OPRD release - Salem, Oregon – The Oregon Heritage Commission released the 2024 Oregon Heritage Vitality Study Report identifying the top issues impacting the operational vitality of Oregon’s heritage organizations and proposing six primary recommendations to comprehensively support the health of the heritage sector.  This study is an adaptation of the precedent setting Oregon Heritage Vitality 2010: The Challenge of the Past for Oregonians Today and Tomorrow study and report and documents the contemporary issues facing Oregon heritage organizations. Those that make up the heritage preservation sector in Oregon include, but are not limited to, Tribal, Federal, State, and Local Governments, museums, historical societies, historic cemeteries, Main Street organizations, libraries, archives, genealogical societies, archaeology, historic preservation, and any other organization and entity engaged in documenting, preserving and sharing Oregon’s history.  “Oregon’s heritage resources and cultural materials, tangible and intangible, are at risk if the organizations serving as the stewards of these resources are not able to survive and thrive” says Oregon Heritage Commission Coordinator Katie Henry. “By gathering information from those on the ground doing the work, we can better understand and elevate how statewide processes, agencies and organizations can support these organizations that have such a vital role in Oregon’s communities across the state.”  The 2024 Vitality Study was a partnership between the Oregon Heritage Commission and the University of Oregon’s Institute for Policy Research and Engagement (IPRE). It was shepherded by an Advisory Group representing statewide technical support organizations and agencies. It included a survey of Oregon heritage organizations, a literature review, and interviews and workshops with local heritage representatives. A total of 264 organizational representatives responded to a detailed survey, ten heritage sector representatives were interviewed, and nearly sixty organizations were represented in six workshops across Oregon.  The first recommendation calls for a taskforce or workgroup made up of heritage leaders and individuals from adjacent, relevant fields to discuss, research, and report on creative solutions related to coordination of collective case-making, service provision across the state and regionally, funding, and consider policy-level recommendations.  Subsequent recommendations focus on:  Communicating about resources; Promoting the value of heritage; Increasing funding options; Fostering Community Connections; Addressing facilities and operation needs.  “The Commission recognized the importance of repeating this study at this time given events that have significantly impacted heritage organizations, and the world, over the past five years including the pandemic, disasters, and more,” says Commission Chair Rosemary Johnson. “It’s the Commission’s hope that State level agencies and actors will join the Commission in moving forward recommendations, especially as we approach the country’s 250th anniversary which will provide an opportunity to highlight the important work of heritage organizations.”  The Heritage Commission’s nine Governor appointed members represent a diversity of cultural, geographic, and institutional interests. The Commission’s nine advisory members include representatives from the Oregon State Library, Oregon State Archives, State Historical Records Advisory Board, Higher Education Coordinating Committee, Travel Oregon, Oregon Historical Society, Department of Education, State Historic Preservation Office, and the Department of Land Conservation and Development.  The Commission is the primary agency for coordination of heritage activities in the state. This includes carrying out the Oregon Heritage Plan, increasing efficiency and avoiding duplication among interest groups, developing plans for coordination among agencies and organizations, encouraging tourism related to heritage resources, and coordinating statewide anniversary commemorations.  More information about the Oregon Heritage Commission is available online at www.oregonheritage.org and from Commission Coordinator Katie Henry at 503-877-8834 or [email protected].