The IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf,
informative, practical resources to help the nation's
museums and libraries sustain our heritage.

IMLS Press Release--February 19, 2008:
851 Museums, Libraries, and Archives Selected to Receive IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf

To help raise the conservation IQ of museums, libraries, and archives, IMLS, in cooperation with the American Association of State and Local History (AASLH), is offering 2000 free copies of the Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, a core set of books, DVDs, online resources, and an annotated bibliography that are essential for the care of collections.

The Bookshelf focuses on collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries' special collections, with an added selection of texts for zoos, aquaria, public gardens, and nature centers. It will address such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues.

Now available online! Recipients of the Bookshelf will also receive a 44-page User's Guide (PDF, 1MB). Developed by Heritage Preservation, in consultation with the Getty Foundation, the guide contains an individual sheet on each text (containing bibliographical and other information), and FAQ's.

The Guide to Online Resources was prepared by Heritage Preservation as a digital companion to the Bookshelf.

Apply anytime from March 1 to April 30, 2008. Click here if you already have an AASLH log in and password to enter your Bookshelf application. Click here if you do not have a log in and password to enter your Bookshelf application. Click here to review and print the application questions.

The Bookshelf has received support from the Getty Foundation and the Henry Luce Foundation.