We have a new grant program that may interest you. The program offers up to $350,000 for major archives initiatives with an emphasis on innovation and collaboration. The new Access to Historical Records – Major Initiatives program is designed to broaden public access to historical and cultural records. There’s a five-page preliminary proposal due by 19 January 2017. The Commission will then invite a select number of applicants to submit a full proposal.

Does your institution need to conjoin the records of a major historical subject held by several repositories and make them freely available online? Does research demand for a high-value audio or moving image recordings collection necessitate digitally converting and posting them online? Are there new tools and methods that would greatly enhance the public’s ability to access and use records? Have you begun developing a method to make work with born digital records more efficient and want to prove that it’s replicable?

These are just a few suggestions. We want to hear all your creative ideas and discuss how they might fit with this program. If you would like to schedule a time to talk about a proposal idea, please email or call the Director for Access, Alex Lorch (alexander.lorch@nara.gov; 202-357-5101) or the Director for Technology Initiatives, Nancy Melley (nancy.melley@nara.gov; 202-357-5101).

I would like to bring to your attention three upcoming webinars regarding NHPRC’s Access to Historical Records – Archival Projects grant program. The webinar schedule and instructions appear at the end of the message.

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission seeks projects that ensure online public discovery and use of historical records collections. All types of historical records are eligible, including documents, photographs, born-digital records, and analog audio and moving images. Projects may preserve and process historical records to:

– Create new online Finding Aids to collections
– Digitize historical records collections and make them freely available online

The NHPRC encourages organizations to actively engage the public in the work of the project.

A grant normally is for one or two years and for up to $100,000. The Commission expects to make up to 10 grants in this category for a total of up to $700,000. The cost share requirement for these grants is 25% of total project costs. Grants begin no earlier than 1 July 2017.

Deadlines: DRAFT 29 September 2016; FINAL 6 December 2016.

Webinars will be held on the following dates and times:

Wednesday, 17 August @ 3:00 p.m. Eastern (https://connect16.uc.att.com/gsa1/meet/?ExEventID=86764535)

Thursday, 25 August @ 3:00 p.m. Eastern (https://connect16.uc.att.com/gsa1/meet/?ExEventID=87508535)

A recording of this webinar is available here.

The slides for this webinar are here: ArchivalProjectsWebinar082016ahl

Thursday, 1 September @ 2:00 p.m. Eastern (https://connect16.uc.att.com/gsa1/meet/?ExEventID=87508535)

A recording of this webinar is available here.

The slides for this webinar are the same as the ones posted above.

Webinar attendees will need to click on the links above that correspond to the appropriate date in order to join the event. Upon clicking the link, attendees will be asked to enter their name and email address. You do not need to pre-register for these webinars. Please email me at alexander.lorch@nara.gov if you have any questions.

Dear Colleagues,

We at the National Historical Publications and Records Commission are asking you–as applicants or potential applicants–to our grant programs what you think about our application process.

Your process to this very brief survey will help us make our processes as customer friendly as possible:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CQKK6HC

Please be assured that no personal information is collected about respondents nor are you required to identify your institution.

We will close the survey on May 6, 2016.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Need some additional resources to complete a high-priority project at your repository? Perhaps the money is appealing but you are a little intimidated or confused by the land of federal grants? A full-day Grants Workshop at the Northwest Archivists’ Annual Meeting will introduce attendees to the competitive archival grant programs at the National Archives and Records Administration, which are made through the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). The primary emphasis of this workshop will be on the Access to Historical Records grant program and the course instructor will be its program director, Alex Lorch. During the workshop’s morning session, the instructor will help participants understand the grant application process, including the components of a good project summary, narrative, budget, and supplemental materials. The instructor also will discuss the review process, teaching the attendees how to “think like a reviewer.”

Three experts, or federal grants “all-stars” from the Northwest Archivists conference, will join the class for the afternoon session. Attendees will learn tips from these experts as well as some information on other federal grants and non-federal monetary support. Attendees also will read and comment on two applications as part of learning about the review process and what makes applications good or not-so-much. For the workshop’s last two hours, the attendees will have the opportunity to start designing their own project to include: defining project scope, devising a budget, developing a work plan, and preparing an application. Attendees should come with a general idea of projects that they might like to undertake that fit with the Access to Historical Records program. The workshop is free to registered conference attendees.

I would like to bring to your attention three upcoming webinars regarding NHPRC’s Access to Historical Records grant program. The webinar schedule and instructions appear at the end of the message.

Here are the slides from the first webinar: AccessToHistoricalRecordsWebinar2

I revised the slides for the second and third webinars: AccessToHistoricalRecordsWebinar2

Here is the audio recording from the first webinar: https://connect16.uc.att.com/gsa1/meet/?RecordingKey=CF32C18E-DB3D-4B3C-BA18-EEA20CF5CC7C

Here is the audio recording from the second webinar: https://connect16.uc.att.com/gsa1/meet/?RecordingKey=AA26B49A-575D-4A8D-B6F2-3572DBDC5316

The final audio recording is here: https://connect16.uc.att.com/gsa1/meet/?RecordingKey=068F1E9F-3934-40E5-984F-B82B77A5CE08

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission invites applications for this grant program to promote the preservation and use of historical records collections to broaden understanding of our democracy, history, and culture. The program emphasizes the creation of online tools that facilitate the public discovery of historical records.

