Federal institute awards grants to local libraries

March 02, 2009: The Department of Planning and Natural Resources Division of Libraries, Archives & Museums is one of 23 nationwide recipients to be awarded a prestigious grant of $40,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

The 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 is a multi-year, multi-faceted national plan to raise public awareness and inspire action on collections care.

"These 23 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," said Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director, Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The Division of Libraries, Archives and Museums project title: "Strategic Plan for Preservation of Virgin Islands Collections", with the assistance of its fourteen grant partners, professional consultants, and advisors, will form and direct a team of collections caregivers and custodians to conduct conservation surveys, perform needs assessment evaluations, and promote best practices for conservation and preservation. Survey and analysis results will provide the scaffolding for action plans and a professional approach to collections care management, and information will be shared throughout the territory in order to educate and raise awareness.

"Our local call to action was answered by fourteen formal partners in the territory and we look forward to building a strong alliance to preserve and protect our rich materials that the community have entrusted to us as public servants, said Ingrid Bough, Territorial Director of Libraries, Archives & Museums.

The second grant awarded to DPNR's Division of Libraries, Archives & Museums is the American Heritage Preservation grant in the amount of $3,000 earmarked for the VI Special Collections/Archives. This will purchase equipment and software to help build a system-wide, coordinated environmental monitoring program for its special collections and archives storage in St. Thomas and St. Croix. This system will help safeguard the manuscripts, rare books and publications, photographs and negatives, microfilm, Danish West Indian and early government records dating back to the early 1700's, maps, architectural drawings, video recordings, renderings, and photographs from deterioration caused by temperature and humidity fluctuations.

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. For more information on our local public libraries, visit www.virginislandspubliclibraries.org