Resources

On this page you will find a variety of archives-related resources, from general information on arrangement and descriptions standards to how to write successful grant applications.

Cataloging, Arrangement, and Description
Guides, Standards, and Tools for Digital Projects
Emergency Preparedness for Cultural Heritage Institutions
Preservation and Conservation
Grant Writing and Seeking
Related Organizations

Cataloging, Arrangement and Description

USHRAB’s Archives Fundamentals course is based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard, the description standard of the archival field. If you missed the chance to take our introductory course, fret not! Below, you will find resources that will help you learn the standards of archival processing.

Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) Latest editions hosted on GitHub for free

Society of American Archivists course on DACS, free with registration

Society of American Archivists online Arrangement and Description courses, mostly fee-based

Guides, Standards, and Tools for Digital Projects

Digitization is a wildly popular topic, and USHRAB applicants often wish to have a digital access or preservation component in their project. USHRAB regularly offers a course on Digital Project Management, but you may find yourself needing to know more about the details of digitization. Below, you will find resources for training, guides, and tools for achieving the best practices and archival standards for a digital preservation project.

Recollection Wisconsin’s Digital Readiness Toolkit

Webjunction course on Digital Collections Stewardship

Digital POWRR Project Resources and Guides

Digital POWRR Institute For in-person training

Digital POWRR Webinars For self-guided education on digitization

Digital POWRR Tool Grid An at-a-glance chart of the capabilities and limits of various tools and software used for digitization projects

Society of American Archivists online classes on digital records preservation

Council of State Archivists online webinars on digital preservation

Emergency Preparedness for Cultural Heritage Institutions

March of 2020 showed all of us the importance of having plans in place to protect your records and continue your organization’s mission in the event of a disaster. Below, you will find resources that will teach you about the tools and planning needed to ensure the continued care for your archival materials.

Society of American Archivists course on Emergency preparedness

Society of American Archivists course on Practical IT Security for Archivists

Society of American Archivists course on Protecting Holdings and Providing Access

Council of State Archivists webinar on Cooperative Disaster Networks

International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property’s Disaster Risk Management for Cultural Heritage

Plan Arts Ready Disaster Planning Preparedness and Response Tool

National Heritage Responders hotline and email

FEMA Heritage Emergency Response Task Force

Smithsonian Disaster Response and Recovery Resources

SAA Documenting in Times of Crisis: A Resource Kit

Preservation and Conservation

Records come in many formats, and each kind of format has unique care and preservation needs. Or, you may find items in your collection in need of cleaning and repair.

Utah Arts and Museums’ Collections Preservation Course and Resources

Utah Arts and Museums’ Collections Preservation Webinar Archive

National Archives and Records Administration preservation and conservation resources

North East Document Conservation Center leaflets on preservation

Northeast Document Conservation Center Preservation 101 Online Text Book

Northeast Document Conservation Center AV Preservation Basics

Minnesota Historical Society’s Basics of Conservation

American Institute for Conservation Field Guide

Grant Writing and Seeking

How to write a successful grant

Writing grants can be a challenge even for the most experienced writers. Below are some links to online courses, guides, and lists to help you learn the basics of writing a successful grant proposal.

Grants.gov blog series on grant writing basics

Candid free course on writing grant proposals

Candid free course on writing budgets for grant proposals

National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Workshops

NEH Tips for Grant Writing

The Writing Center at UW-Madison Handbook on Grant Proposals

Grants for Archives-Adjacent Projects or Needs

Sometimes, a USHRAB grant isn’t quite the right fit for your project. Maybe you need to work with newspapers or artifacts, or perhaps you just need more money than what USHRAB can offer. Below you will find links to grants that are related to history, access, and preservation that may fit the bill.

Utah-based

Division of Arts and Museums Small Museum Projects Grants and General Operations Support Grants (Award amounts vary by institution size and budget)

Grants to inventory cemetery records (up to $10,000)

Oral History Grants (up to $3000)

Grants for humanities-based projects (Small grants up to $2000, competitive grants up to $8000

Federal/National

Digital Humanities Advancement Grants (National competition, grants start at $75,000)

Preservation Grants for Smaller Institutions (National Competition, $10,000)

Grants for larger-scale preservation and access projects (National competition, $50,000)

Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections (National competition, $100,000)

Grants to Digitize Historic Newspapers (National Competition, Maximum $350,000)

SSA-SAA Emergency Disaster Assistance Grant Fund (National, Maximum $5,000)

USHRAB is one of many organizations with a mission to help preserve history. Below is a list of organizations that also have a mission to ensure that historical materials are preserved for future generations.