The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Bank of America Charitable Foundation are pleased to announce the 2009 guidelines for the American Heritage Preservation Program. This new public-private partnership will fund the preservation of endangered and fragile art works, rare books, scientific specimens, and historical documents (photographs, maps, deeds, etc.) held in small and medium-sized museums, archives, and libraries. To access application guidelines instructions, please visit www.imls.gov/collections/grants/boa.htm

The grants of up to $3,000 are aimed at completing stand-alone conservation projects that convey the essential character and experience of the United States. Examples of fundable projects are provided in the grant guidelines.

The partnership builds on IMLS's Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a multi-year, multi-pronged initiative to raise public awareness and inspire action on the care of America's collections. That initiative implements recommendations of an IMLS-supported study, A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report on the State of America's Collections, which found that nearly 190 million objects in U.S. collections are in immediate danger of deterioration and need restoration or conservation.

For questions about museum projects, please contact Christine Henry, Senior Program Officer, at 202-653-4674 to discuss your questions. For questions about library or archival projects, please contact Susan Malbin, Senior Program Officer, at 202-653-4768.

The deadline for applications is September 15, 2008. IMLS and Bank of America will notify applicants of final decisions in January 2009, with projects to begin no earlier than February 1, 2009.

Dr. Anne-Imelda Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), announced today that 776 museums, libraries, and archives, representing every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam have been selected to receive the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf. The contents of the bookshelf were selected by a blue ribbon panel of conservation experts; it includes an essential set of books, online resources, and a user's guide that can profoundly affect the ability of small libraries and museums to care for their collections.  The following institutions were the NH recipients of this collection:

• The Art Gallery, University of New Hampshire - Durham, NH
• Exeter Historical Society - Exeter, NH
• American Independence Museum - Exeter, NH
• New Hampshire Antiquarian Society - Hopkinton, NH
• William D. Weeks Memorial Library - Lancaster, NH
• Teti Library, New Hampshire Institute of Art - Manchester, NH
• WFK Ice House Foundation - New London, NH
• Colby-Sawyer College - New Lonon, NH
• Philip Read Memorial Library - Plainfield, NH

"The Connecting to Collections Bookshelf provides museums, libraries, and archives essential instructions on how to rescue treasures of yesteryear that they hold in trust," said Radice. "These Bookshelves, once they are all distributed, will touch institutions around the nation."

The IMLS Bookshelf was made possible by a cooperative agreement with the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) with support from the Getty Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the Samuel H.Kress Foundation. It is part of Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a strategic initiative by IMLS to address the challenges described in A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report on the State of America's Collections.

Library Development Services - 603-271-2865 (Concord) - 1-800-462-1726 (Lancaster)

A Children's Book Review will be held at the Hooksett Public Library during the library's operating hours Monday through Friday during the week of September 22nd.  Librarians are invited to attend the Review at a time convenient for their schedule.  They can view many new titles in children's and teen fiction and nonfiction and can select several titles for their library collections.  For more information, contact Ann Hoey at Ann.Hoey@dcr.nh.gov

The CHILIS Fall Conference is scheduled for Thursday, October 16 in Littleton, NH.  Watch for information to be posted soon on the CHILIS website at www.nhlibrarians.org/chilis/CHILIS.htm (a new web address).

Many training events are upcoming this Fall. Check the online calendar at www4.egov.nh.gov/sign-up/public/cal.asp?y=2

Fall Modular Library courses will include:

• Budgeting for the NH Public Library - Moultonborough
• Juvenile Non-Fiction Collection Development & Management - New Hampton
• Cataloging Overview - Haverhill
• NH Legal Reference for the Public Librarian - Hancock
• Children & Youth Services Overview - Seacoast

For information go to www.nh.gov/nhsl/training/modules/

The NH Library Trustees Association is offering several workshops this Fall:

• Budgets - Salisbury & Lancaster
• Policy Development - Randolph & Brentwood
• Library Risk Management - Plymouth & Dublin

For Information go to: www.nhlta.com/2008_Fall_Workshops.pdf

Library Services to Persons with Disabilities - 603-271-1498 - 1-800-491-4200

NH State Library Talking Book Services and the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester are partnering to celebrate Art Beyond Sight Awareness Month on October 20 from 2:00-4:00. Please join us for a visit to the Currier where participants will have a private, verbal description tour of the special exhibition Andy Warhol: Pop Politics. This exhibition will present together for the first time Warhol’s paintings, prints, drawings, and photographs of political figures. Timed to coincide with the 2008 presidential election, this exhibition will offer a thought-provoking and entertaining look at the leaders who shaped the twentieth century through the eyes of Pop artist Andy Warhol. Space is limited. Please call 1-800-491-4200 to RSVP. For more information about accessibility at the Currier, visit www.currier.org . Click on "Accessibility" on the lower left corner of the website. This will be a pilot program that could eventually lead to an ongoing program collaboration using the museum's collection and future exhibitions.

FamilyConnect (www.FamilyConnect.org ), a new website for parents of children who are visually impaired was launched by the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) and the National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI). Providing descriptions of numerous organizations and their services for parents and children, FamilyConnect also features a calendar of events that lists upcoming activities that parents can search for by interest categories. FamilyConnect gives parents of visually impaired children a place to support each other, share stories and concerns, and find resources on raising their children from birth to adulthood.

NH State Library Talking Book Services Section now owns a TOPAZ desktop video magnifier and a scanning and reading appliance (SARA) available for use at its location in the Dolloff Building (1st floor) in the Governor Gallen State Office Park at 117 Pleasant Street, Concord. This equipment was purchased from Smart Assistive Technologies that has specialized in assistive technology service and devices for educational and vocational rehabilitation since 1996 (www.smartati.com ). Assistive technology devices are used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. The TOPAZ desktop video magnifier makes seeing type, hand -writing, and small details easier. The SARA scans a wide variety of printed material and then reads it aloud in crisp, human-like speech. Files can be saved from the SARA directly to a CD-ROM and opened with the built-in CD-ROM drive.