Summary of First Application w/Peer Comments (in red)

Museum Training Network (MTN) 501 C3
Terri Schindel, Conservator and Founder
303 544-9632
terrischindel@gamil.com

February 29, 2008
Hello Everyone:

Re: IMLS Connecting to Collections Planning Grant, 2008 – 2009

I am Terri Schindel Conservator and Founder of the Museum Training Network, MTN 501 C3 and the author (unpaid) of this hastily written IMLS Connecting to Collections Planning Grant. I did it so we could get IMLS peer review feed back and use comments to engage the necessary agencies that were mentioned in the comments. You may read the criteria for this grant at imls.gov – go to grants category then by date – scroll to you see Oct 1 09’. You should read it before our meeting in March so we can formulate a revised or new proposal.

The MTN’s mission is to link providers/trainers, services with people working in small, rural, and tribal museums, libraries and cultural institutions to improve their capabilities. The nonprofit MTN is based on my work with this constituency in MT. WY, CO and AZ over the last 15 years. Together we have created training models that are now funded through federal grants to individual institutions and recognized on a national level. The MTN operates with private contractors who have an expertise in many topics and are experienced trainers. Training sites are located in WY and CO host institutions and each agrees to invite other institutions within a two-hour driving distance thus extending the reach of hands on training. The training topics follow CAP and MAP assessment recommendations and are specific to the host’s highest priority.

When the IMLS planning grant for Connecting to Collections was announced there was a 6 week turn around and as you can imagine a too quick to organize by state. I called around to see if anyone was planning or wanted to assist me in the planning and writing this grant. Five small museums agreed to be the host institutions and sponsor an onsite meeting, a one-day risk assessment and training opportunity. To reach all participants in the state I included opportunities to meet either in-person, onsite at host institutions or the Internet via Webinars and Skype technology. The MTN Mobile Museum, Training and Conservation Laboratory (MTN service) will be utilized to deliver services. I think the process of peer review gives us the opportunity to see that Washington DC wants this to be top-down management from the state level. I hope at the next meeting these people from state agencies are present and step up to the task of organizing the planning and grant efforts.

In this email I have included the abstract, excerpts from the grant, some of the peer reviewer comments in red. The reviewers commented on the hastily written grant and the disconnect between the goals and objectives and the fact that no state entity is involved. I use this document to show that everyone must somehow cooperate understand that this is an opportunity to resource collection care, training and conservation of collections. It appears the reviewers were not aware that there is no regional conservation laboratory, no conservators in the state of Wyoming (Carmen Bria is in the process of moving his private painting conservation business to Lander) and other than myself and the MTN there are no other providers of collections care/conservation services that I am aware of to the small, rural and tribal groups in Wyoming.

You will note that I chose risk assessment and DPRPlanning as the main goals and objectives. While this is mentioned in the criteria our planning proposal does not have to be single topic. There are no databases, surveys or documentation stating the condition of the collections and or collection needs in Wyoming. I chose risk assessment and onsite training as the main topic because it could lead to documenting need. This topic may or may not be the way we want to go.

Proposal: General peer comments about proposals that were funded: The best proposals, in addition to meeting, the review criteria, shared the following characteristics; project goals tied directly to findings of the Heritage Health Index; the application engaged a broad array of partners across the state, including museums and libraries of many disciplines, archives, representatives from the philanthropic community, and state government officials with relevant collections oversight or disaster preparedness responsibility. The proposed partnership coalition included the “major players” within the state and outreach to institutions of many sizes in an inclusive planning process.

The Museum Training Network’s, MTN 501 C3 initiative, Wyoming Connecting to Collections Risk Evaluation and Planning Proposal will be to assist small, rural, tribal museums, libraries, and cultural institutions to assess risks, compile a statewide risk database and utilize onsite planning workshops and Webinar technology to develop a statewide plan to train, reduce risks, mitigate and respond effectively to emergencies. Peers thought the MTN could be a player in the planning and implementation but questioned the bottom-up proposal. They said several times this is a top down organizational partnership. While the MTN is a service organization for the constituents they are trying to reach, it should not be the sponsoring organization.

The Heritage Health Index, the first national survey of U.S. collecting institutions, found that “80 percent of U.S. collecting institutions does not have a written emergency/disaster plan that includes collections with staff trained to carry it out.” Further analysis reveals that 78 percent of museums and 92 percent of historical societies do not have an emergency plan that includes collections with appropriately trained staff. Wyoming data was compiled as part of the Mountain Plains Region and the region as a whole indicates equally grim statistics: 83% of museums and 93% of historical societies do not have an emergency plan with staff trained to carry it out. Peers thought there must be some Wyoming collection data somewhere which would make the risk assessment approach and collecting data from the object level not necessary. Does anyone know of a WY survey or data collection tasks to prove current conditions? The use of HHI data for the mountain plains region would be appropriate if the data was used to support the proposal.

