Blog and Newsletter

Maine Historical Society will be presenting its 2023 Maine History Maker Award to Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. for his immense contributions to Maine and the preservation of Maine history. The Award will be presented during a special evening at Hannaford Hall at the University of Southern Maine in Portland on Tuesday, May 16, 5-8pm.

Through his 40-year tenure as Director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and as Maine State Historian, Earle has worked tirelessly with communities in every corner of the state to support the preservation, sharing, and celebration of their stories—the stories of Maine people, communities, and ways of life. Earle cherishes his relationships with local historical organizations, and I know that countless friends, colleagues, and admirers across Maine are deeply appreciative of his efforts.

Maine Historical Society invites you to join in on May 16 to celebrate and say thank you to Earle for all that he does for Maine.

We hope that you will consider:

• Forwarding this invitation to members of your community
• Joining us as an organizational sponsor. We have created a special sponsorship category for Maine historical societies and libraries that includes discounted sponsorship and tickets.

  We are pleased to announce that the Program for the 2023 BitCurator Forum is live and registration is open!  

Registration will be open to the public on Monday, February 6 through Friday, March 24. While the Forum can accommodate up to 500 attendees, enrollment for some workshops will be capped (with waitlists). We encourage you to register now via Eventbrite to secure your spot. 

Register now for the Forum and individual workshops at https://bitcurator-forum-2023.eventbrite.com/ 

We are proud to offer registration for BitCurator Forum 2023 at a sliding scale starting at $0. Again this year, we have group rates: discounted rates for groups of 3 or more people from the same organization. Individuals from groups will receive a code to be used at checkout, allowing them to register individually at the discounted rate. If you wish to register as part of a group, please fill out this form and a team member will provide you with your group rate and details on how to register: Group Registration Request. 

Sincerely, 

BCC Forum Committee:

• Lourdes Johnson, University of Miami, Leadership Team
• Katherine Martinez, The New School, Leadership Team
• Alice Prael, Yale University Libraries, Leadership Team
• Emily Sommers, University of Toronto Libraries, Leadership Team
• Elvia Arroyo-Ramirez, University of California Irvine Libraries
• David Cirella, Yale University Libraries
• Brian Dietz, NC State University Libraries
• Elizabeth Dunham, Arizona State University
• Jessica Farrell, Educopia Institute
• Lara Friedman-Shedlov, University of Minnesota Libraries
• Kelly Phillips, Northern Arizona University
• Lori Podolsky, McGill University
• Kari Smith, Global Archivist LLC

The Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) is excited to announce that applications are now open for the 2023 Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) program with a deadline of February 28, 2023.

Participating institutions receive support for a general conservation assessment from a qualified collection and building assessor. The assessment is a study of all the institution's collections, buildings, and building systems, as well as its policies and procedures relating to collections care. The two assessors work collaboratively to provide institutions with prioritized recommendations for improved collections care. Assessments consist of preparatory work, a two-day site visit, a written report, and a one-year follow-up consultation. CAP is often a first step for small institutions that wish to improve the condition of their collections or develop a long-range preservation plan and can serve as a fundraising tool for future collections projects. The CAP program is open to small and medium-sized museums, zoos, aquariums, arboreta, and botanical gardens in the United States. Please visit the CAP website www.culturalheritage.org/cap for more information about the program.

CAP is administered by FAIC under a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

The Philip M. Hamer and Elizabeth Hamer Kegan Award Committee invites nominations for the 2023 award.

The Philip M. Hamer and Elizabeth Hamer Kegan Award recognizes an archivist, editor, group of individuals, or institution that has increased public awareness of a specific body of documents (which can be a specific archival collection or thematic aggregation) through compilation, transcription, exhibition, or public presentation of archives or manuscript materials for educational, instructional, or other public purpose. Work that has had an impact on a local, regional, national, and/or international level is welcomed.

Recent winners include:

• 2022: San Diego Air and Space Museum

• 2021: California State University Japanese American Digitization Project

• 2020: Laura Wagner, Rubenstein Library, Duke University (Radio Haiti)

• 2019:  Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections for Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center

Eligibility:

Individual archivists and editors, groups of individuals, organizations. This award is open to nominees within and outside of the United States, and is not limited to SAA members.

Prize:

A certificate and a cash prize of $500.

Application Deadline:

All nominations shall be submitted to SAA by February 28, 2023. 

For more information on this award, including the nomination form, please go to http://www2.archivists.org/governance/handbook/section12-hamer

For more information on SAA awards and the nominations process, please go to https://www2.archivists.org/aboutsaa/awardsandscholarships. 

The Maine State Archives is pleased to announce that Heather Moran has been hired to fill our vacant Archivist III position.  Heather previously worked as the Archivist II at the Maine State Archives for 6 years. Heather holds an MLIS degree in Archival Management from San Jose State University and brings more than 17 years of experience working with collecting institutions across the State. She is a specialist in Civil War, Indian Affairs, and Land Office records at the Maine State Archives. Heather said, “I’m happy to have the opportunity to support Maine State Archives projects and initiatives as we work to make Maine’s history accessible to all.”

