Posts Tagged ‘preservation’
My last post focused on the strong connection between outdoor recreation and education in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. The theme to be examined here are the ongoing efforts to preserve and maintain open space throughout the region so as to ensure that the general public continues to enjoy its environmental, recreational and educational benefits. Just as there are an impressive number of physical sites that demonstrate the region’s historical heritage and natural beauty, there are also a significant number of non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving these critical public resources. As with most non-profits, raising money is a constant endeavor. Read more.
From the New Jersey State Library:
The New Jersey State Library is leading a two-year initiative to address urgent collections care needs in New Jersey, through educational programs and training. Intended to reach collections care professionals and volunteers, these programs will encourage the use of best practices, support targeted fundraising and marketing, increase the use of existing resources, and accelerate the development of collaborative strategies.
Programs:
DIGITIZATION BASICS
This workshop will help your institution get started in the development of a digital program. The session includes discussion of the tools you can use for scanning; basic hardware, software, and metadata issues; use of in-house or outsourced services to digitize; collaborative digitization; practical planning decisions for staffing; and budgeting for digital activities. A special focus on New Jersey digital projects is planned.
Speaker: Thomas F.R. Clareson, Senior Consultant, Digital & Preservation Services, LYRASIS
PRINCIPLES OF ARCHIVAL MANAGEMENT
This workshop will focus on topics of collection management in archival collections, particularly accessioning, processing, and providing access to material. Acquisition, appraisal, assessment, intellectual property, ethics, preservation, and the management of digital materials will all be alluded to when relevant, but not addressed in depth. There will also be some discussion about leveraging scare resources, particularly funding and staffing.
Speaker: Rachel Onuf, Archival Consultant
HOUSING SOLUTIONS
Practical knowledge of preservation materials and housing design is necessary to protect collection items. This workshop will address concerns in creating safe and effective housing for the storage and display of paper art and artifacts. Topics will address the materials, use, and benefits of various types of housing, from simple folders and polyester sleeves, to oversized rolled storage and framing. Participants will have the opportunity to create a few simple enclosures.
*Limited to 24 participants
Speaker: Jessica Makin, Manager of Housing & Framing, Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts
PRESERVING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTIONS
Photographic media are sensitive materials that require special housing to ensure their longevity. This workshop will examine suitable housing supplies, including paper, plastics, interleaving papers, boxes, and more. Environmental parameters for storage, proper labeling techniques, and safe handling of photographs will also be discussed.
Speaker: Rachel Wetzel, Photograph Conservator, CCAHA
PRESERVATION BEST PRACTICES FOR OPTIMAL COLLECTIONS CARE
Archivists, collections managers, librarians, curators, and other staff members involved in collections care must manage a variety of tasks, including implementation of collections management plans, policies, management of environmental controls and storage conditions, and provision for safe use and exhibition of collections. This program will provide participants with an overview of the preservation standards for the many aspects of collections care.
Speaker: Laura Hortz Stanton, Director of Preservation Services, CCAHA
Registration information, as well as details on session dates and locations is available on the
program website.
From Save Pennsylvania’s Past:
Save Pennsylvania’s Past is entering the second year of its two-year initiative to prepare staff to address the challenges threatening Pennsylvania’s world-class collections through training programs and online resources. Participants who complete all six training programs will receive a Save Pennsylvania’s Past Certificate of Completion. Three training programs, Essential Policies & Procedures for Cultural Institutions; Fundraising for Preservation & Conservation, and Protecting Collections: Disaster Prevention, Planning & Response will be held at eight locations throughout Pennsylvania. Participants can attend sessions in Allentown, Boalsburg, Erie, Johnstown, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia Scranton, and York, Pennsylvania. Location information and addresses are available here.
Search for open sessions and register for training programs at Save Pennsylvania’s Past.
Save Pennsylvania’s Past is led by the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) in partnership with the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC), PA Museums, and LYRASIS. The project is supported by an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)Connecting to Collections Statewide Implementation Grant, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Arthur Ross Foundation, Inc.
