The Rodney A. Briggs Library at the University of Minnesota Morris has been awarded a Preservation Assistance Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
The grant will support a general preservation assessment of the materials held in the Archives & Special Collections, which share a space in Briggs Library.
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency created in 1965. It is one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States. The Endowment awards grants to top-rated proposals examined by panels of independent, external reviewers.
The materials in this collection are unique and diverse, including items relating to the history of the institutions that existed on this land, including two Native American boarding schools, the West Central School of Agriculture, and the University of Minnesota Morris. The collection’s materials also highlight the history of life in the rural Midwest, including particular collections focused on rural activism.
According to Naomi Skulan, metadata & technical services coordinator for Briggs Library, the materials in these collections are in great need of preservation and this project would provide a long-range plan to better preserve these unique materials.
The grant is being funded, in part, by the NEH’s special initiative, American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future.
Learn more about 2023 NEH grants.