Blog and Newsletter

Are you interested in learning more about Museums for All, an initiative dedicated to expanding community access?  Join staff from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Association of Children’s Museums on July 25 at 1 p.m. Eastern to learn more about how and why 400 museums participate in the program. Find more information on how to attend the informational webinar on the IMLS website.

The Maine Emergency Management Agency is pleased to announce that we will be co-sponsoring the three-day Heritage Emergency And Response Training (HEART) from August 27-August 29 at the Maine Cultural Building in Augusta. We are very happy to partner with the Smithsonian and the Maine State Museum, Library, and Archives to offer this program.

 

Experts from the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative (SCRI), FEMA’s Office of Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (OEHP), and the Heritage Emergency National Task Force (HENTF) will be onsite to conduct this training. Sessions will run from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm daily and will provide realistic, hands-on training in damage assessment, rapid documentation, emergency evacuation and salvage, rehousing and storage, crisis communication, team building, and more. This offering is an excellent opportunity to get this training without having to travel to Washington, D.C. for a five-day period to take it.

 

At the end of the training, participants will be able to:

• Assess and manage risks to cultural heritage in emergency situations
• Explore the values associated with cultural heritage and the impact that disasters (natural and man-made) have on these values
• Improve existing disaster plans at their organization or agency, or on behalf of other organizations or agencies
• Take preventive actions to reduce disaster risk and improve response
• Secure, salvage, and stabilize a variety of cultural materials
• Train and manage a response team to implement effective actions during crises that affect cultural heritage
• Communicate successfully with the various actors, including the media, involved in an emergency response
• Identify relevant programs and services that can assist cultural heritage organizations in the event of a disaster
• Understand how first aid for cultural heritage supports recovery in affected communities and how it fits into the National Planning Frameworks

 

We seek heritage professionals who:

• Work at or for a cultural heritage institution that has a disaster plan for collections and that supports training in disaster planning/cultural heritage protection;
• Might have previously faced an emergency situation that called for an immediate response to safeguard cultural heritage, whether at their own institution or assisting another;
• Are emerging leaders with 3–5 years’ experience in collections care/cultural heritage protection; and/or
• Are actively engaged in professional or heritage-related associations.

 

We seek first responders and emergency management professionals who:

• Might have responded to an emergency situation that called for an immediate response to safeguard cultural heritage;
• Are motivated to increase their knowledge of the concerns and priorities of cultural stewards;
• Are eager to share what they learn at this training with their colleagues; and/or
• Want to bolster their understanding of how cultural heritage can help communities recover and become more resilient following a disaster, and how their collaboration with cultural stewards contributes to this effort.

 

Space is limited to 25 participants. Applications are due by June 30. To apply for the training, please review the attached document and send submissions toCERC.Maine@gmail.com.

The Division of Preservation and Access of the National Endowment for the Humanities is accepting applications for grants in its Humanities Collections and Reference Resources program, with a deadline of July 16, 2019. These grants support projects to preserve and create intellectual access to such collections as rare books, journals, manuscript and archival materials, maps, still and moving images, sound recordings, art, and objects of material culture. Awards also support the creation of reference works, online resources, and research tools of major importance to the humanities. Eligible activities are wide-ranging; many involve the use of digital methods. Further details, including links to the application guidelines and other resources, are available at: www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/humanities-collections-and-reference-resources.

Application deadline: July 1, 2019

Draft applications accepted for technical review through June 15, 2019

https://www.maine.gov/mhpc/programs/grants

The Maine Historic Preservation Commission is pleased to announce the availability of combined Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) and New Century Community fund grants for 2019   The Commission anticipates awarding up to $62,000 in one-to-one matching grants for the preparation of National Register nominations, architectural or archaeological surveys, and preservation planning, education, development, or pre-development projects statewide.  The minimum grant award is normally $5,000 and the maximum is $24,995.  Eligible historic buildings and sites are those that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places either individually or as contributing resources in a National Register listed historic district.  Eligible applicants are limited to state agencies, county governments, municipal governments, educational institutions, and private non-profit institutions as defined by the Internal Revenue Service. Projects must be directed by persons with professional credentials as defined by the Department of the Interior, and must be completed by September 30, 2020. 

 

The Commission’s 2019 Historic Preservation Grant Manual provides information about eligible projects and expenses, as well as the project selection process and selection criteria.  Funding priorities for 2019 include projects tied to the Maine Bicentennial (2020), that include municipal or regional level planning for the effects of climate change on historic resources, that focus on preservation outreach through public events, social media or educational plans, or that expand the Maine Historic Resources Inventory and make it more accessible.  A complete list of funding priorities is available in the manual.

