Utah Collections Preservation Network

FAIN: PE-295937-24

Utah Arts Council (Salt Lake City, UT 84102-1101)
Marie D. Desrochers (Project Director: May 2023 to present)

A three-year project to further develop the Utah Collections Preservation Network (UCPN), which would support the state’s cultural heritage caretakers in museums, libraries, archives, and communities through delivery of webinars and workshops on collection care; training new members of the Collection Preservation Team (CPT), a cohort of community experts throughout the state; and completion of preservation assessments and discrete collection care projects in Utah’s small cultural heritage organizations.

Building upon the Utah Collections Preservation (UCP) program, piloted with support from NEH in 2021-2023, the proposed Utah Collections Preservation Network (UCPN) project will expand access to a comprehensive suite of virtual and on-site, culturally appropriate training and mentorship activities, designed to enhance the preservation literacy (knowledge and skills) of underserved collections stewards across Utah through an estimated 1,500 engagements. Facilitated by the Preservation Outreach Coordinator and other Utah Field Services (UFS) staff, this project will address the need to further develop and strengthen relationships between underserved collections stewards across the region, including rural organizations, and holders of community collections. Utah Field Services aims to elevate and empower the diversity of practices and perspectives surrounding Utah’s world renowned cultural heritage and pedagogical landscape.