A
MEMORIAL
RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF
MUSEUMS TO THE STATE'S CULTURAL LEGACY AND SUPPORTING OUTREACH EFFORTS OF THE
MUSEUM OF NEW MEXICO.
WHEREAS, 2009 will be the
centennial of the museum of New Mexico and 2012 will be the centennial of New
Mexico's statehood, and these major milestones will provide unique
opportunities to celebrate New Mexico history and cultures; and
WHEREAS, museums play an
important role in the economic vitality, quality of life and education of their
communities; and
WHEREAS, local and private
museums in New Mexico hold a rich diversity of collections that are part of the
state's artifactual and archival history; and
WHEREAS, most local or private
museums in the state have small staffs and depend on volunteers to operate,
and, despite their best efforts, collections often remain uncatalogued,
disorganized and inaccessible to the public; and
WHEREAS, the museum of New
Mexico secured national funding to initiate a statewide museum outreach project
to prepare small, rural museums to become local cultural heritage leaders and
to provide assistance to the museums in upgrading facilities, providing better
care for collections, improving professional practices and strengthening
financial sustainability; and
WHEREAS, the museum outreach
program provides consultations; professional support and training;
high-quality, affordable traveling exhibitions; and the means whereby small,
rural museums can conduct research and document collections, expand access to
the collections and provide good management of historical collections; and
WHEREAS, over the last century,
the museum of New Mexico helped establish museums and visitors' centers in
Roswell, Carlsbad, Farmington, Lincoln, Mountainair, Las Vegas, Raton, Las
Cruces, Silver City, Portales and Clovis; and
WHEREAS, its outreach program
currently serves museums in ten counties, and over one hundred additional
museums have participated in outreach training workshops or received
information via the museum's online services; and
WHEREAS, outreach to small,
rural museums is a labor-intensive and costly endeavor, and creating permanent,
positive change will require a long-term commitment by the museum of New Mexico
and local museums;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it recognize
the outreach efforts of the museum of New Mexico and support its work with
local and private museums in the state to maintain New Mexico's cultural heritage;
and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a
copy of this memorial be transmitted to the museum of New Mexico.