Michigan will help digitize its history through a system of grants. The Michigan State Historical Records Advisory Board announced the recipients of the Save Michigan History grant program, which provides funding for organizations dedicated to increasing access of historical records throughout the state.
“The diverse stories of Michigan are not saved in one museum or archives, but in hundreds of organizations and institutions across the state,” said Mark Harvey, state archivist of Michigan. “There is an expectation that historical records be available, but few people understand the challenges in finding funding to preserve and provide public access to records.”
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Three organizations received the grant of $4,449 to assist in their efforts to make Michigan history available to researchers and enthusiasts alike. Several archives throughout Michigan possess records that are available in person but are difficult to access without transportation. Digitization ensures that every Michigander has the opportunity to learn more about our state’s history.
The Argues Museum in Ann Arbor will use their funding to digitize and provide online access to company records, photographs, and publications from the historic Argus Camera, inc. The Museum chronicles the history of the camera and radio equipment manufacturer’s activity in Ann Arbor from 1931-1980.
The St.Clair County Library is planning on using their grant to finance a digitization process to provide online access to a ledger of residents of a county poor home from 1857-1893.
The Lapeer District Library is hoping to digitize the the collected works of local Lapeer author Marguerite de Angeli so that they are easy to search for researchers and librarians. De Andeli wrote children’s books dealing with issues of tolerance and broke ground with Bright April, the first children’s book to deal with the issue of racial prejudice.
The Save Michigan History grant program is a partnership between the Michigan State Historical Records Advisory Board and the National Historical Publications and Records Commissions. Applicants can apply to receive up to $2,000 to help make records secure and available to professionals and hobbyists.
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