FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Feb. 29, 2008
CONTACT:  Chelle Somsen, chelle.somsen@state.sd.us, (605) 773-5521

State Historical Society receives federal conservation resources

PIERRE, SD – Treasured objects and artifacts held by the South Dakota State Historical Society will be preserved for future generations with help from the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, a core set of conservation books, DVDs, and online resources donated by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

IMLS, the primary source of federal funding of the nation’s museums and libraries, and its cooperator, the American Association for State and Local History, will award a total of 2,000 free sets of the IMLS Bookshelf by the end of 2008.

“The IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf will help the staff improve its collection care because of the pertinent and wealth of information that is contained in the bookshelf collections,” said Chelle Somsen, state archivist for the Historical Society at the Cultural Heritage Center. “The books contained in the bookshelf relate directly to the needs of this institution as far as managing the collections, collections care ideas, and caring for specific types of collections.”

“We are pleased to announce the first group of IMLS Bookshelf recipients. These small libraries and museums are taking up the charge to care for America’s heritage,” said Dr. Anne-Imelda Radice, IMLS director. “A recent national study tells a sobering story about the state of America’s library and museum collections. Without immediate action we stand to lose important collections that are at the heart of the American story.”

The South Dakota State Archives is among the first to receive this essential set of resources, based on an application describing the needs and plans for care of its collections. The IMLS Bookshelf focuses on collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries' special collections, with an added selection of texts for zoos, aquaria, public gardens and nature centers. It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues.

The IMLS Bookshelf is a crucial component of Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a conservation initiative that the institute launched in 2006. IMLS began the initiative in response to a 2005 study by Heritage Preservation documenting the dire state of the nation’s collections. The multi-faceted, multi-year initiative shines a nationwide spotlight on the needs of America’s collections, especially those held by smaller institutions, which often lack the human and financial resources necessary to adequately care for their collections.

The State Archives is open 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and the first Saturday of each month. For more information call (605) 773-3804 or e-mail archref@state.sd.us. The museum in the Cultural Heritage Center is open 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-4:30 p.m. on Sundays; call (605) 773-6000 for more information.