News & Announcements

Grants Available to Support Participation in Maine Memory Network


February 10, 2011

Portland, MEMaine Historical Society (MHS), in partnership with the Maine State Library (MSL), is pleased to introduce a new grant and training program designed to help local organizations—historical societies, libraries, and schools in particular—use participation in the Maine Memory Network (www.mainememory.net) to develop skills, build capacity, and expand collaboration with local partners.

The grants and accompanying training will empower communities to digitize and share their local history. Grants will support digitization projects (up to $750), the creation of online exhibits (up to $1250), and to create websites dedicated to the history of local communities (up to $3,000).

All grant-supported projects will be shared through and become part of Maine Memory, which provides a robust technical infrastructure, a platform for training and skills development, consistent standards, and the broadest possible access for local history projects.

The first grant deadline is April 1. There will be two grant cycles per year over the next three years. For details, including grant program guidelines and applications, please visit www.mainememory.net/grants.

For more information about how your organization or community can use participation in Maine Memory to achieve its goals, please visit http://www.mainememory.net/share_history

The Maine Memory Network is a nationally-recognized statewide digital museum created and maintained by Maine Historical Society. Launched in 2001, Maine Memory features nearly 20,000 historic items—including photographs, letters, documents, artifacts, and more—contributed by 200+ organizations from every corner of Maine; hundreds of online exhibits that explore stories from Maine history; Maine History Online, a comprehensive introduction to Maine history; websites dedicated to the history of Maine towns created by community teams; lesson plans; and much more.

This project is supported by a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum & Library Services. The grant will also support professional development opportunities for librarians, teachers, and representatives from historical organizations designed to help participants use local history, technology, and participation in Maine Memory to build the capacity of their organizations and community. Details about those opportunities will be announced in the coming months.

According to Steve Bromage, Assistant Director of Maine Historical Society: “This grant will ensure that any community in Maine who wants to share historical collections and stories online through Maine Memory can. Through the process, all participants—local historians, librarians, teachers, and students in particular—will develop technology skills, and learn to partner and share resources with organizations in their communities more effectively.”

For more information:

Maine Historical Society
489 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
207–774–1822
www.mainehistory.org
www.mainememory.net

Maine Historical Society preserves and shares Maine's story to enrich life in contemporary Maine.