Great News! FAIC and IMLS are Reestablishing CAP

In 2015 small and mid-sized museums suffered a bit of a blow when the Conservation Assessment Program was put on hiatus. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has found a new partner to host the program under the new name Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP): the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation (FAIC). 

What collection wouldn't benefit from a pair of thoughtful, experienced, knowledgeable professionals looking out for its well-being? 

• Do you have objects and an historic house? FAIC has it covered.  
• Are you a zoo or an aquarium? Do you have living animal collections? You can apply for assessors to address animal physical needs and conditions.  
• Are you a botanical garden or aquarium? Assessors can examine plant collections' preservation needs. They can look at your nonliving collections too.  
• Are your objects and materials housed in a mix of spaces and conditions? No problem. 

The application window is open right now through the first of March, 2017, so jump right in. 

Monitoring Light Levels - Courtesy of Tania Collas and the
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 

What CAP requires from you is a commitment to using the conservators' recommendations to improve care and conditions for the collection, your time spent arranging the visit and working with assessors, and potential costs for any assessor fees and expenses not covered by the CAP allocation.

This is not a competitive a program. It is an eligibility-based program with limits to its funding. The order of application matters, so apply early! Applicants will be updated on their status in the spring, and assessment can take place throughout 2017.

The final report will have valuable recommendations for prioritizing your work, improving collections care, and efficiently using your resources to do so. 

Get going and good luck!