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<DIV>Please read the email below - many natural history museums have benefited
from environmental improvement grants from IMLS - these will indeed be
threatened by the proposed programming change at the funding agency. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10">Catharine
Hawks<BR>
<DIV> </DIV>
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From: info@conservation-us.org<BR>To: cahawks@aol.com<BR>Sent: 6/4/2012
3:01:29 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time<BR>Subj: URGENT—Respond Now to IMLS Museum
Grant Guidelines!<BR></DIV>
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<P><A
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<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: larger"><STRONG><SPAN
style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">URGENT--Respond Now to IMLS Museum Grant
Guidelines!</SPAN></STRONG></SPAN></P></TD></TR>
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<TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: right"><A
title=http://www.conservation-us.org/dsp_emailhandler.cfm?eid=41615&uid=1187
href="http://www.conservation-us.org/dsp_emailhandler.cfm?eid=41615&uid=1187"
target=_blank><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: x-large">Be An
Advocate</SPAN></STRONG></A></TD></TR>
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<TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: right"> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Monday,
June 4, 2012<BR><BR>
<P>Dear Catharine,</P>
<P>URGENT MESSAGE!</P>
<P>If you have not yet done so, please respond now to the request from
IMLS posted below. The AIC Board of Directors agree that that the
proposed new grant guidelines pose a real threat to conservation funding
and the long-term care of collections. It is imperative that IMLS
hear from the conservation community—from individual conservation
professionals as well as from AIC as a whole. </P>
<P>AIC is submitting a response on behalf of the organization.
Some points taken from it include:</P>
<P>· By merging Museums
for America (MFA) and Conservation Project Support (CPS), there will no
longer be a funding source dedicated to conservation. </P>
<P>· Although multiple
applications will be permitted by IMLS, multiple submissions from
institutions will ultimately compete against each other.
Exhibition or education proposals, for instance, would be pitted against
conservation proposals.</P>
<P>· If museums focus
their grant writing efforts on the support of exhibitions, education,
and community outreach, the grants will provide important support for
annual programming budgets, yet these funds will do little to support
museum missions to preserve and make their permanent collections
accessible in a more lasting way.</P>
<P>· One January 15
deadline for all proposals puts a great burden on museum staff members,
particularly for those working in smaller institutions.</P>
<P>While AIC applauds IMLS for considering changes to improve its grant
services, combining the CPS and MFA programs and instituting a single
application deadline will have unintended consequences that will result
in museums placing less emphasis on conservation of collections.
AIC urges IMLS to consider leaving CPS as a separate program or
combining it with collections stewardship.</P>
<P>How have the collections for which you are responsible benefited from
IMLS conservation support in the past?</P>
<P>What impact on collections care do you envision with the
implementation of the draft guidelines being presented by IMLS?</P>
<P>Speak up! Now!</P>
<P> </P>
<P>Thank you,</P>
<P>Meg Craft, AIC Board President</P>
<P> </P>
<P><STRONG>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</STRONG><BR>May 9, 2012</P>
<P><STRONG>IMLS Press Contacts</STRONG><BR>202-653-4632<BR>Kevin
O'Connell, <A title=mailto:koconnell@imls.gov
href="mailto:koconnell@imls.gov">koconnell@imls.gov</A><BR>Mamie
Bittner, <A title=mailto:mbittner@imls.gov
href="mailto:mbittner@imls.gov">mbittner@imls.gov</A></P>
<P><STRONG>Draft Museum Grant Guidelines Available for Public
Comment</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>Washington, DC</STRONG>—The Institute of Museum and Library
Services (IMLS) is seeking public comments on the draft guidelines for
the FY 2013 Museums for America and National Leadership Grants for
Museums programs. The guidelines for these programs have been revised to
align with the <A
title=http://www.conservation-us.org/dsp_emailhandler.cfm?eid=41616&uid=1187
href="http://www.conservation-us.org/dsp_emailhandler.cfm?eid=41616&uid=1187">IMLS
Strategic Plan</A>. We are seeking comments to assess how well
these guidelines accomplish the following goals:</P>
<UL>
<LI>Make federal dollars more accessible by reducing complexity
<LI>Increase clarity and readability
<LI>Make it easier to see where a project idea fits best
<LI>Make it easier to articulate the impact of project ideas
<LI>Allow grantees greater ability to pursue comprehensive collections
care projects by <A
title=http://www.conservation-us.org/dsp_emailhandler.cfm?eid=41617&uid=1187
href="http://www.conservation-us.org/dsp_emailhandler.cfm?eid=41617&uid=1187">combining
the purposes of the current Conservation Project Support and Museums
for America programs</A>
<LI>Allow grantees greater ability to pursue professional development
activities by <A
title=http://www.conservation-us.org/dsp_emailhandler.cfm?eid=41618&uid=1187
href="http://www.conservation-us.org/dsp_emailhandler.cfm?eid=41618&uid=1187">combining
the purposes and funding for the current 21st Century Museum
Professionals and National Leadership Grants for Museums programs</A>
<LI>Provide greater ability for museums and organizations that serve
museums to pursue National Leadership Grants that have broad impact
for their communities and create models that can be adapted by others
<LI>Make it possible for IMLS to continue to support the full range of
museums, large and small, and representing every museum discipline and
every geographic area </LI></UL>
<P>To see the guidelines use these links:<BR><A
title=http://www.conservation-us.org/dsp_emailhandler.cfm?eid=41619&uid=1187
href="http://www.conservation-us.org/dsp_emailhandler.cfm?eid=41619&uid=1187">Museums
for America</A><BR><A
title=http://www.conservation-us.org/dsp_emailhandler.cfm?eid=41620&uid=1187
href="http://www.conservation-us.org/dsp_emailhandler.cfm?eid=41620&uid=1187">National
Leadership Grants for Museums</A></P>
<P>The comment period will end on Friday, July 6, 2012. Please
send comments to <A title=mailto:comments@imls.gov
href="mailto:comments@imls.gov">comments@imls.gov</A>. Final guidelines
will be posted no later than October 15, 2012.</P>
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