New information and historical materials are being produced everyday and it can be overwhelming when we try to wrap our heads around how we will be able to preserve it all. A survey, the The Heritage Health Index was done in 2005 by the Heritage Preservation to understand how our country's preservation needs. The report came back with a disturbing number of 1.3 billion items at risk for damage without treatment. This overwhelming number called for all citizens to help in the preservation of our history. The idea of the National Preservation Week was born. The Association for the Library Collections and Technical Services, a division of the American Library Association became the sponsors for the May 9-15 event. Other founding partners for the week included the Library of Congress, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Society of American Archivists, the American Institute of Conservation of Historical and Artistic Works.
The theme of the week was "Pass it on" and had events all over the country. The listing of the events could be found here and libraries could add their own events to the map with a google account. The website for the event also provided an event toolkit for libraries which included program ideas, a database to find a speaker, budgeting techniques, and more even tools. Though the speaker database was false advertisement, because it is in the process of being created. The majority of the events that took place throughout the country capitalized on the recent rising interest in genealogy and local history.
An example of an event was in Waco, Texas done by the Baylor University Libraries that took place on the evening of Thursday, May 13 and was called Preserving Your Family Treasures: Ask an Expert. Citizens of Central Texas were invited to bring along any family heirlooms from an old wedding dress to the family Bible. A panel of experts was then to answer any questions the group had about storing, restoring, or repairing their artifacts.
These types of events not only help citizens to preserve their personal materials, but also raises serious awareness to the issue of preservation and its importance. Once people start to take the time to preserve their heirlooms and connect with the past, they may then help a local library preserve local historical documents . The more people are informed about a situation, then the more likely they will become an advocate. These kind of national programs also shine a light on the importance of local libraries and the different kinds of resources they offer to the communities around them. It helps people to realize that they can go to their libraries with questions about anything and not just to check out books or DVDs.
If you are interested in preserving your own artifacts, a blog set up by the Duke University Libraries Preservation Department provided ten tips during the National Preservation Week. You may have to scroll down a little to get to the postings with the tips.
The theme of the week was "Pass it on" and had events all over the country. The listing of the events could be found here and libraries could add their own events to the map with a google account. The website for the event also provided an event toolkit for libraries which included program ideas, a database to find a speaker, budgeting techniques, and more even tools. Though the speaker database was false advertisement, because it is in the process of being created. The majority of the events that took place throughout the country capitalized on the recent rising interest in genealogy and local history.
An example of an event was in Waco, Texas done by the Baylor University Libraries that took place on the evening of Thursday, May 13 and was called Preserving Your Family Treasures: Ask an Expert. Citizens of Central Texas were invited to bring along any family heirlooms from an old wedding dress to the family Bible. A panel of experts was then to answer any questions the group had about storing, restoring, or repairing their artifacts.
These types of events not only help citizens to preserve their personal materials, but also raises serious awareness to the issue of preservation and its importance. Once people start to take the time to preserve their heirlooms and connect with the past, they may then help a local library preserve local historical documents . The more people are informed about a situation, then the more likely they will become an advocate. These kind of national programs also shine a light on the importance of local libraries and the different kinds of resources they offer to the communities around them. It helps people to realize that they can go to their libraries with questions about anything and not just to check out books or DVDs.
If you are interested in preserving your own artifacts, a blog set up by the Duke University Libraries Preservation Department provided ten tips during the National Preservation Week. You may have to scroll down a little to get to the postings with the tips.
Are you going to start preserving your family heirlooms? Why or why not?
References
"Baylor Libraries Celebrate Cultural Heritage Preservation Week with Expert Advice on Preserving Family Treasures." States News Service 12 May 2010. Academic OneFile. Web. 7 June 2010.
"Commonwealth Libraries Celebrates National Preservation Week." PR Newswire 7 May 2010. Academic OneFile. Web. 7 June 2010
"Celebrate Preservation Week @ Your Library, May 9-15." States News Service 20 Apr. 2010. Academic OneFile. Web. 7 June 2010.
I found this post useful and easy to read, as well as scan. The tone is conversational and engaging. The formatting of the post is good--the text size is readable.
ReplyDeleteI have a few relatives that embraced genealogy, and I'll pass on some of the links.
Thanks for a great post and especially for including Duke University preservation tips! Questions about family & social legacies are so interesting - come up for so many reasons and at different stages of life for people. Geneology is a truly fascinating field and so are the people interested in delving into their personal history or who volunteer and help us preserve history and artifacts for new generations.
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