Iowa Conservation And Preservation Consortium

08/18/2026

IMALERT (Iowa Museums, Archives, and Libraries Emergency Response Team) is here to assess damage to collection materials, make recommendations for collection recovery, assist with decisions on drying out buildings, demonstration of salvage techniques, and/or initial organization of salvage operations.

Learn more about IMALERT here 👉https://www.iowaconserveandpreserve.org/imalert

07/10/2026

📣Explore Iowa’s Black History Online: A powerful new digital collection is making Iowa’s Black history more accessible than ever. “Amplifying Black Voices
in Iowa” brings together more than 5,000 digitized items, including historic
newspapers, oral histories, photographs, manuscripts, and artifacts dating back to
the mid‑1800s. This collaborative effort connects collections from institutions across the state to tell a more complete story of Black experiences, achievements, and community impact in Iowa.

🔍digitalcollections.lib.iastate.edu/abvi/

✨ This project was made possible through a grant funded by the
Mellon Foundation, in partnership with:
African American Museum of Iowa
Des Moines Public Library
Fort Des Moines Museum

Grout Museum District
Iowa State University Library

State Historical Society of Iowa

06/27/2026

06/26/2026

Today is the day! S.O.S. 2026 has kicked off with gusto. Thank you to our speakers, vendors and sponsors for supporting this event. We welcome our new members and remain excited to grow Stronger Together!

06/17/2026

📦 Last call for registration!

Registration for **SOS 2026: Stronger Together: Partnerships in Preservation** closes this Friday.

Join us at the historic Butterworth Center and Deere-Wiman House in Moline for a day of learning, collaboration, and practical preservation strategies.

Spend the day exploring digital preservation, collaborative stewardship, emergency response, and collections care with colleagues from museums, libraries, archives, and cultural organizations across the region.

✔ Expert speakers
✔ Hands-on IMALERT salvage activity
✔ Networking with preservation professionals
✔ Box lunch included
✔ Historic property tour
✔ Vendors and preservation resources

Whether you're preserving a single collection or supporting an entire institution, you'll leave with new ideas, new connections, and practical tools to take home.

📍 Moline, Illinois
🗓 Friday, June 26
⏰ Check-in begins at 8:00 AM

Don't miss your chance to join us—register by Friday!

For more information visit our website at
https://www.iowaconserveandpreserve.org/events

06/12/2026

💬 Post 4: Interactive Engagement Post

Finish the sentence:

✨ Museums Are ____________.

We'll start:

🏛️ Museums are storytellers.
🤝 Museums are community builders.
📚 Museums are keepers of knowledge.
💡 Museums are places of discovery.
❤️ Museums are connections to the people and stories that came before us.

Now it's your turn!

How would you complete the sentence?

Share your answer in the comments and help us celebrate Iowa Museum Week.

06/11/2026

Join us on Monday as Amanda Leigh, MLIS, CARST, Administrative Assistant with ICPC and Julia Wells, MLIS, Assistant Librarian & Museum Curator at Iowa Masonic Library and Museum highlight how our organization supports collections care through training, resources, and collaboration.

More information can be found at our website: iowaconserveandpreserve.org

Museums Are Trusted

Museums are trusted stewards of our shared history, and that work is strengthened when professionals learn from and support one another.

Join us next Monday, June 15, for IMA Plugged-In: Connecting, Progressing, and Supporting Preservation in Iowa. Learn how the Iowa Conservation and Preservation Consortium (ICPC) advances preservation practices, supports collections care, and helps museums across Iowa protect the stories and objects entrusted to them.

Sponsored by Western Illinois University Museum Studies Graduate Program

👉 Join the Plugged-In mailing list once to receive Zoom details: iowamuseums.org/pluggedin

06/10/2026

🤝 Post 3: Preservation in Action

Museums Are... Preservation in Action.

Behind every exhibit, archive box, artifact, photograph, and historic building is a commitment to preserving Iowa's stories for future generations.

But preservation doesn't happen alone.

It takes museum professionals, archivists, librarians, conservators, volunteers, and community partners working together to care for collections, share knowledge, and strengthen access to our shared cultural heritage.

At ICPC, we're proud to support this work through education, resources, collaboration, and events like SOS 2026: Stronger Together: Partnerships in Preservation.

This Iowa Museum Week, we celebrate the people behind the scenes whose dedication keeps Iowa's stories alive.

06/09/2026

📸 Post 2: Community Memory for Everyone

Museums Are... Community Memory for Everyone.

📸 A photograph tucked away in a family album.
📜 A diary that captures a moment in time.
🏠 A historic building that has watched generations come and go.
🎙️ An oral history that preserves a voice that might otherwise be lost.

Museums, archives, libraries, and cultural heritage organizations help connect people with the stories that shape our communities. They preserve the objects, places, and experiences that help us understand where we've been and inspire where we're going.

This Iowa Museum Week, we're celebrating the people and institutions working every day to make Iowa's history accessible to all.

What Iowa museum, archive, library, or historic site has left a lasting impression on you?