Commission Recommends $2.2 Million in Grants for Documentary Editing and Archival Projects
Press Release · Friday, December 1, 2006

Press Release
December 1, 2006

Commission Recommends $2.2 Million in Grants for Documentary Editing and Archival Projects

Washington, DC…At its fall meeting, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission recommended to the Archivist of the United States grants of $2.2 million for 35 projects in 20 states and the District of Columbia. These recommendations include $197,532 to the University of Wisconsin to design and implement a new Archives Leadership Institute and three grants totaling $230,113 for the mass digitization of historical records at the Troup County (Georgia) Historical Society, the Archives of Michigan, and the Aldo Leopold Foundation.

Grants totaling $905,170 were recommended for seven documentary editing projects from the Founding Era of the nation. Three subventions were awarded to university presses to defray the cost of publishing new volumes on the papers of James Madison, George Washington, and Frederick Law Olmstead. The University of Wisconsin will receive funding to continue its work at the Institute for Editing Historical Documents. Historical record publishing projects at Rutgers and the Massachusetts Historical Society will now be able to offer one-year graduate student fellowships in documentary editing.

Basic level support was awarded to 12 states to support the work of Historical Records Advisory Boards in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah and Wisconsin. State partnership grants were recommended for the Council of State Archivists to continue its project to strengthen the National Archival Network; North Carolina’s Disaster Preparedness Training; and a regrant and training project at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Electronic records grants were recommended for projects in northern Maine, Michigan, and North Carolina. A complete list of all grants is attached.

The NHPRC also reviewed Safeguarding a Nations Identity, a report from the Council of State Archivists. This report is the culmination of the first phase of a long-term initiative to address statewide emergency preparedness for archives and records throughout the nation. The project was supported by the National Archives, the NHPRC, and assistance of the Office of National Security Coordination and a generous donation from MyFamily.com, Inc.

At the November meeting, the Commission also welcomed its newest member, Nancy Davenport, formerly with the Library of Congress and the Council of Library and Information Resources, as an appointee of President George W. Bush. The NHPRC is one of the few Federal advisory boards with representatives from all three branches of the U.S. Government.

The Archivist of the United States, Allen Weinstein, is the Chairman of the Commission, and Max J. Evans is its Executive Director. The NHPRC is the sole federal funding agency whose only focus is the documentary heritage of the United States. Established in 1934, it has awarded grants for preserving, publishing, and providing access to vital historical documents. Twice each year, in May and November, the Commission recommends grants to the Chairman. Final appropriations for FY 2007 are pending.

Recommended Grants

Publishing Historical Records (Founding Era)

These long-term projects document major historical figures or groups from the Founding Era of the nation.

• The John Adams Family Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society, $112,931.
• The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, Yale University, $118,302
• The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Princeton University, $118,329
• The Papers of James Madison, University of Virginia, $106,945
• The Papers of George Washington, University of Virginia, $106,639
• The Documentary History of the First Federal Congress, The George Washington University, $179,703
• The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, University of Wisconsin, $162,341

Publishing Subventions

Grants to publishers to help defray the printing costs of individual volumes of documentary editions.

• University of Virginia Press, The Papers of James Madison, Secretary of State Series, Vol 8, $10,000
• University of Virginia Press, The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, Vol. 13, $10,000
• The Johns Hopkins University Press, The Papers of Frederick Law Olmstead, Vol. 7, $10,000

Historical Documentary Editing Fellowships

Grants to allow editing projects to provide one-year graduate student fellowships.

• Rutgers, the State University, The Thomas Edison Papers, $55,000
• Massachusetts Historical Society, The John Adams Family Papers, $55,000

The Institute for Editing Historical Documents

Grant to support an ongoing training institute for documentary editing.

• Wisconsin Historical Foundation, Inc., $35,579

State Board Administrative Support Projects

Grants to support the operations of State Historical Records Advisory Boards (SHRABs)—made either directly to the SHRAB or a fiscal agent.

• Alaska Historical Records Advisory Board $3,825
• California Museum for History, $7,500
• Florida Dept. of State, Division of Library & Info. Services, $19,968
• Georgia Office of Secretary of State, $9,994
• Kentucky Historical Records Advisory Board, $10,000
• Maine Historical Records Advisory Board, $20,000
• Montana Historical Society, $9,275
• New Mexico Commission on Public Records, $10,000
• Ohio Historical Society, $10,000
• Oklahoma Department of Libraries, $20,000
• Utah State Archives and Records Services, $9,938
• State Historical Society of Wisconsin, $14,380

State Collaborative and Regrant Projects

Grants support efforts to improve statewide, regional, or national collaborations and services.

• Council of State Archivists, $64,625
  To continue the project, Strengthening the National Archival Network Project
• North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, $52,365
  To support a two-year project for statewide Disaster Preparedness Training for archives.
• South Carolina Department of Archives and History, $128,040
  To support a 33-month statewide regrant and training project.

Electronic Records/Technologies Projects

Grants to support preservation of, and access to, electronic records archives.

• Northern Maine Development Commission, $32,200
  To support preserving electronic records in Northern Maine.
• Michigan State University, $189,067
  To support a two-year project for the preservation of specialized electronic mailing list archives.
• North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, $102,248
  To support a two-year effort, the Preservation of Electronic Mail Collaboration Initiative.

Digitizing Historical Records

Grants to support the mass digitization of historical records.

• Troup County (Georgia) Historical Society, $75,000
  To support a 17-month project for digitizing County Court and Government Records.
• Archives of Michigan, $44,583
  To support "Thank God for Michigan," digitizing statewide historical records.
• Aldo Leopold Foundation, Inc., $110,530
  To support a two-year project to digitize the papers of 20th century ecologist and philosopher Aldo Leopold.

Archives Leadership Institute

A grant to support the creation and development of an institute for professional archival leadership.

• Regents of the University of Wisconsin, $197,532
  To support a three-year project to design and implement the Institute.

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For more information please visit the Commission’s web site.

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