The National Endowment for the Humanities’ Division of Preservation and Access has offered Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions for more than a decade. These grants help small and mid-sized cultural heritage institutions such as libraries, museums, historical societies, archival repositories, town and county records offices, and colleges and universities improve their ability to preserve and care for their humanities collections. Awards of up to $6,000 support preservation related collection assessments, consultations, purchase of preservation supplies and equipment, training and workshops, and institutional and collaborative disaster and emergency planning. Preservation Assistance Grants also support assessments of digital collections and education and training in standards and best practices for digital preservation, and the care and handling of collections during digitization. NEH does not fund digitization or the development of digital programs in this grant category.



All applications to the NEH must be submitted through Grants.gov. See the application guidelines for details.


The 2014 guidelines for Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions are available at http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/pag.html. You will also find sample project descriptions, sample narratives, and a list of frequently asked questions. The deadline for applications is May 1, 2014.



See our feature article and interactive map of PAG awards across the country, up on our Web site now: http://www.neh.gov/divisions/preservation/preservation-and-access-grants-map



Small and mid-sized institutions that have never received an NEH grant are encouraged to apply. This year, we have added a special encouragement for applications from presidentially designated institutions (Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Tribal Colleges and Universities), and from Native American tribes with significant humanities collections.



For more information, contact the staff of NEH's Division of Preservation and Access at 202-606-8570 and preservation@neh.gov

Late 19^th-century Mawson & Swan camera expands BCMA’s extensive Winslow Homer Collection and will be featured in 2015 exhibition on Homer and photography

 

The Bowdoin College Museum of Art (BCMA) has acquired a late 19^th-century Mawson & Swan camera originally owned by the renowned American artist Winslow Homer (1836–1910). The quarter-size dry plate camera, manufactured around 1880, is a significant addition to the Museum’s robust collection of archival material and over 100 vintage photographs related to Homer’s life and work. It will also serve as the centerpiece for the BCMA’s upcoming special exhibition on Homer and photography, planned to open in August 2015. The camera was donated to the BCMA by Neal Paulsen, a long-time resident of Scarborough, Maine.

 

“We are so pleased to receive this exciting gift, which complements our current holdings of Homer’s work and documentation perfectly,” said Frank Goodyear, Co-Director of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. “The camera highlights Homer’s varying artistic interests, and helps to illuminate a lesser-known side of one of America’s greatest painters.”

 

Sold by Mawson & Swan, a photography business in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, the camera was designed for the serious amateur rather than the studio professional, and was notable at the time for its portability and ease of use. The camera produced images that were approximately 3 x 4 inches. Homer purchased this model in 1882, during a two-year residence in Cullercoats, a small fishing village in north east England that is less than ten miles from Newcastle-on-Tyne. The date – “Aug 15, 1882” – and the artist’s initials are inscribed into the camera’s wooden plate holder, likely by Homer himself.

 

Homer spent his final decades living with his extended family on a large estate in Prout’s Neck, Maine. He constructed a studio on the estate as well, and it was here, where Homer painted some of his most iconic works that capture the beauty of the Maine coastline and the power of the sea. The Winslow Homer Collection at the BCMA includes photographs taken at the artist’s home in Prout’s Neck, Maine that are similar to those produced by the Mawson & Swan camera. The BCMA’s exhibition will bring forward many of the photographs in Bowdoin’s collectionundefinedtogether with loansundefinedand will allow scholars to continue to investigate the compelling and complex history around Homer’s work in photography.

 

Paulsen acquired the Mawson & Swan camera from his grandfather Weston H. Snow in the 1950s, and exhibited the camera at Scarborough High School for more than two decades. Snow, an electrician and a great admirer of Homer’s work, acquired the camera from Homer’s nephew Charles L. Homer in exchange for electrical work. The Museum’s acquisition follows a major recent gift to the BCMA from the celebrated collection of Dorothy and Herbert (Herb) Vogel earlier this year and further strengthens the Museum’s dynamic acquisition program.

