West Virginia Connecting to Collections Town Meeting/Focus Group

Dear Colleague:

We invite you to join us for a 75-minute focus group to share your insights and opinions on the preservation needs of West Virginia collections. West Virginia University Libraries and the Huntington Museum of Art are leading this important opportunity to identify collections care needs throughout the state and to help develop a statewide preservation plan. This project is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Connecting to Collections grant program.

The focus group will take place at the West Virginia Library Association Annual Meeting. Here are the details:

Session Title: West Virginia Connecting to Collections Town Meeting/Focus Group

Date and Time: Thursday, October 14th, 8:30-9:45 a.m.

Location: Stonewall Ballroom II

Please respond to tom.clareson@lyrasis.org by Tuesday, October 12, if you plan to attend. .

Why Participate in this Focus Group?

Opinions you provide will communicate the scope and nature of the preservation needs of collections statewide and will guide the efforts of decision-makers and funders to address those needs. You will help us ensure that our planning accurately identifies the needs of the state.

We hope to apply for grant funding to assist West Virginia cultural institutions in meeting their preservation needs. The best way to guarantee that your needs are represented is to participate in a forum to tell us what is most important to you.
In the final plan, you will see your institution’s preservation needs in a context and form you can then use to raise your institutional awareness and promote long-range planning for the care of your collections.

Focus group deliberations are considered confidential. Any published comments or responses will not be identified as to speaker.

Thanks so much for your time and assistance!

Frances O’Brien, Dean, WVU Libraries

Margaret Mary Layne, Executive Director, Huntington Museum of Art