The Commission looks to fund projects that undertake the following activities:

– Preservation, arrangement, and online description of historical records in all formats
– Digital preservation of electronic records and unstable audio and moving image formats

After completing arrangement and description activities, applicants may also digitize selected archival series from the processed materials to provide online access to collections. Applicants that intend solely to digitize materials will be asked to submit proposals to the Digital Dissemination of Archival Collections program.

Applicants must have an existing archival program in place. This grant program does not support archival start-up activities of any kind, including electronic records start-ups. For answers to some frequently asked questions, please visit this link.

A grant normally is for one or two years and for up to $200,000. The Commission expects to make up to 14 grants in this category for a total of up to $1,000,000. Grants begin no earlier than 1 January 2017.

Deadlines: DRAFT 4 April 2016; FINAL 15 June 2016.

Webinars will be held on the following dates and times:

Thursday, 11 February @ 3:30 p.m. Eastern

Wednesday, 17 February @ 3:30 p.m. Eastern

Monday, 22 February @ 2:00 p.m. Eastern

Webinar attendees will need to click on the following link (https://connect16.uc.att.com/gsa1/meet/?ExEventID=87508535) and enter their name and email address. You do not need to pre-register for these webinars. Please email me at alexander.lorch@nara.gov if you have any questions.

Preface to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission Strategic Plan Framework

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission enhances public access to historical records collections nationwide. The Commission works with state and local governments, historical societies, colleges and universities, and other nonprofit institutions in leading these access efforts through a modest but catalytic grants program. Through its unique position of public outreach, the Commission provides the opportunity to connect the work of the National Archives with the work of the nation’s archives.

From its inception in 1934 as part of the National Archives, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission has focused on the preservation and use of historical records collections in the United States. The Commission has long played a leadership role in meeting the challenges of broadening access to these collections through preservation and access projects, research and development initiatives, and best practices and new methodologies.

Early years were spent spurring the initial development of historical documentary editions. Beginning in the 1960s, the Commission made access happen through its critical support for publishing historical records collections in print and microfilm. It advanced best practices and new methods through the development of the Institute for the Editing of Historical Documents and more recently the Archives Leadership Institute. It proved instrumental in its early investments on electronic records research, encoded archival description, the “More Product/Less Process” protocols, the creation of state historical records advisory boards, the National Forum on Archival Continuing Education, and much more.

Leadership efforts remain a hallmark of the NHPRC.  With this in mind, at their November 2015 meeting the members of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission approved a draft framework for a new Strategic Plan. Through collaboration with the National Archives, other Federal agencies, and private funders, the Commission seeks to enhance its national leadership role, continue its support of our partners in the states, historical documentary editions, and professional development and training, and expands programs designed to enhance public participation in preserving and using historical records collections.

We invite public comment here on the revised framework by February 1, 2016.

~

NHPRC Strategic Plan Framework

Mission

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission provides opportunities for the American people to discover and use records that increase understanding of our democracy, history, and culture.

Vision

Through leadership initiatives, grants, and fostering the creation of new tools and methods, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission connects the work of the National Archives to the work of the nation’s archives. The Commission acts as a bridge for innovation and creativity in advancing best archival practices, publishing historical records, and connecting citizens to their records.

GOAL: Connect the National Archives with the work of the nation’s archives.

The Commission plays a key national leadership role in developing and promoting best practices, model programs, and partnerships among the nation’s vast network of archives and documentary editing projects.  The Commission will collaborate with other funders to create leadership initiatives designed to solve problems and meet challenges.

Objectives:

• Build state partnerships around key needs, such as electronic records management
• Support professional development opportunities for archivists and documentary editors
• Fund research, development, and dissemination of best practices, tools, and methodologies

GOAL: Expand access to the nation’s historical records.

The Commission makes access happen through multiple ways: by preserving, arranging, describing, and publishing collections. Projects create online finding aids, digitized collections, and documentary editions in print and online versions. The Commission will collaborate with other funders to expand access to historical records.

 Objectives: 

•  Complete current documentary editions (print and online) and identify new projects to make historical records collections more widely accessible
• Broaden preservation of, and increased online access to, historical records collections
• Promote open access to collections to encourage re-use and analysis
• Support the development and use of standards for online publishing of historical records collections
• Initiate collaborative projects for long-term sustainability of digital resources

GOAL: Engage the American people in preserving the American record.

Democracy requires an informed citizenry able to discover and use those records critical to understanding American democracy, history, and culture. Archivists and documentary editors are also encouraging people to acquire skills necessary to preserve and make accessible historical records. The Commission will collaborate with archives, repositories, and historical records publishing projects to engage more directly with people in their communities and online.

