Planning Meeting: March 20th

Hello All!
Thought this would be an easier way to communicate as a group. One of the key goals of this project is to be inclusive. Everyone can blog!

For the meeting March 20th:
Due to the overwhelming level of support and interested parties, the location has been changed to the Albany County Public Library: 310 S. 8th St.
We will start at 11 with a lunch break at 12 and finish by 2.

Lunch will be delivered by Turtle Rock Cafe. Please follow the link to their "To-Go Order form", print a copy and indicate what you would like to eat. Then fax your order to : 307-745-8620, attn. Teresa. I need to have all the orders into Turtle Rock by MARCH 18th. Bring cash to the meeting to pay for your meal. http://www.turtlerockcoffee.com/to%20go%20order%20form.pdf

I'll be sending/posting an agenda tomorrow, but in the mean time, please review the following from IMLS:
The best proposals, in addition to meeting the review criteria, shared the following characteristics:
· Project goals were tied directly to the findings of the Heritage Health Index. (We will review the HHI at the meeting).
· 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 will reach out to institutions of many sizes in an inclusive planning process. http://www.imls.gov/news/2008/012308.shtm

Summary of Successful Applications can be found at: http://www.imls.gov/news/2008/012308_list.shtm

Goals of the Grant:
"IMLS invites proposals for statewide, collaborative planning grants to address the recommendations of the Heritage Health Index (HHI) which found the collections held in the public trust to be at great risk. The report offered four recommendations for collecting institutions:

-To provide safe conditions for their collections;
-To develop emergency plans;
-To assign responsibility for collections care;
and
-To marshal public and private support for, and raise public awareness about, collections care.
These grants will engage institutions in collaborative planning partnerships to address one or more of the HHI recommendations. Projects should demonstrate how the participating organizations (libraries, museums, archives, and relevant statewide organizations) will work together in a planning process that moves the state closer to achieving shared collections stewardship goals and an appropriate and achievable plan for action."

General Findings of the Heritage Health Index:
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:
• 190 million objects need conservation treatment,• 65 percent of collecting institutions have damaged collections due to improper storage,• 80 percent of collecting institutions lack an emergency plan for their collections and trained staff to carry it out, and • 40 percent of institutions have no funds allocated in their annual budget for preservation and conservation. http://www.imls.gov/collections/index.htm

Questions? Feel free to comment below.

-Teresa