"Skeleton Room" at the Smithsonian Institution, ca. 1890.

On Monday, March 12 at 1 pm Eastern, the Connecting to Collections
Online Community will host another live chat in their series. Join Elizabeth Joffrion, Senior Program Officer in the National Endowment for the Humanities’
Division of Preservation and Access to learn about Preservation Assistance Grants. She will review what Preservation Assistance Grants fund, share tips on making a strong application, and answer your questions. No preregistration is required;
on Monday at 1 pm EDT just go to http://www.connectingtocollections.org/meeting and log in.

National Endowment for the Humanities’ Preservation Assistance Grants help small and mid-sized institutions—such as historic sites, museums, historical societies, cultural organizations, town and county records offices, and archives—improve their ability to preserve and care for their significant humanities collections. These may include special collections of books and journals, archives and manuscripts, prints and photographs, moving images, sound recordings, architectural and cartographic records, decorative and fine art objects, textiles, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, furniture, historical objects, and digital materials. It’s among the easiest and simplest NEH application you’ll prepare, so if you’ve been daunted by NEH application process previously, this is a great place to start. The receipt deadline is May 1, 2012 for projects beginning in January 2013.

Heritage Preservation moderates the Connecting to Collections Online
Community in partnership with the American Association for State and Local History and Learning Times and with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. On the site you will find links to collections care resources, a chance to
network with colleagues, and recordings of the 13 live chats that we have hosted to date. Upcoming chats include:

• “Introduction to LED Lighting” – Thursday, March 29 at 1:00
  pm Eastern. Richard L. Kerschner, Director of Preservation and
  Conservation and Nancie Ravenel, Object Conservator, both at the
  Shelburne Museum
• “Outsourcing Digitization” – Wednesday, April 4 at 1:00 pm
  Eastern. Robin Dale, Director of Digital & Preservation Services,
  LYRASIS
• “MayDay! Create a Game Plan” – Wednesday, April 18 at 1:00
  pm Eastern. Lori Foley, Vice President for Emergency Programs, Heritage
  Preservation

The Connecting to Collections Online Community now has more than 1,100
members and it’s a great way to connect with your colleagues across the nation.