Groundwork Grants Project Mentor: Mary Leverance
Mary Leverance is one of the 7 mentors guiding 22 of the Groundwork Grants awardees through their projects. Applicants from organizations with no more than three paid staff could request the services of a consultant to confer with throughout their projects to help ensure maximum success and impact. Such individuals, provided through Myriad Consulting, are able to advise on matters such as the care and handling of materials, procurement of appropriate supplies and equipment, preservation considerations in facility renovations or relocation, professional development for staff, digital preservation strategies, capacity building, and more. Mary’s mentees included the Mission Peak Heritage Foundation and the Santa Rosa Junior College Multicultural Museum.
“Small organizations are often not aware of the variety of resources available on the topic of disaster planning. These grants have helped them learn more and have given them practical experience with the classes they had the opportunity to attend.”
Mission Peak Heritage Foundation takes care of local history collections including the Historic Shinn Ranch and House in Fremont. The foundation was a first and second round Groundwork Grants awardee, and Mary worked with them both years. For the first round, as a disaster preparedness consultant, Mary drafted an emergency response plan. The final products were a pocket plan, a two-page initial response information sheet, and an emergency procedures flip chart.
“I recommend that organizations set annual reminders to review and update their emergency plans. They may not be especially familiar with disaster planning practices or might be apprehensive to make changes without guidance from someone experienced.”
During the second round of the grant cycle in 2025, they revisited and update these emergency documents. Mary, as a project mentor, continued and expanded on this foundational work to discuss environmental monitoring data, collections care and management, storage and shelving of old newspapers, books, and blueprints, as well as ultraviolet light concerns, and possible software systems for inventory management.
“It’s important to understand the layout of an organization’s property or building. Floor plans with labels indicating room names, environmental monitoring equipment and pest monitor locations, entrance and exit doors, and other relevant equipment are very helpful. Photographs are a good resource as well.”
The Santa Rosa Junior College Multicultural Museum protects a collection of materials reflecting the Pomo and other Northern California tribes, including the notable Elsie Allen Pomo Basket Collection. Not unlike other small community organizations, the collections are managed by one person. As part of the mentoring process, Mary worked through issues related to integrated pest management, environmental monitoring, and emergency planning. They also discussed succession planning and online resources for wet salvage of materials, since seeing that in practice is a good way to learn when in-person training isn’t possible.
“Some of the questions the grantees have asked, along with some of the ideas they’ve had, have been so insightful. They often see things from an “outsider” perspective and bring legitimate issues up for consideration.“
Image provided by Mary Leverance
Mary Leverance (she/her) is the Preservation and Conservation Coordinator at the University of Arkansas Libraries. She is responsible for preventive conservation and collections care, including environmental monitoring, emergency response, integrated pest management, and preservation planning. Mary also oversees the work of the Libraries conservation lab and its staff. The Preservation Unit cares for collections throughout the Libraries, including the main collection, branch library collections, and Special Collections. Mary is an active member of the preservation section within the American Library Association, and is a volunteer with the National Heritage Responders for the American Institute for Conservation. She received a MS in Information Sciences from the University of Tennessee and a BS in Geography from Arizona State University.