Atlanta, GA - February 19, 2015 - Tom Clareson, LYRASIS Senior Digital & Preservation Services Consultant, has been named Acting President of Heritage Preservation, a nationally recognized public policy organization dedicated to preserving the cultural, historic, and scientific heritage of the United States. Clareson will maintain his position and projects at LYRASIS. He began his term as Acting President on February 9, 2015, and he will oversee a transition plan that ensures the continuation and completion of key Heritage Preservation projects.

In his current capacity for LYRASIS, Clareson consults nationally and internationally on preservation, digitization, special collections/archives, remote storage, funding, and advocacy issues. He has served as a lead consultant on seventeen IMLS "Connecting to Collections" statewide preservation planning grants and six implementation grant programs. In addition, Clareson was the recipient of the 2014 George Cunha and Susan Swartzburg Award from the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), recognizing the recipient's career work in cooperative/collaborative preservation initiatives. He has served on the Heritage Preservation Board of Directors for the past 14 years.

Clareson says of his new appointment, "I'm honored to be asked to serve Heritage Preservation in this manner, and I have been dedicated to its mission and projects for fourteen years. Heritage Preservation has been a strong advocate for preservation across the country, and I am proud of its many accomplishments, including the Heritage Emergency National Task Force and the Heritage Health Information survey. I am committed to guiding the transition process and ensuring the long-term success of our projects that will continue with new partners and organizations. My status at LYRASIS will remain in effect, and I will be engaged with all my LYRASIS projects and partners as well."

About LYRASIS

LYRASIS, a non-profit membership organization, partners with member libraries, archives and museums to create, access and manage information with an emphasis on digital content, while building and sustaining collaboration, enhancing operations and technology, and increasing buying power. For more information, please visit www.lyrasis.org.

About Heritage Preservation

Heritage Preservation is a national nonprofit dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of the United States. By identifying risks, developing innovative programs, and providing broad public access to expert advice, Heritage Preservation assists museums, libraries, archives, historical societies and other organizations, as well as individuals, in caring for our endangered heritage. For more information, visit www.heritagepreservation.org.