For Immediate Release
August 5, 2004
Press Contacts:
Heritage Preservation: Kristen Overbeck Laise; 202-233-0800;
[log in to unmask]
IMLS: Eileen Maxwell;202-606-8339; [log in to unmask]
Heritage Health Index: A Historic Opportunity in Mailboxes Now
Washington, DC - More than 15,000 collecting institutions nationwide now
have the opportunity to contribute to the Heritage Health Index, a
survey of unprecedented scope and scale that will result in the first
comprehensive picture of the condition and preservation needs of U.S.
collections. The survey will arrive at institutions in mid August.
The Heritage Health Index will assess collections in all media, in all
formats held by archives, historical societies, libraries, museums, and
scientific organizations in every state and U.S. territory. A high
level of participation from institutions of all types and sizes is
needed to ensure that the results are an accurate representation of the
full range of our nation's collections.
Heritage Preservation is conducting the Heritage Health Index in
partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
In a letter that accompanies the survey, Heritage Preservation President
Lawrence Reger and IMLS Director Dr. Robert S. Martin call on recipients
to take the time to complete the survey. They point out that "survey
results will be used extensively in the years ahead as administrators,
policy makers, government agencies, and private funding sources make
decisions that affect the preservation of collections."
Institutions selected to participate in the survey were contacted by
phone and will receive their survey packages by mail in mid August.
Participants are encouraged to complete the survey online at
www.heritagehealthindex.org with the password provided in the survey
package. The online survey features tools to help users. Respondents
who submit their survey online will also be given instant access to a
tally of the returns and some preliminary results.
The Heritage Health Index was planned with advice from 35 national
associations and federal agencies whose constituents are collecting
institutions, and written in consultation with more than 60 leading
conservation, preservation, and collections management professionals.
The questionnaire includes all major issues related to the care of
collections. Institutions that tested the questionnaire reported that
it was a comprehensive self-assessment that helped them gather
information useful in long-range preservation plans and funding
requests. The Heritage Health
Index data will give collecting institutions and their leadership a
context in which to view their collections' condition and preservation
needs.
The Heritage Health Index will provide the statistics needed to guide
future preservation planning and programs, target urgent needs for
funding, and ensure that the future of our nation's cultural, historic,
and scientific heritage is secure. The results and recommendations of
the Heritage Health Index will be publicized widely and distributed to
national and state policy makers.
In addition to support from IMLS, the Heritage Health Index has received
major funding from the Getty and additional support from the Henry Luce
Foundation, Bay Foundation, Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Peck Stacpoole
Foundation, and Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.
More information and answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the
Heritage Health Index are available on the Heritage Preservation Web
site at www.heritagepreservation.org.
Heritage Preservation is a non-profit 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 information on the
Heritage Health Index, contact project director Kristen Overbeck Laise,
Heritage Preservation, 1012 14th Street NW, Suite 1200, Washington DC,
20005, 202-233-0800, [log in to unmask], or
www.heritagepreservation.org.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent Federal
grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of
learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities. The
Institute also encourages partnerships to expand the educational benefit
of these organizations. The Institute receives policy advice from the
Presidentially appointed, Senate confirmed National Museum and Library
Services Board. Over the last two decades, IMLS has made more than 5,200
grants for conservation through their Conservation Project Support grant
and Conservation Assessment Program. For more information, including
grant applications, contact IMLS at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC 20506, 202-606-8536, or www.imls.gov.
The Getty Grant Program is part of the J. Paul Getty Trust, an
international cultural and philanthropic institution devoted to the
visual arts located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. The Getty Grant
Program provides crucial support to institutions and individuals
throughout the world in fields that are aligned most closely with the
Getty's strategic priorities. It therefore funds a diverse range of
projects that promote learning and scholarship about the history of the
visual arts and the conservation of cultural heritage, and it
consistently searches for collaborative efforts that set high standards
and make significant contributions. Among the largest philanthropic
supporters of the visual arts in the country, the Getty offers grants to
fund a variety of projects in research, conservation, and education and
professional development. Additional information is available on the
Getty Web site at www.getty.edu.
###
Eileen Maxwell
Public Affairs Specialist
Institute of Museum and Library Services
1100 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20506
202-606-8339
202-606-8591 (fax)
[log in to unmask]
Subscribe to Primary Source, the IMLS monthly e-mail newsletter, for
important museum and library news:
http://www.imls.gov/utility/subscribe.htm.
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