Let’s Move Museums and Gardens Webinar: Wednesday, March 19 Learn How Museums and Gardens Can Use the USDA’s MyPlate in Programming and Food Service Washington, DCundefinedThe Institute of Museum and Library Services will host a free webinar for museums and gardens that are looking for strategies to improve the nutrition and well-being of their communities. Representatives from Let’s Move! Museums & Gardens will share how they use MyPlate resources to support programs and healthy food service.  MyPlate is part of the U.S Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion which works to improve the health and well-being of Americans by developing and promoting dietary guidance that links scientific research to the nutrition needs of consumers. ChooseMyPlate.gov provides downloadable materials, healthy recipes, online tools, and access to expert nutritional advice. This webinar is being offered free of charge and no pre-registration is required. Webinar presenters will provide an introduction to MyPlate resources, and show how museums and gardens are using MyPlate to support programming for children and families. To participate in the webinar, simply go to this Blackboard Collaborative Meeting Room at the time of the webinar, enter your information, and join the conversation. You may listen using your computer’s speakers or dial 1-866-299-7945. When prompted, enter the passcode 9485763#. Date: Wednesday, March 19 Time: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. EDT   Webinar presenters include: Christopher Reich, Senior Advisor, Office of Museum Services, Institute of Museum and Library Services Donna Johnson-Bailey, Acting Director of Public Affairs, USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion Marjorie Collins-Della Rocco, Education Coordinator,Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut  Melanie Martin, Early Childhood Specialist, Children’s Museum of Phoenix 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 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Our grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on  Facebook and Twitter. About Let’s Move! Museums & Gardens Let’s Move! is a national initiative to get kids moving and eating healthy food. It aims to support healthy children and families. Through Let’s Move! Museums & Gardens, museums, zoos, gardens, science and technology centers can join the call to action. With their impressive reach and great potential for impact, museums and gardens can launch community efforts to create a healthier generation using interactive exhibits, outdoor spaces, gardens and programs that encourage families to eat healthy foods and increase physical activity. About MyPlate MyPlate is part of a larger communications initiative based on 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to help consumers make better food choices. MyPlate is designed to remind Americans to eat healthfully. The icon is the centerpiece of the initiative which is amplified through strategic partnerships, social media, interactive tools, and a strong Web presence. Learn more at ChooseMyPlate.gov.

On Sunday, March 16th,  1:30pm-4:30pm at Harrington House (45 Main Street,)

Freeport Historical Society is offering an Oral History Interviewing Workshop.

 

 

Community members will learn how to conduct an oral history session, including

preparation and practice interviews. Equipment will also be reviewed.

FHS volunteer Molly Graham, who is a professional oral historian, will be leading the

workshop which costs $10.00/pp. For those who volunteer to collect four oral histories

over the next twelve months the fee is waived.

 

Ms. Graham is an oral historian, radio producer and archivist with archival and field

experience in Massachusetts and Maine. She served as Oral Historian for the Wisconsin

Veterans Museum. Molly holds an M.A. in Library Science and is a graduate of the Salt

Institute for Documentary Studies.

 

Collecting oral histories is a very important dimension to the work of Freeport

Historical Society and was an issue which surfaced in several of our recent Lunch with

Locals  programs.

 

FHS is interested in capturing a range of stories including recollections of the

development of the Interstate through Freeport, in preparation for its 2014 Exhibit,

titled, “ You CAN Get There from Here-How Transportation Defined Freeport.”

 The development of roads and highways has connected and disrupted Maine’s

communities and shaped the towns around them.  The Freeport Historical Society, in

an effort to capture the history and impact of Maine’s transportation systems, seeks

to record and preserve the stories of those who witnessed and experienced the

changes in Freeport  roads and highways.  In order to create a more complete

record of the past, we hope to compile a variety of perspectives and voices from the

community.

 

While we are particularly interested in capturing oral histories which share details

of the impact of the Interstate and other transportation systems on Freeport, we are

also interested in collecting stories about Freeport’s once-vibrant shoemaking

industry. (Shoemaking will be our exhibit-focus in 2015.)

Please tell us your story (even if it is not related to the Interstate/

transportation systems or shoemaking,) we are still very interested!

 

Contact Freeport Historical Society at 865-3170 or  info@freeporthistoricalsocciety.org.

to sign up for the workshop or to schedule a convenient time at your location or ours  to be interviewed by            

Molly Graham or volunteer Rebecca Hotelling.

 

                                                                                                 
SAVE THE DATES!

 

Sunday, March 16th 1:30p-4:30p Learn How to Conduct Oral History Interviews. 45 Main Street.  $10pp

 

Sunday,March 23rd 2p-4p  45th Annual Meeting  at Freeport Community Library  Guest speaker, awards program, brief business meeting . Beverages

 

Please support our generous and community-minded 2014 sponsors: L.L. Bean, Bath Savings Institution and Bath SavingsTrust Company, Taggart Construction, Chilton Furniture, Hilton Garden Inn, Brown Goldsmiths, Riley Insurance, Linda Bean's Maine Kitchen & Topside Tavern, and Freeport USA

 

The Holocaust and Human Rights Center (HHRC) and the Maine Jewish
Film Festival (MJFF) will present a free conference entitled *The Role of
Archive in Restoring and Conserving Identity* on Tuesday, March 25th, from
12:00 - 9:00 PM, at the Michael Klahr Center.

This dynamic conference--open to students, professionals and the general
public--will encourage discussion on the critical role archive plays in both
social and cultural contexts.

Whether family photos, official documents, newsreel or home movies, archive
materials are invaluable to both the individual and a society's identity.
Who gathers these materials and how are they catalogued, preserved and made
accessible to the public? Presenters Karan Sheldon (Northeast Historic
Film), Magnus Gertten and Lennart Strom (Auto Images), Diane Afoumado (US
Holocaust Memorial Museum), and Sharon Rivo (National Center for Jewish
Film at Brandeis) will answer these questions and further the discourse on
the role of archive management.

