Please join the New Jersey State Library in supporting ALA\x92s first national Preservation Week, May 9-15, 2010! For more information visit: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alcts/confevents/preswk/index.cfm

Contest-Making the Case for Preservation Action to Save Collections

We all know how hard it is to lift the sense of urgency and priority for preserving collections, especially in our economically tight and digitally oriented times. The American Library Association\x92s Association of Library Collections and Services (ALA-ALCTS) is sponsoring a competition for the best \x932-minute speech\x94 to convince 3 key audiences of the importance of action for preservation as a part of the first national collection Preservation Week (May 9-15, 2010). The target audiences are:

-Decision makers-directors, board members, elected and appointed officials, and other people who choose priorities for action and provide the resources; -Friends, family, visitors and users, and others who work outside collecting institutions, and the cultural heritage, conservation, and preservation fields-public support is essential for preservation action; -Library, archive, and museum staff outside the preservation or conservation fields-shelvers, check-out and ILL staff, building operations, and housekeeping personnel can have a significant impact on collections preservation.

Here\x92s how the contest will work: 1. Select one target audiences (i.e. decision makers; general audience; and/or library/archive/museum staff) to persuade with a 2-minute speech to support preservation and take preservation action. Selection multiple target audiences, one 2 minute speech per audience.

1. Write a short, compelling, and easy-to-understand argument that will persuade your target audience. Send in one 2 minute speech per target audience.

2. Send your written submissions in one e-mail per target audience to Yvonne Carignan, Library Director and Head of Collections, Historical Society of Washington, DC, carignan@PROTECTED.

3. Yvonne will distribute all submissions to a review panel representing preservation, conservation, and collecting institutions of a variety of types and sizes. The panel will select the top three entries in each category. The winning \x93speeches\x94 will be highlighted on the Preservation Week Web site (www.ala.org./preservationweek) and the winners will also receive a surprise from ALCTS.

4. The deadline for submission is March 8, 2010, so don\x92t delay.

Here are some hints to help: Send us the reasons for supporting preservation that have worked with people you know.

Audience: Key decision-maker

If you had only 2 minutes to convince your institution\x92s doubting Board Chair, Director, Major Funder that collections preservation should become a strong priority, budget priority, high priority, core function of your institution, what would you say? What points would you make?

If you had only 2 minutes to convince your institution\x92s doubting Director that collections preservation should become a core function of your institution, what would you say?

Audience: Friends, family, and neighbors outside the field

If you had only 2 minutes to convince your -- Great aunt, cable or satellite installer, or neighbor that preserving cultural heritage collections should become a well-funded activity, budget priority, high priority in your community, what would you say? What points would you make?

If you had only 2 minutes to convince your neighbor that preserving cultural heritage collections should become a high priority in your community, what points would you make?

Audience: Line staff in your institution outside preservation and conservation.

If you had only 2 minutes to convince your institution\x92s youth librarians, volunteers, shelving staff that by making collections preservation a strong priority, high priority, core function, they could make a real difference to your users, what would you say? What points would you make?

If you had only 2 minutes to convince your institution\x92s volunteers that by making preserving your collections a high priority, they could make a real difference to your users, what points would you make?

We look forward to reading and sharing the winning submissions!

Jeanne Drewes, Karen Motylewski Preservation Week 2010 Taskforce

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