The Museum Training Network, MTN a nonprofit service organization, developed as an outgrowth of Terri Schindel, Conservator and the people in small, rural and tribal museums and cultural centers in Wyoming and Colorado working together over the past 15 years. There are no conservation laboratories or collection care services provided in the state of Wyoming. Two peer reviewers (obviously never here or did not do their homework) insisted that Wyoming conservators and larger institutions could be expected to take this on a statewide Connecting to Collections project and that they must have programs that service small, rural, and tribal museums. Working together at a grass-roots level, Ms. Schindel and the people in Wyoming have developed excellent host institution training models that have been used to increase capabilities, share training and implementation opportunities and raise awareness in the communities for collection concerns. The programs have been funded to institutions by state and federal grants and recognized at local and regional museum association meetings as well as in publications such as Before and After Disasters: Federal Funding for Cultural Institutions; a FEMA publication. One of our peers thought this statement sounded like it came from a business plan for the MTN. Another peer thought there were collection needs in the state but the grant author did not state clearly what the needs are and how that was documented.

To accomplish the goals in this initiative, the MTN will launch its Mobile Conservation Laboratory and provide direct services onsite and via Webinar technology to other participants. The consultants will utilize the Mobile Unit’s equipment, exhibits, and technology and stop at 6 host institutions who have agreed to conduct a risk assessment, planning workshop, invite 20 to 30 institutions, area 1st responders, and community leaders thus extending the reach of the planning grant funds. Peers thought the use of a Mobile Lab to provide direct services was good but wanted to see the documentation stating it was needed and how it would be used by participants. The information about the condition of collections at 6 host institutions and the surrounding smaller institutions will be converted to a statewide database and Webinar presentation. Said this was too much to do in a planning grant but liked the use of technology to reach all groups in the state. It will include visual documentation, suggested ways to reduce risks and a list of resources that can be found at a local, state and regional level. The presentation, downloadable and available to everyone can be used to garner support for collections care and conservation in Wyoming. Detailing products such as this was good but no information was provided as to how this would get done and who would pay for it. No proof larger organizations were in on the development of such products.

Two conservation professionals peers wondered why they came from out of state will visit each site to conduct a risk assessment on the first day and a planning workshop the second day. The team, (from each host institution) will include the two consultants, Director and collection liaisons, who will assess their exposure to risks, share the initial results with the planning workshop participants and area 1st responders. The following three-month planning phase will then take into account which institutions have similar challenges, threats, and are in greatest need of attention. An interactive Webinar session will present the findings, suggested implementation plan and receive comments and suggestions. The consultants will then compile a final report and present to MTN and the Wyoming participants.

The goal of the planning phase is to assess risks, increase community awareness about collections care and conservation needs, compile risk assessment data, increase readiness of the institutions to implement and write a “Next Steps” document. By strengthening the host institutions, who will act as learning centers, we can reach additional small, rural, and tribal museums, libraries, and cultural institutions as well as local emergency management teams resulting in a future core group who are prepared to respond in an emergency. Each one of these items is useful, but how one leads to or informs the next is not evident. The proposed organizational agenda needs to focus on developing a statewide plan to address collections preservation needs and the grant criteria listed at imls.gov. The desired outcomes are “fuzzy”.

Notes from Terri 2/29/08: We now know that this planning proposal must be a top down and include state agencies. I do hope there are representatives from larger organizations that are authorized to take the lead and make decisions about their institutional commitments. While we must all work together to plan the planning phase there must be one agency willing to take the lead for Connecting to Collections.

I will see you all in Laramie. Thanks, Terri

Narrative: The Museum Training Network, MTN, a nonprofit service organization requests $40,000 to lead Wyoming Connecting to Collections Risk Evaluation and Planning Proposal. The funds will be used to assist small, rural, tribal museums, libraries, and cultural institutions to hire conservation consultants, conduct risk assessment of six host institutions, network planning workshops and utilize Webinar technology to develop a statewide plan to participate in the national Connecting to Collections Initiative, CCI. The single topic ‘risk assessment’ approach to planning will result in the following multi-level project design: 1) Begin a statewide database entitled, “Risks to Collections in Wyoming”, (see 8.8a), 2) Group collection needs by topic and network for each region in the state (see 8.8b maps), 3) Participate in onsite host risk assessment and network local collection data (see 8.8c), through the host 4) Participate in onsite planning workshop to document needs, share successes, list local resources and brain-storm solutions (see 8.8d), 5) Share information via two Webinar presentations that will include statewide risk assessment results, state and local resources, case histories of collection successes and facilitated Webinar discussion. Outcomes will be a Webinar presentation that can be used by all participants to raise awareness about collection needs, six risk assessment reports and a summary report of collection priorities for the next implementation grant proposal. All products will be delivered digitally (or hard copy upon request) to participants