National Conservation Summit Connects Collections Professionals
from Across the Country

On June 27 and 28, 2007, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and Heritage Preservation convened Connecting to Collections: The National Conservation Summit, bringing more than 300 museum, library, and archives professionals together. In a series of presentations and discussions, a standing-room only crowd of summit participants exchanged ideas about how to improve the care of their collections by working with outside experts, new technologies, the public, and funding sources.

Four representatives—two from libraries and two from museums—from each state were invited to attend the summit at The Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture of the Smithsonian Institution. They were joined by representatives of granting agencies, conservation organizations, and others knowledgeable about the preservation of collections. The summit opened with welcoming remarks from Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director of the IMLS, and Lawrence L. Reger, President of Heritage Preservation. First Lady Laura Bush welcomed the participants via video.

Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States, and Francie Alexander, Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer at Scholastic, Inc., gave the keynote addresses.

The summit launched IMLS’ Connecting to Collections initiative, which also includes four forums in cities across the nation during 2008 and 2009; The IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf comprising books, bibliographies, a guide to on-line resources, and DVDs; and Planning Grants to each state, commonwealth, and territory for the purpose of creating conservation plans to address the Heritage Health Index recommendations.

In welcoming the participants, Dr. Radice said, “Over the next 24 hours, all of us will be presented with a historic opportunity, not only to preserve our ability to look at the past, but to shape the way we look at the future.” She outlined four goals for the summit:

• to continue to provide librarians, museum professionals, and conservators with the tools and support they need
• to help the library and museum communities with emergency training, education, conservation information, and partnership building, and by developing careers for a whole new generation of museum, library, and digital specialists
• to continue harnessing the power of digital technology for preservation purposes and to make documents available via the click of a mouse
• to raise awareness among all Americans, especially community funders, about the dire need for conservation and preservation, both in cultural institutions and our homes.

For the full text of Dr. Radice’s remarks, click here.

Mr. Reger noted, “The National Conservation Summit is a singular event, and I believe it will launch a new era of awareness of the challenges that we must address and the strategies that we must follow to ensure success. It will also serve to demonstrate that conservation is a valuable tool for fostering new audiences and generating new sources of financial support from individuals, businesses, foundations, and the public sector, especially in cities, counties, and states throughout our nation.”

Two panels convened the first day. The first panel, Connecting to Expertise, encouraged participants to reach out to other cultural institutions, independent conservators, and resources like the Regional Alliance for Preservation. The Connecting to Technology panel explored environmental controls, technological items within collections, and using technology for collections access.

In his keynote address, Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein noted the flooding at the National Archives last year, as well as the threat of natural aging to documents such as the Declaration of Independence. He urged the audience to go beyond pleading for money and be more aggressive in making people understand the scope and urgency of the problem, noting, “Collections of all types are at risk of being lost, destroyed, or damaged, or rendered inaccessible in a serious terrorist attack on one of our large cities. Operating costs, especially for energy, security, and personnel are rising and increasing the challenge of providing the optimum storage environment. But even when resources are limited, we must all make it clear that preservation remains a high priority for our various institutions.” Click here for Dr. Weinstein’s full address.

A reception capped the first day of the summit. Held in the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Luce Foundation Center for American Art, it gave attendees a chance to network with their fellow professionals, funders, and conservation experts. Click here for photos of the reception.

The second day began with the Connecting to the Public panel, which discussed community outreach programs on behalf of collections. Then the Connecting to Funders panel introduced fund-raising and donor cultivation strategies.

The final presentation of the day was from Girl Scout Troop 4563 in Arlington, Virginia. Eight scouts, ages 12 to 13, contacted participants from the summit, interviewed them about their unique collections, and wrote essays about them.

Francie Alexander, Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of Scholastic, Inc., gave the closing address, focusing on her experiences with museums as a teacher on field trips. After a slide show of how children define the word “conservation” (usually involving animals or nature), she said, “None of them came close to the kind of definition that we’re talking about now. And they said, ‘We hadn’t heard about that before.’ You can tell they’re articulate, they’re engaged, they’re interested.” She gave the participants six strategies for success: develop a social marketing plan; create new partnerships and networks; capture the power of new technologies, not as substitutes for experiences but for communication; communicate the value of “third spaces” outside schools for learning; educate the next generation; and, most important, try one new thing. She also announced that she will be writing a book on conservation for kids.

Participants were urged to take home what they learned to help others in their states understand better ways to publicize and address the challenges of collections care. The summit has made an impact on many:

• A library director said he “returned with a sense of urgency about the need to share and to protect our historical materials.”
• Another remarked, “The conference was invaluable in informing us about the scope of the problem and letting us hear what others are doing to correct it.”
• A museum representative wrote, “The presenters were not only impressive, but what they had to say was applicable to my organization. It was inspiring AND practical—that doesn’t happen often. The best thing, though, was the fact that four representatives from every state attended.”
• A librarian wrote that her organization received media attention for attending the summit and noted: “Our director was able to tell the county commissioners about the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and National Public Radio giving our collection attention—not bad to mention at a time when we’re trying to encourage our county to begin the process of constructing a new library building!”

The Connecting to Collections summit was the subject of major articles in USA Today, the Associated Press, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. In addition, numerous local newspapers, from Alaska to Alabama, carried articles about the state representatives selected to attend the summit.