The
Massachusetts State Historical Records Advisory Board (MA SHRAB) is pleased to
announce it has received an $80,000 two-year grant from the National Historical
Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). The NHPRC is a federal statutory
body affiliated with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
that supports a wide range of activities to preserve, publish, and encourage
the use of documentary sources relating to the history of the United States.

This grant
will support the following activities:

  • Continue Roving Archivist program to provide
    free advice and assistance to small and medium-sized cultural heritage
    institutions;
  • Reimage the MA SHRAB regrant program to include
    direct hands-on processing assistance to small and medium-sized cultural
    heritage institutions through a new Archives Fellows program;
  • Support the annual Massachusetts History
    Conference;
  • Support continued development of the
    Commonwealth Historical Collaborative, a statewide directory of  cultural heritage institutions (http://chc.library.umass.edu
    ); and
  • Provide an online series of workshops on topics
    such as grant writing, personal digital preservation, and creating collection
    descriptions.

The Roving
Archivist program has been in place since 2012 and has provided assistance to a
wide range of cultural heritage institutions across the Commonwealth as they
grapple with issues like physical and digital preservation of historical
records, catalog and finding aid creation, and providing online access to
collections. According to State Archivist and MA SHRAB Coordinator Dr. John D.
Warner, Jr., “the Roving Archivist Program has made a real difference in
preserving and providing access to Massachusetts’ historical records – the
collective memory – of our Commonwealth.”  

The expanded
regrant program will provide for a new Archives Fellows program that will
provide direct assistance to cultural heritage institutions. New archival
professionals will work closely with the Roving Archivist, Sarah-Jane
Poindexter, to implement best practice recommendations. According to Ms.
Poindexter, “this expanded service will provide critical assistance to cultural
heritage sites while giving up-and -coming archivists essential practical
experience and professional mentoring.”

Speaking for
the MA SHRAB, Dr. Warner states, “we are sincerely grateful to the Commission
for recognizing the value of the Roving Archivist Program and voting to
maintain full funding for it. The MA SHRAB also thanks Secretary Galvin’s
strong support for this program which has been critical to its success.”

For further information about the MA SHRAB and its programs, email SHRAB@sec.state.ma.us.