Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants

October Grants Round
Review of the whopping 104 applications requesting $609,224 in the October Fast Track grants round is underway. Successful grantees will receive notification from the Grants Office by early December.

Looking ahead, the Minnesota Legislature goes back into session in January 2011, during which the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants will be considered for the 2012-2013 biennium. Watch this space for updates on potential grants rounds mid-next year.

In the meantime:

• If you have thoughts on the program, be sure to share them with your representatives;
• If you have a milestone in a grant-funded project, be sure to invite your representatives to attend; and,
• Plan on attending the 2011 Minnesota History Matters Day at the Capitol on Monday February 21, 2011, details forthcoming.

Final Reports
Remember, your project is not truly complete until the Grants Office has received and processed your final report. Final reports are due 30 days after the project end date. Questions? Contact the Grants Office.

From the Blog

Phone Books Call It a Day (new post; 4 comments) - As people rely more and more on the Internet for information, phone books are one resource that is becoming more scarce. How does this change affect what historical organizations collect--for research and for collections?

Web Development Smackdown (new post; 3 comments) - Several county and local historical societies have recently redesigned their web sites. Joe Hoover discusses common themes in what organizations are looking for when they build or redesign a web site. What would be the top priority for your organization, and why?  

Role for Local History during Church Closures (1 new comment) - Minnesota Council of Churches is a good starting point, and stores some records of defunct congregations at its center on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis.

Job Opportunities

Preservation Librarian
State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City IA, seeks Preservation Librarian. Deadline: November 30, 2010.

Executive Director
Steam Railroading Institute, Owosso MI, seeks Executive Director. Deadline: December 1, 2010.

Museum Director
Ellis County Historical Society, Hays KS, seeks Museum Director. Deadline: January 3, 2011.

Assistant Director/Curator
Hammond-Harwood House, Annapolis MD, seeks Assistant Director/Curator.

Do History Here

Book Signing
Join Northfield Historical Society on Thursday November 18, 2010, 6:30 p.m. for a book signing of "The Lyceum," the second in the Northfield Historical Society History Series. Call 507-645-9268 for more information.

Kids Kraft
Scott County Historical Society holds Kids Kraft, Saturday November 20, 2010, 10:30 a.m. Make cornhusk dolls and hear a Thanksgiving story. Free, but registration required. Call 952-445-0378.

Pot Luck Pie Social
Anoka County Historical Society invites the public to an old-fashioned pot luck pie social. Bring your favorite pie and favorite pie story to share. Wednesday November 24, 2010 at noon, Anoka County History Center. Free. Call 763-421-0600 for more information.

Festive Forest
Come to Kandiyohi County Historical Society between November 28 and December 26, 2010 to view Christmas trees decorated by area organizations. Contact Jill Wohnoutka, 320-235-1881, with questions.

American Girl Holiday Tea
Anoka County Historical Society hosts its annual American Girl Holiday Tea on Thursday December 2 at 6 p.m. and Saturday December 4, 2010 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tickets required in advance; call 763-421-0600 to reserve yours.

Christmas in the Village
Steele County Historical Society announces their annual Christmas in the Village celebration, Friday December 3 and Saturday December 4, 2010, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets also available for the Historic Holiday House Tour on Saturday December 4. Call Laura or Dodie at 507-451-1420 for more information.

Christmas Decorating Party
White Bear Lake Area Historical Society invites you to the Fillebrown House on Saturday December 4, 2010, 9 a.m. to noon for a fun morning decorating the house for the upcoming holiday festivities. Contact WBLAHS, 651-407-5327, if you plan to attend.

Victorian Holidays
LeDuc Historic Estate invites you to visit the elegantly decorated Gothic Revival LeDuc House for Victorian Holidays celebration, December 4-5, 2010. Tickets also available for the Victorian Holiday Dinner on December 5. Call 651-437-7055 for reservations; the dinner sells out quickly.

Spirit Lake Massacre Reading
Could the U.S./Dakota War of 1862 been prevented? Join Mary Bakeman at Pond Dakota Mission Park, Bloomington, as she explores this question, presented in her book "Legends, Letters and Lies" about the Spirit Lake Massacre of 1857. Sunday December 5, 2010, 2 p.m. Call Jay Ludwig, 952-563-8693, for more information.

Kringlefest
Stearns History Museum presents Kringlefest on Sunday December 5, 2010, 1 to 3 p.m. Crafts, refreshments, and visits with Santa; great family event. Call 320-253-8424 for more information.

News

Museums of Minnesota
Museums of Minnesota announces that their website now has 159 Minnesota museums listed. Want more visibility for your historical organization? Contact Chuck Strinz for more information.

Digital Rights Management
Canadian Heritage Information Network recently announced the online publication of "A Museum Guide to Digital Rights Management" by David L. Green. Slideshow also available online.

Digital Collections
Online article available from peer-reviewed journal First Monday, "Digital cultural collections in an age of reuse and remixes." Paper discusses the circumstances under which cultural institutions should seek to control non-commercial reuse of digital cultural works.

Beat the Recession
Cultural Heritage Tourism Survival Toolkit available from National Trust for Historic Preservation. Use the toolkit to find success stories, survival strategies and online resources from cultural organizations around the country.

Continuing Education

Webinars Available
Northeast Document Conservation Center offers a number of live online webinars this fall. Each is two hours long beginning at 1 p.m. Central time. Register online. Upcoming webinars include:

• Pest Management, TODAY
• Collections Security, December 15, 2010
• Care and Handling of Books, January 19, 2011

Grant Deadlines

Field Note