Each year NHPRC receives dozens of project proposals to digitize and provide public access to nationally significant records. Often times an applicant expends a great amount of time discussing the technological ins-and-outs of how their digitization work will proceed. In each proposal, reviewers will usually read about specific scanners, various analog conversion equipment, TB hard … Continue reading Former NHPRC Grantee Discusses the Human Element of Digital Preservation
One of the more remarkable aspects of the Way We Live Now is our expectations in finding answers right away. We reach for our smartphones to check the weather or decide on a restaurant or a show or find out the latest news. When the questions are deeper, many of us turn first to the … Continue reading More Than A Click Away
In a recent essay in the Wall Street Journal, “What Could Be Lost as Einstein’s Papers Go Online,” Walter Isaacson wondered whether people will still visit the physical archives once everything is digitized and goes online. Recalling his own research visits to the archives at CalTech and his journey to Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, Isaacson wrote … Continue reading From Brooding to Marveling: possibilities of Online Resources
The holidays are known especially as a season of sharing. But when you work with historical records, the concept of sharing what you have and what you know – and inviting others to share what they have and know – is carried out every day, every season. And new ways of sharing are being put … Continue reading We Are What We Share
This week I want to point you to a few institutions or projects that have done some really great work and could help you to get your born digital archives off the ground or move it forward from a current stumbling block. The Bentley Library at the University of Michigan has provided access to its … Continue reading Electronic Records Resources, Projects and Tools
The following article, which will appear in a forthcoming issue of UGA Libraries' magazine Beyond the Pages, details a recently funded Access to Historical Records grant project to process and make available the records of the Georgia Democratic and Republican Parties. The records demonstrate the changing face of Georgia politics and present a microcosm of the shift … Continue reading UGA Nears Completion of Political Parties Processing Project
In the states and territories, the NHPRC is assisted in its work by a network of State Historical Records Advisory Boards (SHRABs). Utilizing funding from the NHPRC and local sources, many of these boards undertake projects that create resources to address records needs in their states. Although these resources may be designed to address the … Continue reading Sharing Knowledge State by State
In 1972, parents of African American children brought a class action lawsuit alleging that the Boston School Committee violated the 14th Amendment with a deliberate policy of racial segregation. The judge found that Boston schools had intentionally carried out a program of segregation and ordered the School Committee to formulate a desegregation plan. When the … Continue reading Digitizing Boston’s Desegregation Records for the Classroom
October observes both Hispanic Heritage Month and Archives Month, so I’m highlighting a recently completed project that speaks to both celebrations. The University of California at San Diego digitized the Herman Baca collection and, in the process, made some really great contacts with its outreach efforts. First some information about the Herman Baca and the … Continue reading Happy Hispanic Heritage Month and Archives Month
Following on Kathleen Williams’ 3 September blog post “Seven Habits of Highly Effective Grantees,” I am posting some important tips for applicants. Contact the director of the NHPRC grant program to which you plan to apply. Even seasoned grant writers can benefit from having a phone conversation or email chat with the grant program director. … Continue reading Six Tips for Highly Effective Applicants
