• Friday, April 14, 2023 12:33 PM | Andy King (Administrator)

    CLHO is  pleased to announce the organizations and individuals who have received 2023 Awards of Merit, which intend to honor and uplift outstanding achievements in Connecticut history and museums. The League will honor the following recipients at the CLHO Annual Business Meeting and Awards of Merit Presentation on Tuesday, April 18 from 5 - 8pm at Central Connecticut State University. This event is free with RSVP at www.clho.org.

    Project Recipients: This category includes exhibitions (in-person and online), exhibition catalogs, books, videos, school programs, educational programs for adults or other groups, lecture series, demonstrations, digital programs, presentations, restoration or preservation efforts, special research, and web-based projects.

    Connecticut Explored Magazine for Grating the Nutmeg Podcast

    Connecticut Historical Society for the Bicycle Game

    Culture 4 A Cause for the John Brown Project

    Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford for Community Voices: Digitizing 50 Years of Oral Histories

    Mystic River Historical Society for Mystic River Bascule Bridge Centennial

    Stanley-Whitman House for Memento Mori - Remember Death

    Weston History and Culture Center for Reinterpretation of the Coley House

    Wilton Historical Society for Finding the Forgotten: The Enslaved of Wilton

    Stanley-Whitman House for The Last Night

    Individual Achievement: This category recognizes an individual’s long-term efforts towards promoting and furthering a knowledge and appreciation of Connecticut history.

    Catherine K. Fields

    Elizabeth Normen

    Richard C. Malley

    A reception will follow the business meeting and presentation of awards at Founders Hall, also located in Davidson Hall. Join us for an evening of light refreshments and the opportunity to network with your colleagues, including our sponsors and community partners. There will be a cash bar with beer and wine options. This event is free with your RSVP.

    The Connecticut League of History Organizations recognizes excellence in Connecticut history through its annual Awards of Merit. The awards recognize institutions and individuals who demonstrate the highest professional standards and who enhance and further the understanding of history in Connecticut. The purpose of the awards is to recognize the care, thought, and effort invested in these contributions and to inspire and encourage others by acknowledging exceptional contributions to state and local history.

    The Awards of Merit program is also a stepping stone to national recognition through the American Association for State and Local History’s Leadership in History Awards. We encourage organizations with eligible projects to consider submitting to both award programs. For more information about the AASLH awards, visit https://aaslh.org/programs/leadership-in-history-awards/ and contact state representative Nick Foster at nfoster@wiltonhistorical.org.

  • Thursday, September 08, 2022 11:26 AM | Amrys Williams (Administrator)

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    The Connecticut Heritage Foundation and CT Humanities are pleased to announce that they have partnered with Conservation ConneCTion to provide the Collections Assessment Grant Program. This initiative provides museums, historical societies, and other collecting institutions with information to improve care and access to their collections.

    The Collections Assessment Grant Program (CAG) provides small and mid-sized museums with a free assessment of their museum or archive collections. Successful applicants will receive a free half-day site visit from a museum curator or archivist who will examine collections on exhibit and in storage, and review policies and procedures related to collection care and management. Recipients will receive a collection assessment report with a prioritized list of recommendations for improving the care and management of collections. These recommendations are intended to help institutions improve the care of their collections, alert board members to collections care concerns, provide documentation that can support development of a long-range collection/preservation plan, and be used to fundraise for collection projects.

    While priority will be given to institutions with budgets under $50,000, institutions with a budget not exceeding $250,000 are eligible. Applicants are encouraged to review the grant guidelines before completing an application.

    Additionally, before applying, organizations must contact Kathy Craughwell-Varda, Director of Conservation ConneCTion, at CSL.ConservationConnection@ct.gov to discuss your project. We are eager to help you submit a strong application and are available to review draft applications received at least two weeks before the grant deadline. 

    Fill out your application today!

    Collections Assessment Grant Application

    Application deadline is October 11, 2022.

    CLHO will be hosting an information session on the Collections Assessment Grant program. Join us for the Colleague Circle at 1 p.m. on Monday, September 12, 2022, to learn more. The info session will be recorded and made available on the CLHO YouTube channel.

    Register for the info session here.

    The Collections Assessment Grant is a program of Conservation ConneCTion in partnership with the Connecticut Heritage Foundation and is funded by a grant from the CT Cultural Fund. The CT Cultural Fund is administered by CT Humanities, with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts from the Connecticut State Legislature.

