The Division of Preservation and Access at the National Endowment for the Humanities announces a new preventive conservation grant program, Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections, with a deadline of December 8, 2009. The program offers U.S. nonprofit museums, libraries, and archives, as well as state and local governmental agencies and tribal governments with humanities collections two kinds of awards:

• Planning and Evaluation Grants: Up to $40,000
• Implementation Grants: Up to $400,000

Guidelines for the grants should be available by September.  For more information contact the division at preservation@neh.gov or call 202-606-8570.

Yesterday, the New York Times reported that David Ferriero, currently the head of the New York Public Library, will be nominated by President Obama as the new U.S. Archivist.  Ferriero will head the National Archives and Records Adminstration.

A recent IMLS press release announces the issuance of a new report:  “Catalyst for Change: LSTA Grants to State Program and the Transformation of Libraries Services to the Public”.  Below is the announcement.

Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov

IMLS Report: Libraries are a Vital Community Resource in the Information Age

Washington, DC-The character of library services has changed dramatically with the advent of new information technologies, the continuous development of locally-tailored services, and the expectations of the 21st century library user, according to the first analysis of the Grants to States program by the Institute of Museum and Library Service (IMLS). The report, “Catalyst for Change: LSTA Grants to State Program and the Transformation of Libraries Services to the Public,” focuses on services provided through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grants to State Library Agencies, the single largest source of federal funding for the nation’s libraries and the only library grants that require state-wide planning. IMLS conducted the study to inform the American public, the Administration, Congress and the library community about the program’s contributions.

To address the growing demand for online services, libraries have added computer workstations, increased available bandwidth, and provided training in communities where they are often the sole provider of free access to the Internet. Some State Libraries Agencies are incorporating technology investments into their statewide strategic plans while other states manage such investments on a local or regional basis, according to the new report.

“The program’s flexibility is its greatest strength because it allows each state to tailor program services to the specific needs of its citizens. The unique nature of each state’s approach can present real challenges for evaluation because no two state programs are alike. It is like comparing apples, oranges, kiwis, and kumquats. But a common thread that connects these programs is a dedication to providing state-of-the-art programming and information services that meet a clear and compelling local need,” said Carlos Manjarrez, IMLS Associate Deputy Director for Research and Statistics.

To underscore this state-by-state variability, the report provides a two-page snapshot of immediate challenges, program goals for 2008-2012, and an exemplary project for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
The report draws on the December 2008 analysis of 9,000 state program reports from the Grants to States Program between FY 2003 and FY 2006 by Ethel Himmel and Bill Wilson, a library consulting firm, and the annual State Library Agency Surveys collected by the National Center for Education Statistics and IMLS between 1998 and 2007.

Based on the data, IMLS identified three broad strategies advanced by Grants to States programming: human capital development, library service expansion and access, and development of information and technology infrastructure. The report also provides:
* a description of the Grants to States program also known as the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA);
* a discussion of the local factors that affect state program plans;
* a review of program activities submitted in state program annual reports; and an
* an analysis of program expenditures.

“Libraries build community in many ways,” noted Laurie Brooks, Associate Deputy Director for Library Services. “Whether through preparing children for school, helping small businesses thrive, providing technology training for seniors, or imparting a new language, libraries are essential community resources in the information age. The Library Grants to States program provides an important opportunity to plan and support these vital community-building initiatives.”

Joyce and I just returned from a visit to the Hadley Exhibit company in Buffalo.

New Uncrowned Community Builders Kiosk

Dr. Peggy Brooks-Bertram and Dr. Barbara Seals Nevergold unveiled their first kiosk for the Uncrowned Community Builders project.  It’s a partially enclosed environment which could comfortably seat two or more people.  The idea is to allow individuals the opportunity to record their own histories – with a scanner, computer, camera, microphones and other technologies to assist them.

Dr. Nevergold and Dr. Bertram

Visit Uncrowned Queens for more information on this initiative of Dr. Bertram and Dr. Nevergold’s for over the past 10 years – and look back here for more articles in the future.

H.W. Wilson is offering free 30-minute Web-delivered training sessions to highlight new features on the WilsonWeb platform and in specific Wilson databases, including the following:

• A new slideshow feature for all films included in Cinema Image Gallery.
• In all WilsonWeb databases, an option to conveniently change the interface font size.
• Web 2.0 user-commenting in the Current Issues series.
• Enhanced text-to-speech functionality for all HTML full-text articles and the debut of text-to-speech in all WilsonWeb biography databases.
• Translations of foreign-language HTML full-text documents into English.

Upcoming dates and times:

July 16, Thursday, 11 a.m.
July 21, Tuesday, 3 p.m.
July 22, Wednesday, 3 p.m.
July 28, Tuesday, 11 a.m.

Register at http://www.hwwilson.com/training/.

If you would like to set up a trial for any Wilson databases, you may go to http://www.hwwilson.com/wwebforms/Wwebtrials/newtrialform/wweb1_2.cfm to do so. For pricing and any other inquiries, please contact Nylink at services@nylink.org. Thank you!

This was just announced by Heritage Preservation.  It seems Historic Cherry Hill located here in Albany, NY has been selected for the Award For Outstanding Commitment to Preservation and Care of Collections.  Congratulations Historic Cherry Hill!

Here is the press release…

HISTORIC CHERRY HILL AND THE SHELBURNE MUSEUM RECEIVE NATIONAL PRESERVATION AWARD

(Nominations invited for 2010 award)

Historic Cherry Hill in Albany, New York, and the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont, have been selected to receive the 2009 Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections.  This annual award is selected by a panel of distinguished conservation experts from across the nation and is presented jointly by Heritage Preservation and the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.
The two recipients have shown a sustained and exemplary commitment to preserving America’s heritage enriching their communities by caring for their unique and varied collections through dedicated planning and effort.
The presentation of the award to Historic Cherry Hill will take place on September, 17, 2009.  The presentation of the Shelburne Museum’s award will be on September 25, 2009.

