Records preservation grant funding available

News Release

State of Utah
Department of Administrative Services
3120 State Office Building
Capitol Hill Complex
450 North State Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84114
Tel: 801-538-3010
Fax: 801-538-3844
http://www.das.utah.gov

Gary R. Herbert, Governor
Kimberly Hood, Executive Director
Patricia Smith-Mansfield, Division Director

For Immediate Release
For additional information, contact Glen Fairclough, 801-531-3841.

Records preservation grant funding available

The Utah State Historical Records Advisory Board (USHRAB) seeks proposals for fundamental archival activities that promote the preservation of and public access to Utah's historical records and documents. Funding is available for either preservation or access projects.

Preservation Projects: The USHRAB seeks proposals for the processing and preservation of historical records in Utah. Eligible projects might include basic and detailed processing of collections, conservation and preservation treatment plans and projections on collections, and/or purchasing archival supplies for processing, or the appropriate housing of collections. Digitization is not eligible as a preservation project. Preservation projects will be given funding priority.

Access Projects: The USHRAB seeks proposals promoting access to historical records. Eligible projects might include creating encoded archival description (EAD) finding aids. Digitization projects might be eligible as access projects if they make use of existing holdings of locally or regionally significant historical record collections. The materials should already be archivally processed so that projects can re-use existing information to serve as metadata for the digitized collection. The original materials must be retained and maintained. Digital versions must be available online and on the Mountain West Digital Library. Digitization projects must adhere to the metadata standards of the Mountain West Digital Library.

Grants fund one-time projects and are evaluated on how the project directly affects the program of the repository. The project must provide results that are measurable and are related to the preservation and accessibility of the historical records within the collection. Collections must be made available to the public at the completion of the project during regularly scheduled hours or by appointment. Grants will be provided up to a maximum amount of $2,500. This grant funding comes from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the grant-making arm of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

Draft applications are encouraged and must be received by March 28, 2011. The application will be reviewed and applicants will receive feedback. The final application is due by April 25, 2011. USHRAB support begins no earlier than July 1, 2011, and projects must be completed by June 15, 2012. An application is available at http://archives.utah.gov/USHRAB/forms-menu.html. For further information, contact Janell Tuttle at jtuttle@utah.gov.