Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections

 

What are the humanities?

According to the 1965 National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act, “The term ‘humanities’ includes, but is not limited to, the study of the following: language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national life.”

A growing body of research suggests that institutions can more easily develop effective and affordable preservation measures, particularly those that manage the environment surrounding collections, by undertaking collaborative and interdisciplinary planning. Such planning analyzes collections and their current condition and risks, the characteristics of the building that houses the collections, energy usage and environmental impact, and local climatic conditions. The emphasis should be on defining and mitigating the greatest risks to collections, rather than meeting a prescriptive target.

Here is a list of sources about sustainable strategies that is by no means comprehensive. The proceedings from the conferences and meetings mentioned below are intended as starting points for further exploration.

May 2009: Sustainable Cultural Heritage, a conference sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
www.neh.gov/projects/Conference_09May/NEH-CNR_Conference.htm

September 2008: International Institute for Conservation London Congress roundtable discussion
www.iiconservation.org/docs/IIC_climate_change_transcript.pdf

November 2007: From Gray Areas to Green Areas: Developing Sustainable Practices in Preservation Environments
www.ischool.utexas.edu/kilgarlin/gaga/

April 2007: Experts’ Roundtable on Sustainable Climate Management Strategies
www.getty.edu/conservation/science/climate/climate_experts_roundtable.html

No. Like the old program, this new one focuses on preventive conservation and supports the implementation of preventive preservation actions that have the greatest benefit to humanities collections in the aggregate: improved storage, environmental conditions, and security, and the protection of collections from disasters. However, Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections also invites and encourages cultural institutions to engage in collaborative, interdisciplinary planning and to explore preventive conservation measures that are strategic and sustainable. To this end, it adds support for planning and also for evaluating the effectiveness of previously implemented projects.

This grant program seeks to support planning projects that bring together a variety of experts, including architects, building engineers, conservation scientists, conservators, curators, facilities managers, and others. Such experts could be external or internal to your institution. The most important consideration is that you assemble a qualified team appropriate to your needs.

Yes. Although NEH cannot support the construction of new buildings or the installation of systems (other than storage furniture) in new buildings through Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections, we are able to support planning related to the preservation needs of collections that would be housed in new buildings or renovated facilities.

You should first consider NEH’s Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions, which offers awards of up to $6,000 for preservation assessments and consultations on a variety of preservation issues. We expect that planning grants through Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections will be best suited for relatively complex projects that would require a team of specialists.

No. You do not have to progress from an NEH planning grant to an NEH implementation grant. But all implementation projects should be based on sound planning. Support for that planning might come from NEH, from other federal or foundation grants, or from an institution’s own funds.

The absence of such planning may not disadvantage you. The program supports the implementation of a variety of preventive conservation measures, some of which may benefit from more collaborative, interdisciplinary planning than others. Peer reviewers will want to understand how the proposed project fits into an institution’s overall preservation strategies and they will expect to see evidence that planning appropriate to the requested activity has occurred and that the necessary staff and consultants have been involved.

No. You should determine the percentage of the space in your building that is occupied by humanities collections. If humanities collections occupy 60 percent of the building, then 60 percent of the costs of climate control are eligible for support and may be included in the project’s budget in either the NEH column or the cost-sharing column of the budget forms.

It is not necessary to prorate the costs of security and fire protection systems, which must function building-wide to be effective.

Do not assume that the collections’ significance will be evident to readers; the description of the content of the collections should enable evaluators to understand the humanities themes that can be explored in exhibitions, educational programs, and research. Discuss specific exhibitions, educational programs, and research projects that illustrate how the collections have been used in support of the humanities. Explain how the project may enhance your institution’s ability to use the collections.

Explain the tasks for the project’s staff and consultants and provide a schedule for the completion of the work, which may be presented as a narrative or a chart. Depending on the project, the description of the work plan may be organized by type or duration of activity (e.g., three- or six-month intervals). The plan should be presented in enough detail to demonstrate that you have thoroughly considered each step of the project and that you are ready to begin. By describing in detail the responsibilities of the project’s personnel, you will justify the corresponding allocation of staff time, as shown in the project’s budget, and the qualifications and experience required of the project’s staff, as reflected in résumés and job descriptions.

Yes. Applicants are encouraged to seek other financial support. We do ask that you tell us about proposals to other funding sources, so that we can better understand the project’s financial picture.

Your proposal will be read by humanities scholars, preservation and conservation professionals, museum curators, librarians, archivists, and administrators of cultural organizations. It is just as important to articulate the significance of your collections to the humanities by describing your collections and their uses as it is to present a detailed work plan based on solid planning and the advice of appropriate consultants. NEH staff also comments on matters of fact or on significant issues that otherwise would be missing from the reviews of outside evaluators and then makes recommendations to the National Council on the Humanities. The National Council meets at various times during the year to advise the NEH chairman on grants. The chairman takes into account the advice provided by the review process and, by law, makes all funding decisions.

You may request copies of the comments by evaluators. A revised application should take into consideration the issues that they raised. However, a resubmitted application will be reviewed by persons who will not have knowledge of or access to the previous application file.