| Connecting to Collections |
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| Introduction |
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An artifact at Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Park.
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A MentorCorps to assist archives, museums and libraries in the state with collections care and emergency management will soon be formed in Oregon. In addition, the Oregon Heritage Commission is appointing two dozen statewide preservation leaders to an advisory group to plan and strategize on initiatives to preserving heritage collections.
Those are two of the results from the Connecting to Collections Project, a collaborative effort by archives, libraries and museum groups in Oregon funded by a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The Connecting to Collections Project had found that more than half of the institutions it surveyed had no paid staff for preservation, and that 25 percent of heritage institutions have no funds whatsoever allocation to preservation. In addition, 85 percent of the institutions do not have a disaster preparedness plan that is current and ready to be activated.
Complete MentorCorps information can be found in a brochure. Description of a mentor's job duties and a preliminary application are now available.
The Connecting to Collections' final Needs Assessment Report was made following public meetings in Bend, Eugene, Medford, Pendleton and Portland, an online survey and a summit involving leaders of statewide archive, library and museum organizations.
A committee was formed in 2009 to carry out a Connecting to Collections Planning Grant from the federal Institute for Museums and Library Services to the Oregon Museums Association on behalf of archive, library, and museum partners throughout Oregon. It has taken stock of preservation, training, and disaster preparedness needs. Its efforts are a necessary first step to secure funding for future implementation. Efforts have begun to obtain funding for implementing its recommendations.
In 2006, the Heritage Health Index identified millions of items in the nation's museums, libraries and other cultural institutions that were in danger due to neglect, poor environmental conditions, lack of training, and other causes. As a result of the findings, the federal Institute for Musem and Library Services launched the national Connecting to Collections effort and made funds available to states wanting to develop plans that combat for these heritage collections.
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