 

Please visit https://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=mhpc_news&id=735170&v=article2019 for an application or the grant manual, or contact the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, 55 Capitol Street, 65 State House Station, Augusta, ME, 04333-0065, (207) 287-2132.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation invites community-based archives in the United States and its territories to submit proposals to fund one of the following areas of need:

• Operational support for the organization, including general support for staff, space, and utilities.
• Collections care, including storage, cataloging, description, and preservation.
• Programming and outreach activities, including collecting new materials, and exhibitions, publications, or other uses of the collections.

The Foundation plans to offer a total of $1 million in support of community-based archives in two annual calls for proposals, one in 2019 and the second in 2020.  The 2019 Call for Proposals (CFP) is now open and directed towards community-based archives that represent and serve communities marginalized due to oppression based on race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, class, sexuality, religion, ability, and/or geographic location.  For the purposes of this CFP, community-based archives must demonstrate that community members actively participate in their archival processes, making key decisions about what to collect and how. 

For more information, visit https://mellon.org/programs/scholarly-communications/call-for-proposals-community-based-archives/

In the towns of the District of Maine in 1819 voting for statehood, or to approve the proposed state constitution, could have occurred at a town hall, a meeting house, a tavern, a private residence or a school. In 1820 the announcement of statehood may have been read from the steps of these buildings or announced in a common or posted on a tree.

As the Bicentennial of Statehood approaches this survey seeks to identify the physical places in each Maine community that were associated with the 1819 vote for statehood and the announcement that Maine had been granted state status in 1820. Communities are encouraged to search their record books for information on where the votes were taken in 1819, or from which the Proclamation of Statehood was delivered the following year.

Once locations or properties are identified, please upload photographs and descriptions of the properties to the survey and locate the properties on a GIS-based map. If the historic properties do not exist you may post photographs of town documents describing polling locations, or photographs of where the townhouse or meeting house was located showing what is there now.

This survey may be completed multiple times as necessary.

The information collected here will be used to curate a narrative story map that helps Mainers to envision the places where Maine was created, one vote at a time.

Anyone can undertake the research and post information to the survey. So please share this with your community's schools, scouts, historical societies, or town officials and complete the survey for your town or city.

The survey will remain open until August 1, 2019.

Click here to start the survey: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/bc5dcfbdc19e416eadb4f195f5693978

NEH guidelines now available for Research & Development Grants! Up to $350,000 to address major challenges in preserving or providing access to humanities collections and resources. Propose better ways to preserve materials of critical importance to the nation’s cultural heritage—from fragile artifacts to digital assets—& develop advanced modes to organize, search, discover, & use such materials. Deadline: 5/15/19. https://bit.ly/2mVHRaP

Thank you to everyone who provided input during the planning process and thank you to the Maine Arts Commission for providing crucial funding.  The 2019-2024 MAM Strategic Plan is now complete!

Read here the summary of goals and tactics.

The Association of Maine Archives and Museums is now on Instagram!  If you use this service, please follow us: www.instagram.com/mainemuseums

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the President released details from the budget request to Congress for FY 2020 that proposes $23M in funding for the orderly closure of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

This is the first step for the FY 2020 federal budget, and we will provide information to the Office of Management and Budget and Congress throughout the process as requested. We are disappointed that for a third year, the President’s budget request did not provide funding for the continuation of IMLS activities for the next fiscal year. In the meantime, the agency will continue normal grantmaking operations with allocated FY 2019 funds.

The libraries and museums across our nation provide essential programs, services, and resources to the public. As the primary source of federal funding for museums and libraries, IMLS grants make a difference in communities of all sizes, from rural to urban, in every U.S. state and territory. For example, IMLS ensures public library services for all Americans, helps preserve the heritage of our nation, and provides critical funding for literacy and workforce development programs.

IMLS funding enables museums and libraries to provide increased access and navigation to information so that more people can continue their education, learn critical research skills, and find employment. Through IMLS investments in libraries and museums, children and families are being taught essential STEM skills and how to lead healthier lives. Visually impaired people are now able to read public library materials through new technology and training. And veterans are getting the help they need to receive critical services.

As the budget process moves forward, IMLS will continue to carry out our work on behalf of the millions of Americans served by libraries and museums each day.

For more information, a FAQ page on IMLS FY 2019 operations and the FY 2020 budget request can be found here.