Connecting to Collections

NH libraries will soon be recieving (by email) invitations to participate in the NH Connecting to Collections Survey. Here is some background on this project:

The NH Connecting to Collections initiative is now seeking information from New Hampshire libraries and over 1,000 other New Hampshire cultural organizations about important special collections. This unique survey is in response to a national conservation call to action funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The purpose of this project is to help raise public awareness, inspire action and encourage private sector support for New Hampshire’s cultural assets.

The New Hampshire State Library was awarded a $40,000 National Leadership Grant during 2009 from IMLS to create a statewide portal and database of cultural collections housed in New Hampshire’s libraries, museums, archives, religious organizations, historic sites and other culture collecting organizations. This project will bring together information about collections from all participating organizations,
allowing anyone with internet access to find collections that are important to New Hampshire’s culture and history. It builds on the paper resource entitled NH Collections: A guide to our Cultural Heritage, which was a 1992 collaborative initiative between the NH Historical Society and the NH State Library that included 625 collections held by 125 institutions. It was the first testimony to the willingness of NH organizations to take stewardship responsibilities seriously and to share their resources with a larger public. Our 2010 project seeks to update the 1992 data in a comprehensive manner utilizing current technology to conduct the survey and to aggregate the collections data received from respondents through an online portal at: http://www.findnhhistory.org/

In the next weeks, you will receive an email invitation and link to complete this online survey about special collections in your organization. Your response is instrumental to our state’s Connecting to Collections initiative administered by the New Hampshire State Library. The survey will only remain active for the period of time specified in your invitation, so don't delay. There is a sample survey available if you want a preview of the questions being asked. We estimate the survey will take
approximately 15 minutes or less to complete depending on how many special collections you report. Please complete this worthwhile survey. Your response is very important to us! Your participation is the key to the project’s success. Thank you in advance for your participation!


The NH Connecting to Collections Partners are:

New Hampshire State Library
New Hampshire State Council on the Arts
New Hampshire Division of Historic Resources
New Hampshire Division of Archives and Records Management
New Hampshire Historical Society