EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Michigan State University Museum is one of four museums in Michigan to receive a 2010 Conservation Project Support grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Washington, D.C.
The museum will use the $149,316 grant to purchase and install "space-saver" (high-density) storage units and supplies for newly acquired collections, which include textiles and masks as well as accompanying letters and documentation. Museum staff and student interns will move and re-house the collections throughout a two-year period.
Other state grant recipients are Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills; Detroit Institute of Arts; and Kingman Museum, Battle Creek. IMLS issued 33 grants nationwide, totaling $3,184,977.
Lynne Swanson, collections manager for cultural collections at the MSU Museum, said the improved storage conditions will allow better long-term care of the collections and improved access for staff, researchers and the public.
Since 1984, IMLS grants have helped 1,338 museums identify conservation needs and ensure safekeeping of their collections.
The IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The institute works with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development.
The MSU Museum is one of the oldest museums in the Midwest and is Michigan's first Smithsonian Institution affiliate. It has more than 1 million collections in four buildings, which focus on Michigan and its relationship to the Great Lakes and the world.
For more information about the MSU Museum, call (517) 355-2370 or visit http://museum.msu.edu.
To learn more about the IMLS, visit http://www.imls.gov.
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