Ways to Preserve Family Memories and Treasures Shared Through Week-Long Activities

The Museum of South Texas History invites the community to join in celebrating Preservation Week®: Pass It On at MOSTHistory from Sunday, April 27 through Saturday, May 3, 2014, included in the fee for regular museum admission. Sponsored by the American Library Association’s (ALA) Association of Library Collections and Services (ALCTS) and partner organizations, Preservation Week was created to inspire actions to preserve personal, family and community collections of all kinds, as well as library, museum and archive collections. Participating for the second year in a row, MOSTHistory will share ways to preserve family memories and treasures through preservation-themed activities to be held all week long.

As spring cleaning is underway, many in the community may find a need to preserve new-found treasures. From April 27-May 3, Valley residents can turn to MOSTHistory to celebrate Preservation Week, a time when libraries, museums and archives across the country will provide information and expertise on ways to preserve treasures such as documents, photographs, books, textiles, audiovisual and digital materials and collectibles. MOSTHistory began preserving the borderland heritage of South Texas and Northeastern Mexico as early as 1968 through its archives, known today as the Margaret H. McAllen Memorial Archives (MHMMA) after a founder and Chairman Emeritus of MOSTHistory.

A rarity among archives, the MHMMA is open to the public. Researchers can make an appointment to access books, maps, photographs and other materials. This year, MOSTHistory’s MHMMA will have a temporary preservation display on exhibit in the Grand Lobby, highlighting environmental factors — many unique to the South Texas region — that can affect family treasures. In conjunction with the exhibit, visitors will be able to take home a variety of free materials that provide preservation tips. To help jump-start preservation at home, visitors will be able to enter a giveaway drawing for a Family Archives Kit by Gaylord®, a leading provider of archival solutions used by museums nationwide. For more information about Preservation Week 2014 at MOSTHistory:

Phone:   1-956-383-6911

Follow: 
Facebook / MOSTHistory
Twitter / @MOSTHistory
LinkedIn / Museum of South Texas History
Google / Museum of South Texas History

Email:   archivist@mosthistory.org

Visit:      MOSTHistory.org or MOSTHistory MHMMA

About Preservation Week
In 2004 the first comprehensive national survey was carried out to document collections preservation needs in libraries, museums and archives. That survey showed that roughly 1.3 billion items need treatment to reduce the risk and rate of damage. Recognizing this need, the American Library Association (ALA) and its Association of Library Collections and Services (ALCTS) inaugurated national collections Preservation Week in 2010. Sponsored by the American Library Association and partners that include the Library of Congress, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, The American Institute for Conservation, Heritage Preservation and the Society of American Archivists, Preservation Week highlights collections of all kinds, and suggests simple steps to help ensure treasures and memories last a lifetime and are passed on to future generations. For more information, visit www.ala.org/preservationweek.

About Museum of South Texas History
The Museum of South Texas History is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is located in downtown Edinburg at 200 North Closner Boulevard on the Hidalgo County Courthouse square. Hours of operation are from 1–5 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday. Founded in 1967 as the Hidalgo County Historical Museum in the 1910 Hidalgo County Jail, the museum has grown over the decades through a series of expansions to occupy a full city block. In 2003 following the completion of a 22,500 square foot expansion, the museum was renamed the Museum of South Texas History to better reflect its regional scope. Today, the museum preserves and presents the borderland heritage of South Texas and Northeastern Mexico through its permanent collection and the Margaret H. McAllen Memorial Archives and exhibits spanning prehistory through the 20th century. For more information about MOSTHistory, including becoming a FRIEND, visit MOSTHistory.org, like us on Facebook, follow on Twitter, connect on LinkedIn, find on Google or call 1-956-383-6911.

CONTACT:
Lisa K. Loebl
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