Objectives:

• Encourage new methods for the public to share their knowledge about and interest in historical records, by volunteering, preserving their own records, and other means.
• Promote educational/training efforts by archivists, editors, and records managers to foster public engagement
• Support the development of open source tools to facilitate public participation in expanding access to historical records
• Collaborate with state boards on local and statewide projects to encourage public participation and engagement in the work of archives

GOAL: Enhance the capacity of small and diverse organizations with historical records collections.

The Commission seeks to encourage small and diverse organizations with historical collections that represent the rich diversity of America’s culture and history and to assist small repositories with tools to raise their capacities.

Objectives:

• Streamline the application and review processes
• Encourage a wider pool of applicants
• Increase emphasis on resource sustainability and preservation plans
• Fund the creation of tools for smaller repositories and underserved communities

The September issue of the NHPRC News is up at http://www.archives.gov/nhprc/newsletter/2015/sept/ with info on our Strategic Plan, the application deadlines of October 8, and stories on Kentucky Civil War Governors, Arabella Chapman, Edison’s Talking Doll, and Owen Wister’s “The Virginian.”

We’re looking for your comments on our draft Strategic Plan Framework by September 15.

You can watch a presentation at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV2ZVLupFJ0

and send in your comments via email or on our blog at http://blogs.archives.gov/…/national-historical-publicatio…/ or via email to nhprc@nara.gov

A full presentation of this plan is available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/BV2ZVLupFJ0 that will provide some background and context for the work of the NHPRC and how we drafted this Preliminary Strategic Planning Goals Framework, and we encourage you to review it.

We welcome your comments here or at one of our Webinars scheduled for July 28 and August 12. See information below on how to participate.

Preliminary Strategic Planning Goals Framework

As we begin our Strategic Planning process, the Commission has met and discussed its enduring strengths, ongoing mission, current programming, and broad needs for the preservation and use of historical records. Out of this initial discussion, the staff has put together a preliminary overview of some future goals and directions for the Commission. Some of these ideas would require additional resources, including funding partnerships.

Expand access to the nation’s historical records.

The primary role of the Commission is to provide opportunities for the American people to discover and use records that increase understanding of our democracy, history, and culture. To that end, the National Archives funds projects that publish collections of historical records—including documentary editions in print and online versions and digital editions online. Several challenges have arisen during this transitional period, and the Commission will use its regular programming and seek new funding to:

• Support multiple levels of access leading to online access and to open access
• Promote the development and use of standards for online publishing of collections
• Identify historically significant collections in need of a national initiative for full online access
• Partner with and support collaborative and collective projects for long-term sustainability of digital resources

Engage the American people in preserving the American record.

A key challenge ahead is to help grantees engage directly with people in their communities and online. Along with efforts for greater public engagement, archives are encouraging people to learn critical thinking skills and basic research techniques when seeking and using historical records in both analog and digital formats. The National Archives has enlisted Citizen Archivists in crowdsourcing, and the Commission will seek to broaden that practice and to:

• Encourage new organizational methods for crowdsourcing for historical records
• Promote educational/training efforts for Citizen Archivists at other archives
• Collaborate with state boards on local & statewide grassroots projects

 Provide leadership through the National Archives.

The National Archives plays a key national leadership role in developing and promoting best practices, model programs, and partnerships among the nation’s vast network of archives and documentary editing projects.  Through the Commission, the National Archives seeks to:

• Build state partnerships around key needs, such as electronic records management
• Continue to support professional development opportunities for archivists and documentary editors
• Fund research, development, & dissemination of best practices
• Collaborate with other funders on initiatives and programs

Adapt Commission practices to extend its reach and leverage.

The Commission seeks to encourage a more inclusive pool of applicants that represents the rich diversity of America’s culture and history. To that end, it will seek ways to demonstrate the public impact of its programming and to improve its internal management processes to:

•  Streamline its application and review processes
• Clarify language re “national significance” to encourage a wider pool of applicants
• Strengthen the connection of its grants program to the imprimatur of the National Archives

NHPRC Webinars on Strategic Planning – 7/28 and 8/12

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission is drafting a new Strategic Plan and wants your input. A youtube presentation on the draft plan is available at https://youtu.be/BV2ZVLupFJ0.

The webinar will revolve around discussions of four preliminary goals for a new Strategic Plan:

• Expand access to the nation’s historical records.
• Engage the American people in preserving the American record.
• Provide leadership through the National Archives.
• Adapt Commission practices to extend its reach and leverage.

Join the NHPRC for a discussion of its Strategic Plan at webinars on

Tuesday, July 28, 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm Eastern

Wednesday, August 12, 3 pm-4 pm Eastern

Connect to the webinar: https://www.connectmeeting.att.com

Enter the Meeting Number: 888-331-6674

Enter the Access Code: 9763969

Enter your Email Address

Enter your Name:

You will have  the option for the Connect Meeting App to call you to connect you to the webinar.  You have to enter your phone number. This is the best choice!

If that does not work, you will call 888-331-6674 and enter 9763969 to listen on your phone.

You can also listen on your speaker and type questions.

If you can’t make one of the webinars, you can always contact Communications Director Keith Donohue, keith.donohue @nara.gov, 202-357-5365 for more information.