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"Preserving America's Diverse Heritage" - At-risk museum, library collections
Barbara Duncan, Museum of the Cherokee Indian's Education Director, has been selected to attend a national forum, January 31- February 1, 2008, in Atlanta, Georgia on "Preserving America's Diverse Heritage." She is one of 30 representatives of small and medium-sized collecting institutions nationwide invited to participate based on their leadership in the profession and in their communities. More than 250 national conservation leaders, government officials, and museum, library, and archives professionals will take part in the forum focusing on culturally diverse American collections. It will be held at Atlanta's High Museum of Art. Sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and organized in cooperation with Heritage Preservation, the event will underscore the perils that endanger books, works of art, documents, and historically significant materials specific to African American, Native American and Latino collections. "Our nation's treasures are visited billions of times a year in libraries and museums across the country. Those representing some of our diverse cultures are essential to education and innovation, and yet their future is at risk," said IMLS Director Anne-Imelda Radice, PhD. "Since these collections present unique conservation challenges we see this forum as a call to action for the special care these treasures need in order to endure for future generations." "Preserving America's Diverse Heritage," will address issues facing unique collections, such as the handling of culturally sensitive objects, caring for oral history archives, the special needs of photographs and audio-visual materials, and the difficulties in attracting funding. The forum will provide both information and inspiration to help participants care for significant collections and mobilize support in their communities. The forum is part of IMLS's multi-year, multi-faceted national program, Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action. It will be the first of a series of four national forums, to be held in 2008 and 2009, called the National Tour. The meetings are designed to raise awareness among leaders of small and mid-sized museums and libraries about the importance of collections care and to give them practical information, tools, and resources to inspire action nationwide. The forum is open to museum, library and archives professionals. Information is available at: http://www.imls. gov/collections/tour. The Museum of the Cherokee Indian curated the 2006 exhibit "Emissaries of Peace: The 1762 Cherokee and British Delegations," which appeared at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. from June through November 2007. A photo exhibit by David Fitzgerald of sites along the Trail of Tears appeared at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in 2007. Education programs at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian not only preserve artifacts and information from the past, but have helped revitalize Cherokee traditional dance, oldstyle stamped pottery, and traditional clothing from the 18th century. Duncan is also project director for a "Documenting Endangered Languages" project that has digitized more than 8,000 pages of Cherokee language materials from the National Anthropological Archives. These documents, written in the Cherokee writing system invented by Sequoyah, were collected from the Qualla Boundary in the 1880s and are now being returned in digital form in order to help preserve the Cherokee language for future generations. Museum staff includes archivists, historians and teachers who are experts in linguistics, art, dance, myth, folklore and more. The museum offers language and culture classes and hosts annual festivals celebrating American Indian heritage. It sponsors the Warriors of AniKituhwa, dancers in full paint and traditional dress who perform around the world. Scholars can access the museum archives, and the gift shop offers an extensive inventory including books and maps and local art and jewelry. The museum has received many awards, including the N.C. Governors Award for Cultural Arts Organizations, and is an official interpretive site for the National Park Service's Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. About the Institute of Museum and Library Services The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov. About Heritage Preservation
Heritage Preservation is the national organization dedicated to preserving our nation's heritage. Its members include libraries, museums, archives, historic preservation organizations, historical societies, conservation organizations and other professional groups concerned with saving the past for the future. For more information, please visit www.heritagepreservation. org
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