Sioux City Public Museum receives national grant
Museum professionals, interns, college students, and preservationists will have new resources available thanks to a grant for the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf. The Sioux City Public Museum is among the 851 museums, libraries, and archives nationally selected to receive conservation materials from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The IMLS Bookshelf contains materials that were selected by a blue ribbon panel of conservation experts; it includes an essential set of books, online resources, and a user’s guide that can profoundly impact the ability of small libraries and museums to care for their collections.
“These resources will give us easy access to the technical knowledge needed to save invaluable pieces of our region’s history,” said Grace Linden, curator of history. “We hope the public will be further assured that any donations they entrust to the Museum will be properly preserved and will utilize the educational materials for their own preservation efforts.”
The Sioux City Public Museum has a collection of more than 50,000 objects and 250,000 photographic images. The resources provided by the grant will be used by staff to preserve artifacts in the collection and will be available to researchers, interns or anyone who has preservation questions. The bookshelf will be located in the Pearl Street Research Center until the Museum moves into a new facility in late 2009.
“We are pleased to announce the first group of IMLS Bookshelf recipients. These small libraries and museums are taking up the charge to care for America’s heritage,” said Dr. Anne-Imelda Radice, Director of the IMLS in announcing the awards. “A recent national study tells a sobering story about the state of America’s library and museum collections. Without immediate action we stand to lose important collections that are at the heart of the American story.”
The IMLS Bookshelf was made possible by a cooperative agreement with the American Association for State and Local History and with support from the Getty Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. The 851 museums, libraries, and archives selected represent every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Most of the recipients have small budgets and staffs and have demonstrated an urgent need for this permanent resource.
