriorated, in some cases, beyond repair. IMLS Acting Director Beverly
> Sheppard said: "So much of our nation's heritage is in the care of small
> museums. CAP provides critical, highly professional assistance to these
> museums-assistance that they would not otherwise have. I am proud of the
> work IMLS and Heritage Preservation have done with CAP over the past ten
> years and anticipate even greater success in its future."
>
> "Heritage Preservation is pleased that the Conservation Assessment Program
> has been so effective," said Lawrence L. Reger, President of Heritage
> Preservation. "We will continue to work to improve the program so that
> more museums may reach their preservation goals and to ensure our heritage
> is available for present and future generations."
>
> Among the myriad museums awarded a Conservation Assessment Grant have been
> the American Flag House & Betsy Ross Memorial in Philadelphia, PA; Babe
> Ruth's Birthplace, Baltimore, MD; Mastodon State Historic Site, Imperial,
> MO; and the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA.
>
> About the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) - IMLS is an
> independent Federal grant making agency operating under authority of the
> Museum and Library Services Act of 1996, P.L. 104-208. IMLS, which has an
> annual budget of approximately $190 million, serves the public by
> supporting the nation's 8,000 museums and 122,000 libraries. IMLS
> consists of an Office of the Director, Office of Museum Services, Office
> of Library Services, and Office of Research and Technology. For more
> information, including grant guidelines, contact: Institute of Museum and
> Library Services, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20506,
> (202) 606-8536, or http://www.imls.gov.
>
> Heritage Preservation is the national organization dedicated to preserving
> our nation's heritage. Its members include libraries, museums, archives,
> historic preservation organizations, historical societies, conservation
> organizations and other professional groups concerned with saving the past
> for the future. For more information about the Conservation Assessment
> Program, contact: Heritage Preservation, 1730 K Street, N.W., Suite 566,
> Washington, D.C. 20006, (202) 634-1422, or www.heritagepreservation.org.
>
> ###
>
>
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