[NHCOLL-L:4561] Fwd: Fall 2009 CAPabilities
CAHawks at aol.com
CAHawks at aol.com
Tue Oct 13 19:38:12 EDT 2009
Read down to see information on the new paleontology program from AMNH.
Cathy
Catharine Hawks
Conservator
2419 Barbour Road
Falls Church VA 22043-3026 USA
t/f 703.876.9272
mobile 703.200.4370
____________________________________
From: cap at heritagepreservation.org
To: cahawks at aol.com
Sent: 10/13/2009 2:00:31 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Fall 2009 CAPabilities
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Fall 2009
Volume 15, Issue 2
____________________________________
New Feature on the CAP Web site:
Twenty Years of Conservation Improvements Through CAP
There is a new feature on the CAP Web site,
_www.heritagepreservation.org/CAP/index.html_
(http://heritagepreservation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&id=84386a788b&e=2209f40f73) , Twenty Years of
Conservation Improvements through CAP. It highlights the collections care
improvements that have been made by former CAP participants, one for each
year of the program’s existence. Read the inspirational stories of museums
with your collections focus or from your neck of the woods that have turned
their CAP assessments into opportunities for positive change at their
institutions. Here’s a preview of one of the stories:
1996 CAP Participant: Adams Museum & House
The Adams Museum & House, Inc. (AM&H) in Deadwood, South Dakota is the
Black Hills’ oldest history museum with significant humanities-based
collections, including 13,000 historic photographs, 2,000 archival materials, and
9,000 historical artifacts. In 1996, AM&H went through the Conservation
Assessment Program. The assessment was conducted by conservator Helen Alten
and architect James Rose. One of the short-term goals identified was the need
for the museum to create a Disaster Preparedness Response and Recovery
Plan. To assist with the process conservator Terri Schindel was hired as a
consultant. The Adams Museum completed the plan in late 1996. Since that time
the plan has been updated on a quarterly basis, but it was not put to
practical use until June 29, 2002 when the City of Deadwood, a National
Historic Landmark District, and the neighboring town of Lead, were evacuated as
the result of an out-of-control forest fire. Fortunately the towns and their
museums survived the fire and the ensuing mudslides and flooding. However,
seeing flames licking their way toward the Historic Adams House, and
watching an August downpour spew mud and high water within inches of the Adams
Museum’s front door was a reality check for the organization.
After the fire, AM&H staff resolved to examine what could have been done
to be even better prepared and to find ways to work in unison with other
heritage organizations in the area. It was decided that hands-on training in
response, salvage, and warning systems was warranted, and that other
organizations should be helped to write disaster plans. In 2003 the AM&H
received an NEH-funded Preservation Assistance Grant. The main features of the
project included an on-line training session offered by Terri Schindel and
facilitated by the AM&H for local historical organizations to assist them
with the creation of disaster and response plans. The AM&H then hosted an
on-site training workshop entitled, “Response and Recovery for Fire and Water
Damaged Collections.” In addition, a critical needs assessment of the AM&H
was conducted emphasizing fire prevention, detection, and suppression
systems. As a result of the project, area organizations are now talking to each
other about steps that must be taken to protect the area’s historic
resources.
Director Mary Kopco told the CAP staff of the museum’s additional
achievements in collections management that had been accomplished by summer 2009.
One of their biggest achievements was being awarded a Museums for America
grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to purchase
PastPerfect collections management database software, which they are currently
filling with the catalog records and photographs of each artifact. The museum
is also nearing the end of a capital campaign to renovate a former
manufacturing building to house the collections of the Homestake Gold Mine (a local
business whose recorded history was donated to the Adams Museum & House
in 2005) and Adams archives in a climate-controlled and secure facility.
Kopco says that she always encourages her peers that have participated in
CAP to incorporate the CAP recommendations into the museum’s strategic
plan, just as she did at the Adams Museum & House.
Thanks to Mary Kopco for her help with this article.
____________________________________
____________________________________
Congratulations to the 2009 AAM Accredited Museums
At its July 20–22 meeting hosted by the Brooklyn Children’s Museum in New
York, the American Association of Museums Accreditation Commission
awarded accreditation to twenty-six museums. The three museums awarded their
initial accreditation, Nicolaysen Art Museum & Discovery Center in Casper,
Wyoming, West Baton Rouge Museum in Port Allen, Louisiana, and the William R.
and Clarice V. Spurlock Museum in Urbana, Illinois, participated in the
Conservation Assessment Program in 2009, 2008 and 2004, respectively. Of the
twenty-three museums receiving re-accreditation, seven have been through
CAP.
The AAM Accreditation Commission requires accredited museums to meet many
standards of collections stewardship, including: having a strategic plan
in place for the use and development of collections, having an appropriate
amount of staff and a sufficient level of professional education to conduct
responsible collections management, and having regular assessments of the
collections’ needs. Steps towards achieving these goals are frequently
included in CAP assessment recommendations. Through careful and thorough
implementation of the CAP recommendations, many small and mid-sized museums have
found themselves better prepared for the accreditation process. For more
information about AAM accreditation, visit its Web site at _www.aam-us.org_
(http://heritagepreservation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc19440464
1e545c4b972&id=89c07be61a&e=2209f40f73) .
