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WashCo Public Library director selected for Washington D.C. summit Washington County Public Library Director Jessica Ross is among several museum and library representatives from Alabama who will travel to Washington, D.C. later this month for the National Conservation Summit. "Connecting to Collections" will focus on saving library and museum collections. Collections held in museums, libraries and archives are the foundation of the American story and yet their future is at risk. This month, 350 representatives of museums, libraries, archives, and historical societies from across the country will meet in Washington, D.C. to be part of an initiative to make caring for America's collections a national priority. The Connecting to Collections: The National Conservation Summit will be held June 27 and 28 in Washington, D.C., at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture of the Smithsonian Institution. The U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is convening the summit in cooperation with Heritage Preservation to underscore the perils these collections face and to promote solutions for saving them. Representatives from four institutions from each state and the District of Columbia were invited to attend the meeting. They represent small and medium sized museums, libraries, and historic organizations with a proven dedication and commitment to conservation. The other three participants from Alabama are Janice Yates Earnest, director of Autauga Prattville Public Library, Prattville; Lawrence J. Pijeaux Jr. president / CEO of Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham and Cheryl A. Sneddon, curator Alabama Historical Commission, Killen. "Those who have been selected to attend the summit have a strong commitment to conservation and are among the best people in the country to spearhead a national conservation initiative," said IMLS Director Anne- Imelda Radice, Ph.D. "After the summit, we hope that the conversation about saving invaluable collections will continue in communities across the U.S." State participants will be joined at the meeting by national leaders in conservation, government officials and leaders in private sector support for conservation. Keynote speakers include Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein and Francie Alexander, Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, Scholastic, Inc. In addition, remarks will be made by IMLS Director Anne-Imelda Radice; National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman Bruce Cole; National Endowment for the Arts Dana Gioia; and Heritage Preser-vation President Lawrence L. Reger. The conservation summit is receiving support through a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation and by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. The summit is being co-hosted by the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
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.
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