The minnesota historical society awarded prestigious grant from the institute of museum and library services
St. Paul, MN- Thanks to a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Minnesota Historical Society recently received a planning grant to identify collections care needs in cultural institutions across Minnesota and develop a statewide plan to meet these needs. Connecting to Collections: Statewide Planning Grants are used to create conservation plans for collections held in libraries, museums, and archives. The Statewide Planning Grants are an important component of the IMLS initiative, Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a multi-year, multi-faceted national plan to raise public awareness and inspire action on collections care.
Nineteen projects were selected to receive funding totaling $756,497. According to Anne-Imelda Radice, IMLS director, “these 19 projects represent movement toward collaborative thinking among collection-holding institutions that have a strong commitment to collections stewardship. IMLS funding will assist these relationships in blossoming into powerful alliances that will serve collections and the people who use them for years to come.”
The Society, in collaboration with the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC), will undertake a project that flows directly from the current work of the two organizations and the state’s commitment to the conservation of its cultural heritage. The goals of the project are to determine needs of institutions in Minnesota, evaluate the resources that are available to meet these needs, identify additional resources that are required, and develop an appropriate and achievable statewide plan for action. To accomplish this, the Society and MACC will conduct a survey of the collections care needs in Minnesota’s cultural institutions and convene meetings of focus groups around the state. Watch for more about this in the coming months.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.