From H-Public:
Heritage Preservation’s Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel is now available free of charge on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad as the ”ERS: Emergency Response and Salvage” app. Long known as the authoritative resource for salvaging artifacts after a disaster, the Wheel has been used by museums, libraries, and archives around the world. This new app makes the Wheel’s invaluable guidance accessible to anyone who is in need of practical advice for saving collections in the first 48 hours after disaster strikes.
Apple users can download this free app from the App Store. Simply search for “ERS: Emergency Response and Salvage.” To download, your device must run iOS 5.1 or later. Complete technical requirements are available on the ERS page at the App Store.
ERS provides the same reliable content found in the original Wheel. The app outlines critical stages of disaster response and provides practical salvage tips for nine types of collections, from photographs to natural history specimens. ERS can help users protect precious collections and significant records, access reliable information
instantly, and save damaged objects. The app was created in partnership with the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training.
The Conservation Center for Art & Historical Artifacts (CCAHA) offers training programs to help preserve Pennsylvania’s at-risk collections. The programs are offered in connection with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and are supported by an Institute of Museum and Library Services Connecting to Collections Statewide Implementation Grant.
CCAHA will hold a Digitization Basics Workshop on April 3, 2012 in Philadelphia, PA at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Registration is required two weeks before the workshop and is $25 for PA institutions, $75 for out of state institutions.
Every institution struggles with pressure to be visible on the web and to make its collections accessible to wider audiences, and many face daunting hurdles to implementing digitization programs. This program will cover basic issues in digital preservation, including an introduction to digitization, and will provide information on handling guidelines for digitization, selection of materials, conducting pilot projects, creating access to digitized materials, funding sources, and the benefits of collaborating with other institutions.
A second workshop, Understanding Archives: An Introduction to Archival Basics will be held on May 10, 2012, in Philadelphia, PA at Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Registration is required, and is $25 for PA institutions, $75 for out of state institutions.
Proper archival procedures enable safe and effective management of collections. Participants will learn about the fundamentals of archival appraisal, acquisition, and access; proper storage materials; and the most common preservation problems associated with paper-based archival collections. This program will touch briefly on processing, arrangement, and description. Volunteers, historians, and those with archival responsibilities in addition to other duties may find themselves in the position of “archivist” without formal training in the profession; this program offers an introduction to best practices in the field.
On January 31, Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation announced that Barbara Franco will serve as the first Executive Director of the forthcoming Seminary Ridge Museum. Ms. Franco most recently served eight years as the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
The Seminary Ridge Museum is scheduled for a spring 2013 opening. Exhibitions will center on the first day of battle, the role of Schmucker Hall both in battle and as a field hospital, and the religious tensions around slavery, African-American history and the local work of the Underground Railroad.
For more information on Barbara Franco and the Seminary Ridge Museum, visit seminaryridge.org.
From H-Public & neh.gov:
The National Endowment for the Humanities’ Division of Preservation and Access has offered Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions for more than a decade. These grants help small and mid-sized cultural heritage institutions such as libraries, museums, historical societies, archival repositories, town and county records offices, and colleges and universities improve their ability to preserve and care for their humanities collections.
Awards of up to $6000 support preservation related collection assessments, consultations, training and workshops, and institutional and collaborative disaster and emergency planning. Preservation Assistance Grants also support education and training in best practices for sustaining digital collections, standards for digital preservation, and the care and handling of collections during digitization. Institutions may request funds for a preservation assessment of digital collections.
NEH does not fund digitization or the development of digital programs in this grant category.
All applications to the NEH must be submitted through Grants.gov. See the application guidelines for details.
You will also find sample project descriptions, sample narratives, and a list of frequently asked questions. The deadline for applications is May 1, 2012.
Small and mid-sized institutions that have never received an NEH grant and those considering projects in digital preservation are especially encouraged to apply. For more information, contact the staff of NEH’s Division of Preservation and Access at 202-606-8570 and preservation@neh.gov
Elizabeth Joffrion
Senior Program Officer
Division of Preservation and Access
National Endowment for the Humanities
1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20506
202-606-8570 (fax) 202-606-8639
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