Maine Historical Society Awarded $349,000 From NEH To Create Maine History Online
September 13, 2006
Portland, ME – Maine Historical Society (MHS) is pleased to announce it has been awarded $349,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Over the next three years, this grant will allow MHS to create Maine History Online (MHO), a new feature within the Maine Memory Network (www.mainememory.net), Maine's online history museum and archive. Maine History Online will introduce people to key topics, themes, and events in Maine history, and encourage them to think critically about how history is interpreted and used.
"Maine History Online is a response to the opportunities opened up by the Maine Memory Network, as well as a response to the clear demands of its users and many others in Maine who wish to understand the history of their state in a broader context," notes MHS Executive Director, Richard D'Abate. "MHO is designed to ensure that Maine Memory Network becomes a vibrant, engaging, ever-growing place for the public, in particular Maine school children, to learn about Maine history, a true online museum."
NEH awards are the result of a rigorous, highly selective review process; Maine Historical Society is one of only sixteen museums and historical organizations across the nation to receive NEH funds from this current round of applicants.
"The Endowment judged Maine History Online to be a potential national model and exactly the type of innovative use of digital technology that NEH hopes to encourage," says Nancy E. Rogers, NEH Director of Public Programs. "We are impressed by the extent to which this project will reflect a genuinely statewide effort, incorporating materials gathered from over 160 local historical organizations."
NEH is an independent grant–making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities.
Maine Historical Society preserves the heritage and history of Maine: the stories of Maine people, the traditions of Maine communities, and the record of Maine's place in a changing world. Maine Memory Network, created and managed by MHS, houses more than 10,000 historic items contributed by 160 organizations across the state.
For more information:
Maine Historical Society489 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
207–774–1822
www.mainehistory.org
www.mainememory.net
Maine Historical Society preserves and shares Maine's story to enrich life in contemporary Maine.
