Did you know that Illinois' heritage collections are at risk?

Illinois heritage collections include irreplaceable works of art, artifacts, historical objects, books, documents, maps, photographs, audio and video tapes, digital records, and scientific specimens that document our state's unique cultural and natural heritage.  Many of these objects are at risk from natural hazards, human-made problems, inadequate environmental controls, unexpected calamities, and the inevitable processes of deterioration. 

The ICPN is a collaboration of 15 partner institutions and numerous individual and institutional members who want to minimize the risks.  Our mission is to “ensure the long-term preservation of collections in Illinois that document cultural and natural heritage for the education and enrichment of present and future generations.”  In 2011 Illinois was one of six states to be awarded a Connecting to Collections grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).  In order to aid employees and volunteers of collection-holding facilities (e.g., museums, libraries, archives, historical societies) in caring for their collections, ICPN is creating a network of people and providing resources like workshops, assessment kits, training webcasts, and this website.  We hope to engage you in this conversation about preserving our state's valuable objects and thereby ensure their longevity.  We welcome both your preservation tips and your questions.

Conservation professionals are bound by the American Institute for Conservation's (AIC) code of ethics and standards to adhere to various laws and regulations; and, to be respectful not only of the items they are treating, but also of an object's cultural importance. While treating each object with materials and methods appropriate to the object's properties, the conservator must also be cognizant of future needs to access the object for research, public display, cultural purposes, and future conservation. Techniques need to be reversible; and, sometimes the best treatment is no treatment.

The videos on this page show brief behind-the-scenes vignettes that provide an introduction to what is involved in caring for cultural artifacts, library materials, paintings, documents, and films. These and many other videos about the stewardship of collections materials are found on YouTube.