The Wyoming State Records Advisory Board (SHRAB) has announced the funding of a project archivist through the National Historic Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). This position and the focused project are a collaborative project of the Wyoming State Archives, University of Wyoming American Heritage Center, and Wyoming SHRAB.
This one-year grant award will fund a part-time archivist to build an information network between records stewards from Wyoming’s libraries, museums, and archives. This network will facilitate discussions on understanding, caring for, and providing responsible access to cultural heritage resources. The first phase will identify and survey Wyoming’s smaller repositories that house archival materials. It will also include creating an online directory created from these survey contacts.
The plan is to establish a traveling archivist program (TAP) in Wyoming using the information and network. Currently, no existing comprehensive list of Wyoming cultural heritage institutions exists, a necessary first step to build a TAP. The overall goal of this effort is to create the structure for a program that would provide much needed support to Wyoming’s smaller historical societies and museums, as well as to public libraries with local history manuscript collections.
The Wyoming SHRAB promotes the identification, preservation and dissemination of the state’s historical records, by encouraging and supporting ongoing training programs for state, tribal and local governments, local repositories, organizations, and others involved in records care in Wyoming. Grants are made available through the Wyoming SHRAB by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The program is administered by the Wyoming State Archives, which is part of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.