MAC is soliciting applications for the 2023 Archie Motley Memorial Scholarship for Students of Color (http://www.midwestarchives.org/motley). The scholarship is designed to provide financial assistance to students of color pursuing graduate education in archival administration and to encourage ethnic diversification of the MAC membership and of the archival profession. Two $1,500 scholarships, accompanied by one-year memberships to MAC, will be awarded. 

To be eligible for a scholarship, the applicant must be of African, American Indian, Asian or Pacific Islander, or Latinx descent; must be a student currently enrolled in or accepted in a graduate, multicourse program in archival administration; and must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in their academic program. If the program is not listed in the SAA Directory of Archival Education, http://www2.archivists.org/dae, the applicant must provide proof of the multicourse standard by submitting copies of course descriptions from the institution’s current departmental catalog.

Applications are due March 1, 2023 and must include the following documents:

• Completed application form, available at http://www.midwestarchives.org/motley
• Transcript from the applicant's most recent academic program (unofficial transcript is acceptable)
• Essay of not more than 500 words outlining the applicant's interests and future goals in archival administration
• Two letters of recommendation.

Completed applications should be sent to:

Jolie Braun

Curator of Modern Literature & Manuscripts

The Ohio State University

braun.338@osu.edu

Applications must be emailed by March 1, 2023. 

Awards will be announced no later than June 1, 2023.

The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) are thrilled to share that Museums for All  – a cooperative agreement between IMLS and ACM – has surpassed 1000 participating museums, spanning every state and every discipline. Museums for All is an access program that encourages people of all backgrounds to visit museums by removing financial barriers from museum participation. It is also a useful tool in any museum’s DEAI work. Since its start in 2014, more than 5 million guests have been welcomed by museums across the country through the Museums for All program. 

Are you interested in learning more about Museums for All, a national initiative dedicated to expanding community access for underserved audiences? Join staff from IMLS and ACM on January 26 at 2 p.m. Eastern Time to learn more about how and why museums of all kinds participate in the program. To register, please go to: https://www.imls.gov/webinars/museums-all-informational-webinar

Thecall for proposals deadline forBitCurator Forum 2023 has been EXTENDED! 

We will welcome submissions through October 22, 2022.

The 2023 BitCurator Forum will be held virtually March 28-30, 2023.

The BitCurator Forum brings together representatives of all levels of experience from libraries, archives, museums, and related professions engaged in (or considering) digital archives work.

The Forum will balance discussion of theory and practice of digital forensics, curation, and related digital analysis workflows. There will also be hands-on activities with the BitCurator environment, and other useful tools.

This year we encourage community members to host BitCurator Satellites, local in-person events held in conjunction with the online BitCurator Forum. This is an experimental hybrid conference model, intended to complement the online BitCurator Forum by supporting partners and friends so they can host sessions, workshops and talks for a local audience.

**Interested in hosting a satellite event? Fill out this online form.   Kari smith, Global Archivist LLC located in Boothbay Harbor Maine is interested talking with others who would like to have a Maine-based digital forensics meet-up.**

The BitCurator Forum is open to all. You do not need to be a BCC member or BitCurator user to submit a proposal and/or attend the event. Please note that, like last year, this year’s registration rates will include a $0 option. We will also consider waiving registration fees for speakers.

Tate House Museum, in partnership with the City of Portland, has been awarded a Certified Local Government grant in the amount of $19,526. This grant is administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, and the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and will support, in part, the development of new campus signage for Tate and Means Houses as well as construction of a new historic fence along the western boundary of the Tate House.

For more information, contact Holly K. Hurd, hkhurd@tatehouse.org

Six IMLS Grant Opportunities Now Available to Support Museum Services Applications Accepted Now Through November 15, 2022

WASHINGTON, DC—Museums and related organizations across the United States have six opportunities in the coming months to apply for grants from the nation’s primary source of federal funding for museum services. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is now accepting applications for six grant programs: Museums for America Inspire! Grants for Small Museums Museums Empowered National Leadership Grants for Museums Museum Grants for African American History and Culture Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services Applications for all six programs are due on November 15, 2022. Applicants should review the notices of funding opportunity carefully to understand each program’s specific goals and objectives, which reflect the agency’s focus on championing lifelong learning, strengthening community engagement, and advancing collections stewardship and access. “IMLS funding supports exceptional programs aligned with lifelong learning, professional development, and community engagement,” said Laura Huerta Migus, Deputy Director of the Office of Museum Services. “Museums are increasingly adding community voices into their collections and archives to match the preservation of history and the presentation of knowledge and culture to the needs of individual communities. Each year the programs, activities, and partnerships IMLS funds increasingly demonstrate the expanded inclusivity and accessibility of museums.”  Prospective grant applicants are invited to view webinars on how to choose the appropriate funding opportunity and to learn more about each grant program. Visit the IMLS website for a listing of on-demand webinars. For questions or guidance, please contact the staff members listed on the grant program web pages. Photo: Volunteer Bruce T. shares in the mysteries of clouds with two junior space explorers. (Photo courtesy of Chabot Space & Science Center) View this email online.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. IMLS envisions a nation where individuals and communities have access to museums and libraries to learn from and be inspired by the trusted information, ideas, and stories they contain about our diverse natural and cultural heritage. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.