    Contact: Kathy Craughwell-Varda, CSL.ConservationConnection@ct.gov

  • Friday, July 22, 2022 3:24 PM | Amrys Williams (Administrator)

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    New Britain, CT (July 22, 2022) — The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) of the National Archives has awarded the Connecticut League of History Organizations (CLHO) a $99,980 Archives Collaboratives Implementation Grant to make archival collections at local history institutions across the state searchable online through its Connecticut Collections database and public portal.

    Connecticut Collections (CTCo) is an open-source, web-based collections management system and public research portal run by the Connecticut League of History Organizations.  It is used by 33 museums, historical societies, libraries, schools, and other cultural heritage organizations across the state.  This grant will enable more institutions to participate in the Connecticut Collections project and provide them with direct support and assistance to share their archival collections online.

    The two-year grant project, which commenced April 1, 2022, will provide free training for collecting institutions’ staff and volunteers through a “Basics of Archives” webinar series in the fall of 2022.  These trainings will be carried out in collaboration with Conservation ConneCTion and the Traveling Archivist Program of the Connecticut State Library, and recordings will be made available for free.  After completing the training, participating organizations will receive assistance from the Traveling Archivists to organize and describe several of their archival collections by preparing finding aids.

    The grant will also fund improvements to the Connecticut Collections system, including enhancements to its public-facing website (www.ctcollections.org) and updates to the software that supports it.  As a part of this process, the Connecticut Collections database will be automatically linked to Connecticut Archives Online (https://archives-library.wcsu.edu/cao/), a statewide aggregator of archival collections at Western Connecticut State University, increasing the discoverability of archival materials in Connecticut Collections.

    “This grant will improve the archival capabilities of the Connecticut Collections system, and provide important training and direct support to museums, historical societies, libraries, and other collecting institutions to make their archival and manuscript materials more discoverable and accessible to the public,” said Amrys Williams, CLHO’s Executive Director.  “Not only will this project forge important connections among Connecticut's digital history resources, it will increase the capacity of small history institutions to create new, publicly available finding aids for our state’s unique and irreplaceable collections, forging stronger connections with their communities and bringing heretofore hidden histories to light.”

    This grant was one of the 36 awarded by Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero, totaling $2,975,339 for historical records projects in 27 states and the District of Columbia.  The National Archives grants program is carried out through the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

    For more information about Connecticut Collections, please visit www.clho.org/ctcollections.  To browse and search the public portal, please visit www.ctcollections.org.

    About the Connecticut League of History Organizations

    The Connecticut League of History Organizations builds connections among those who preserve and share the stories and objects of our state’s past. For over 50 years, we have strengthened and sustained our members by sharing knowledge and experience, and promoting best practices among museums, historical societies and all who steward Connecticut’s heritage collections.

    About Conservation ConneCTion

    Conservation ConneCTion is a program of the Connecticut State Library.  Founded in 2008. Conservation ConneCTion provides training and resources on collections care, conservation, and emergency preparedness to cultural heritage organizations in Connecticut and seeks to identify collection care needs and develop a statewide plan to meet them.

    About the Traveling Archivist Program

    The Traveling Archivist Program was launched in 2013 by Conservation ConneCTion and the Connecticut State Historical Records Advisory Board to provide support to cultural heritage organizations.  A team of professional archivists work throughout Connecticut, providing hands-on training, archival assessments, and support in the care and management of archival collections.

    About Connecticut Archives Online

    Connecticut Archives Online (CAO) simplifies searching for original historical records in Connecticut by making them available through one easy-to-use website. Users can browse and search the rich archival collections held in the libraries, universities, colleges, museums, historical societies and archives in the State.

    About NHPRC

    The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), a statutory body affiliated with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), supports a wide range of activities to preserve, publish, and encourage the use of documentary sources, created in every medium ranging from quill pen to computer, relating to the history of the United States.  The NHPRC supports projects that promote access to America's historical records to encourage understanding of our democracy, history, and culture.

    ###

Connecticut League of Museums
Central Connecticut State UniversityDepartment of History
1615 Stanley Street
New Britain, CT 06050
(860) 832-2674
info@clho.org

with support from
CTHumanities

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software