Historic Cherry Hill

Historic Cherry Hill is the home of the Van Rensselaer-Rankin family. Built in 1787, it was lived in continuously by the family until 1963. Containing a wealth of information for scholars of social history and material culture, Cherry Hill is an invaluable cultural resource because of the well-documented provenance of its varied collection. The museum was founded when the entire estate, including 20,000 objects, 30,000 manuscripts, 7,500 textiles, 5,000 books, and 3,000 photographs, was donated by Catherine Putman Rankin.

Historic Cherry Hill’s programs and publications provide an unprecedented view into one family’s life and the community in which they lived. The size and richness of the collections literally had the house bursting at the seams−a structural engineer hired to review the site after staff members noticed severe cracking in the walls of the home in 1996 discovered floors that should have carried 30 pounds per square foot were discovered to be carrying 100 pounds.

Assertively responding to this crisis, the board and small staff successfully conducted a half million dollar campaign to design and construct a 3,500 square foot, state-of-the-art storage facility, which was completed in 2003. To date, more than 20,000 objects and 30,000 documents have been moved to the new facility and are being cared for in accordance with the latest advances in preservation.

In addition to this remarkable accomplishment, Historic Cherry Hill has researched and adopted many sound conservation practices to maintain its collection. From installing ultra-violet filtering and blackout shades throughout the house to obtaining grants and developing and executing a long range conservation plan, Historic Cherry Hill is a superb example of what the dedication and hard work of a few people at a small institution with limited resources can accomplish. And, in fact, they demonstrate that example at every opportunity by holding training sessions that share their acquired knowledge with outside institutions and the community at large.

Lawrence L. Reger, President of Heritage Preservation, said, “Historic Cherry Hill is a remarkable institution, and we are fortunate to have such a valuable collection in our national cultural history cared for with such close attention and thoughtful planning. The awarding committee was especially impressed by Cherry Hill’s ongoing work to refine its conservation plan and its collaborative relationship with other groups and the Albany community.”

June 25, Albany NY. Multi-type New York State library consortium Nylink is pleased to announce a partnership with Maryland-based library services company Library Dynamics to market and support their collection analysis suite of tools including the Spectra line of services.

Spectra Web services provide collection overview to individual title analytical capability, leveraging the time and talent of a library’s human resources. Spectra services use definitive bibliographic and circulation data from a library’s local system – mining it for copy level intelligence and normalizing it to achieve reliability and consistency. Using Spectra services, a library can analyze its collection, compare it to other libraries, library groups, or recognized sources such as titles reviewed in Choice. In reporting and working with results, Spectra’s quantitatively based visualization techniques and database management tools allow a user to work flexibly – to copy and paste plots and tables; select, sort, save, download, and e-mail title results; and link to enhancements like tables of contents, chapter titles, annotations, reviews, etc.

Dave Penniman, Executive Director of Nylink, said, "We are pleased to be working with Library Dynamics and Howard Harris to make the Spectra collection analyses and development tools available to New York libraries. Nylink is committed to offering choices to our members and implementing trusted partnerships with organizations and individuals whose products stand out as exceptional in their functionality. Spectra is such a product." Howard Harris, President of Library Dynamics, remarked, "Nylink not only by charter but by choice and by practice over time has remained closely focused on the current and evolving needs of its members; we at Library Dynamics are very pleased to be in partnership with Nylink to work to meet those needs."

About Nylink

Nylink, a membership organization of all types of libraries and cultural heritage organizations in New York state, facilitates collaboration and cooperation among its members and supports access to high-quality, cost-effective resources that enable member institutions to enhance the services they provide to their constituents. A program of the State University of New York System Administration under the umbrella of the Provost’s Office, Nylink is based in Albany. http://nylink.org

About Library Dynamics

Since 1998, Library Dynamics has offered innovative tools for visualizing, developing, managing, and interpreting library and library consortia collections. Its services include Spectra CRC, Spectra Dimension, Weedlist Plus, Bibliographic Diagnostic and Repair Services, and Consulting Services related to its services. http://www.librarydynamics.com

Headed to ALA? The following Nylink vendor partners will be exhibiting at the upcoming American Library Association conference in Chicago (exhibits held July 11-14). Booth numbers available at http://exhibitors.ala.org/files/AN09-Current-Exhibitors.pdf (and in parentheses below). For more information about Nylink’s consortial discounts on their products and services, please contact Nylink at services@nylink.org or 800-342-3353.

• ABC-CLIO / Greenwood (#3918)
• Atlas Systems (#4416)
• Bowker (#4411)
• Cambridge University Press (#4634)
• Columbia University Press (#4734)
• Computype (#4445)
• Editorial Oceano (Oceano Digital for Spanish-language databases) (#2227)
• Emerald (#3251)
• Gale Cengage (#3911)
• H.W. Wilson (#2811)
• LexisNexis (#3624)
• McGraw-Hill (#4223)
• OCLC (#3923)
• Oxford University Press (#4419)
• Project Muse (#4415)
• ProQuest (#2826)
• RefWorks (#2826)
• Rosen Publishing (Teen Health & Wellness) (#4515)
• SerialsSolutions (#3026)
• Springer (#4523)
• TDNet (#2031)
• Thomson Reuters (#3616)

A few Nylink staffers will be heading out to Chicago also – Dave Penniman, Executive Director; Donna Dixon, Director of Member Programs and Ann Gunning, Member Services Librarian.

To everyone heading to Chicago – have a great trip!