The Ballard Institute has been named one of 101 museums across the United States to participate in the Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

According to a statement from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, “the Conservation Assessment Program assists small museums in providing appropriate care for endangered collections. In 2011, 101 museums in 36 states and Puerto Rico will have the condition of their collections and historic structures assessed. CAP is administered by Heritage Preservation and funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through its National Leadership Grants program.

“The wide array of 2011 recipients includes the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut; the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia; Waikiki Aquarium in Honolulu, Hawaii; the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, Illinois; and the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center in Lawton, Oklahoma.

The CAP program will help the Ballard Institute develop its plans and policies for maintaining its collections of over 2,700 puppets, as well as books, manuscripts, and audio-visual resources documenting the global history of puppet theater.

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