____________________________________
Caring for Fossils
In the Fall of 2008, curators at the American Museum of Natural History,
with the support of the National Science Foundation, created a Web site
called the Paleontology Portable Collection Management Module. The site, at
_http://collections.paleo.amnh.org_
(http://heritagepreservation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&id=8721fc7c1a&e=2209f40f73)
is a valuable resource for museum and lab professionals who are
responsible for fossil collections. This Web page provides advice on everything from
storage furniture to mounts and materials, integrated pest management, risk
management, and disaster planning. Accessioning, loan procedures, and
cataloguing are also covered.
____________________________________
Conservation Supplies on a Budget
In these difficult economic times, we’re all looking for ways to cut
costs. In a session at the 2009 American Association for State and Local
History Annual Meeting in Indianapolis in August, Jeff Harris, Director of Local
History Services at the Indiana Historical Society, provided these useful
tips for obtaining conservation supplies on a tight budget:
* Hotels and hospitals are great source for cotton sheets, since
they must dispose of them after only a few uses. Wash them once with soap (no
brighteners or bleach), then once with plain water to remove all traces of
soap. Do not use stained sheets.
* Used white cotton gloves can be obtained from local funeral homes.
Follow the same cleaning procedure as that for sheets noted above.
* Make your own textile hangers! Wrap strips cut from cotton sheets
around a wire hanger until the hanger is sufficiently padded to safely
support the garment. Need a hanger for a child’s garment? Simply bend the wire
hanger to shape it into a smaller size before wrapping.
For additional advice on collections care and many other topics of concern
to museum professionals, check out AASLH's Technical Leaflet series at
_www.aaslh.org/leaflets.htm_
(http://heritagepreservation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&id=bb64edfdc2&e=2209f40f73) .
____________________________________
New Search Tool Launched for Projects Funded by the National Endowment for
the Humanities
In September, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) unveiled a
new Funded Projects Query Form that allows visitors to search online for
information on all projects funded by NEH since 1980. The form is accessible
from the NEH home page or directly at
_https://securegrants.neh.gov/publicquery/main.aspx_
(http://heritagepreservation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&id=d14052cadb&e=2209f40f73) .
The database will be updated quarterly after new awards are made. The form
has been made available as a part of NEH’s transparency efforts.
Visitors can explore the database using a variety of search terms
including project director name, key words, organization, state, and award date
range. Search results provide project title, recipient, and award amount
information. This tool can help you stay informed about how peer institutions
are caring for their collections. These colleagues just might be good
resources as you contemplate projects at your museum.
____________________________________
Become a Member!
Heritage Preservation provides its members with timely, useful information
and represents them before decision-makers in the cultural heritage
arena. For information on how to join, please visit us at
_www.heritagepreservation.org _
(http://heritagepreservation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&id=cffdef8348&e=2209f40f73) or call us toll-free at
888-388-6789.
____________________________________
____________________________________
Dates and Deadlines
Below is a list of upcoming grant deadlines and national conference dates.
For a complete list of preservation workshops, including ones near you,
visit _www.heritagepreservation.org/calendar.htm_
(http://heritagepreservation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&id=775a7c23b3&e
=2209f40f73) .
November 2 Museums for America Grant deadline, Institute of Museum and
Library Services, _www.imls.gov_
(http://heritagepreservation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&id=a33a0e76ab&e=2209f40f73)
November 4 MORE Protective Enclosures for Simple Storage Solutions
Class, Philadelphia, PA, The Conservation Center for Art and Historic
Artifacts, _www.ccaha.org_
(http://heritagepreservation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&id=27e6e1869e&e=2209f40f73)
November 12 Environmental Management: Stewardship and Sustainability
Workshop, Philadelphia, PA, The Conservation Center for Art and Historic
Artifacts, _www.ccaha.org_
(http://heritagepreservation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&id=492133b0db&e=2209f40f73)
November 17 Heritage Preservation 2009 Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.,
Heritage Preservation, _www.heritagepreservation.org/am_
(http://heritagepreserva
tion.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&id=a497131423&e=2209f40f73)
November 30 Museum Assessment Program application deadline, American
Association of Museums, _www.aam-us.org_
(http://heritagepreservation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&id=cfe81e1747&e=2209f40f73
)
December 8 Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections Grant, National
Endowment for the Humanities, _www.neh.gov_
(http://heritagepreservation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&id=be8962e8c8&e=2209f4
0f73)
December 15 Connecting to Collections Statewide Planning and
Implementation grants deadline, Institute of Museum and Library Services,
_www.imls.gov_
(http://heritagepreservation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&id=6f7f3fe234&e=2209f40f73)
January 15 Museum Grants for African American History and Culture
deadline, Institute of Museum and Library Services, _www.imls.gov_
(http://heritagepreservation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&i
d=f39e6a3131&e=2209f40f73)
Heritage Preservation receives funding from the National Park Service,
Department of the Interior. The Conservation Assessment Program receives
federal assistance from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the
Department of the Interior for the protection of museums and historic
properties. The content and opinions in this publication do not necessarily
reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior or the Institute
of Museum and Library Services.
____________________________________
Heritage Preservation
_www.heritagepreservation.org_
(http://heritagepreservation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=00cbcc194404641e545c4b972&id=df28003b6e&e=2209f40f73)
1012 14th St. NW, Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 233-0800
Heritage Preservation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to
preserving the cultural heritage of the United States. By identifying
risks, developing innovative programs, and providing broad public access to
expert advice, Heritage Preservation assists museums, libraries, archives,
historic preservation and other organizations, as well as individuals, in
caring for our endangered heritage.
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