Phone: (620) 285-2054
Email: info@santafetrailcenter.org
IMLS Contact: Jeannine Mjoseth
Phone: (202) 653-4632
Email: jmjoseth@imls.gov
Fort Larned Historical Society Awarded Prestigious Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services
Larned- The federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has awarded Fort Larned Historical Society, Inc. with a Museums for America grant that will provide the unique opportunity in partnership with Pawnee County to do a multi-faceted digitization project involving scanning and computerizing archival photographs and documents. The project, titled “Those Who Saw: Sharing the Experiences of Converging Cultures Along the Santa Fe Trail and the Development of Pawnee County,” will bring together historical photographs and documents from both organizations. The project will start in the fall of 2008 and will continue over a three year span involving the computerization of catalog records, processing archival materials, selecting and digitizing 4,000-5,000 historic photographs and documents. The most important outcome of the digitization project will be the ability of the Santa Fe Trail Center and Pawnee County Courthouse to better serve the community through better public access and awareness of historic photographs and documents. The end result of the project will be dedicated computers at the Santa Fe Trail Center and Pawnee County Courthouse containing a set of digitized materials available to the public and online to researchers, teachers, genealogists and students to learn the history of the Santa Fe Trail and the development of the surrounding area.
“As repositories of our nation’s treasures and our nation’s history, museums are positions to play an integral role in the education of their communities. Museums for America grants support projects and ongoing activities that build museums’ capacities and help these institutions serve their diverse constituencies to the best of their abilities.” -Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum Library Services
Museums for America is the Institute’s largest grant program for museums, providing more than $17 million in grants to support the role of museums in American society to sustain cultural heritage, to support lifelong learning; and to be centers of community engagement. Museums for America grants strengthen a museum’s ability to serve the public more effectively by supporting high-priority activities that advance the institution’s mission and strategic goals. Museums for America funding will support projects and activities, designed by the institution, that strengthen museums as active resources for lifelong learning and key players in the establishment of livable communities. Museums for America grants are designed to be flexible. They can be used for ongoing museum activities, research and other behind-the-scenes activities, planning activities, new programs or activities, purchase of equipment or services, or other activities that will support the efforts of museums to upgrade and integrate new technologies into their overall institutional effectiveness.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services had 371 applicants for the Museums for America grant the total applicants awarded were 154. The amount awarded to the recipients of the Museums for America grant totaled in the amount of $16.9 million and the recipient matches totaled $32.3 million. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations sustains heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov
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