This conference is made possible through the support of the Bernard Osher
Jewish Philanthropies and will be held at the Michael Klahr Center on the
UMA campus, *advance registration is strongly recommended*. To register,
please call 207-621-3530 or email betsy.spekke@maine.edu. FMI visit the
calendar page at hhrc.uma.edu.

Small Museums Scholarship Application

2014 AASLH Annual Meeting and Online Conference

St. Paul, Minnesota

DEADLINE: 15 June 2014

 

The American Association for State and Local History will hold its Annual Meeting and Online Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota from 17-20 September 2014. This year’s theme – Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts - examines the personal, communal, and organizational journeys that lead to vibrancy, authenticity, social change and sustainability. 

Unfortunately, many working in our nation’s small museums feel as if we can only dream of attending this meeting. In a perfect world, boards would grant every request to fund our professional development. Institutions of modest means, however, may not have the resources to help us become effective stewards of our community’s memory.

Websites, listservs, and social media constantly offer new sources of technical and psychological support, but nothing is better than the face-to-face fellowship of sharing survival strategies. Every year, increasing numbers of Annual Meeting sessions address issues specifically affecting small museums. These sessions can be as practical and wide-ranging as training, marketing, and strategic planning. Other sessions focus on creative ways to forge and re-energize relationships with the surrounding community.

Now in its eighth year, AASLH’s Small Museums Committee is offering scholarships to any AASLH members who are full-time, part-time, paid, or volunteer employees of small museums. Each $500 scholarship will cover the cost of the conference registration and the Small Museums luncheon. Any remaining funds may be used to offset travel and/or lodging expenses.

To qualify, the applicant must work for a museum with a budget of $250,000 or less. They also must be either an individual AASLH member or work for an institutional member. Application forms are available atwww.aaslh.org/SmallMuseums.

The deadline for applications is 13 June. The committee will email award winners by 30 June. For questions, please contact Bruce Teeple, Small Museum Scholarship Subcommittee Chair at mongopawn44@hotmail.com

Bridgton Historical Society seeks proposals from qualified and experienced artisans, re-enactors, scholars, and others wishing to present workshops, demonstrations, or other programs at Narramissic, the historic Peabody-Fitch Farm in South Bridgton, during the summer and fall of 2014. Narramissic sits on a 25-acre property with spectacular mountain views.  The farm includes a house, barn, carriage shed and working blacksmith shop.

Possible Topics include, but are not limited to fiber arts, blacksmithing, woodworking, restoration carpentry (preferably involving needed repairs to the house and outbuildings), historic foodways, farming and gardening, re-enactments and demonstrations, as well as traditional lectures and book-signings.

Please include a brief description of your proposed workshop or program, your experience and qualifications (including references or other means of verification), and your requirements for compensation and materials fees.

For further information, contact Ned Allen at  info@bridgtonhistory.org ; PO Box 44, Bridgton, ME 04009; 207-647-3699 . Visit www.bridgtonhistory.org to learn more about the organization.

The Castine Historical Society (CHS) is offering one internship opportunity for a graduate student enrolled in a museum studies, public history, archival science or related Master's degree or Ph.D. program.  The internship is full time (35 hours per week) for 10 weeks in the spring or summer of 2014 with a small stipend. CHS will work with the student to structure the internship to meet requirements for academic credit as needed.

The Castine area, one of the most beautiful and historically interesting towns on the coast of Maine, saw millennia of use by Native Americans before European contact and changed hands repeatedly from the outset of the colonial period through the War of 1812.  The peninsula’s development in the nineteenth and twentieth century’s represents a microcosm of American commercial and cultural history.  As its mission states, the Castine Historical Society “seeks to engage residents and visitors of all ages in the exploration and stewardship of Castine’s diverse historical resources.”

The intern will work as a member of a professional team on two projects central to the CHS mission.  The majority of the time will concentrate on an inventory and preservation storage effort in preparation for moving the CHS collections to a new archival facility.  With training and supervision provided by the curator, the intern will work with PastPerfect museum software and archival storage materials to complete this detail-intensive project.  The intern also will be given the opportunity to design and produce audio recordings for self-guided walking tours of Castine's historic district.  This public history project may include working with volunteers to offer guided walking tours.

Applications are due by March 31, 2014.  To view the full internship description and application instructions, visit http://castinehistoricalsociety.org/news/castine-historical-society-2014-intern-job-description or contact CHS Curator Paige Lilly via email at curator@castinehistoricalsociety.org .

Pejepscot Historical Society in Brunswick seeks a part-time site manager for our Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum for Summer 2014. The site manager will be responsible for all functions of the museum, including: opening and closing facility; welcoming and assisting guests; coordinating and managing volunteer tour guides; keeping museum facility and grounds clean and welcoming; operating cash register in museum shop; and answering questions about museum, historical society, and local area.