NHPRC Grant Project Guidelines

From what I have gathered in our correspondences, this is what we've agreed upon thus far:

Detailed Processing Grant
Digitization and preservation are also not covered in a basic processing grant. Because of the national and
regional historic importance of the collection, we'd decided it warranted a detailed processing grant. So, that's why I suggested increasing the collection size and hiring a project archivist, even if only part-time.

Sample Collection Size
It won't add any work to our project to increase the manuscript collection size to eight boxes, rather than four. I agree that the collection is a good size, and also agree that we should leave out microfilm. No reason to over-complicate our lives. In the scheme of things, this collection isn't that big, so if we are making a bid to get NHPRC money, I think we are going to have to make a case that a high level of description is justified so that our project and budget don't seem so "puny" (hah!).

• Repository: American Jewish Archives
• Collection: The papers of Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise. He founded the first rabbinical school in North America, in Cincinnati, OH, and was instrumental in organizing the Reform Jewish congregations in the United States to work together. He also introduced organs into the Reform synagogues. He was an Austrian immigrant who came to this country in the 1846 and founded Hebrew Union College. His personal papers have remained with his family; however, his great-grandson wishes to donate them to the repository to enhance scholars understanding of Rabbi Wise, his books, reform judaism and jewish immigrants. 
• 2.5 linear feet

Processing & Archival Description
Processing level, in the first round of emails we all agreed to a detailed processing grant rather than a basic processing grant, so all of the work I have done is based around that. Leaning towards either doing item-level description on the collection we have, or beefing up the size of the collection and doing folder level.

• 35 hours per cubic feet
• based on 30 hours/cubic = 120 hours total
• 8 boxes, rather than four, plus digitization 

We could mention in the work plan that: "further processing would take place or be considered time permitting, however processing at the folder level is projected to be the most efficient and suitable for this collection"--something like that language wise?

Preservation
I am fine working out the budget. I will be prepared to talk about preservation considerations on Wednesday, but unless we want to do something really fancy, I don't think it's going to go much further than removing staples and paperclips, re-foldering, putting the collection in buffered boxes, and keeping them in the stacks.

I also agree about doing a digital exhibit. Do we want to think about only digitizing a representative sample of the collection, or maybe go whole hog and do the entire thing? I've never really done digitization, but I did budget it for the big project I did in my preservation management class. Digitizing 1.2 linear feet doesn't seem insurmountable, and it would be a good way to boost the scope of the project.

Preservation costs and methods:

• Budgeted materials
• Digitization

Personnel
About the resumes: maybe it's just me, but I don't feel like creating a resume for our hypothetical project archivist to go in the appended material is the focus of this exercise. I say pick the resume of whomever among us is most qualified for the job, just so we don't have to reinvent the wheel, and tweak it to our needs. That way we show Noonan that we realize the resumes are part of what's expected but we don't spend too much time on it. I also think we should include the qualifications of the G.A. we are looking to hire.

Job description created and posted by HJustice.

• LMcNabb: Submit resume as project archivist with specified qualifications.
• HJustice: Submit resume as graduate assistant with specified qualifications.

Grant Application
This application has already been begun. Uploading a pdf is not ideal for blogging.

Grant Proposal
Project Pupose and Goals
     created by LMcNabb
Significance and relationship to NHPRC's goals
     created by LMcNabb
Plan of Work
     created by LMcNabb
Budget Summary
     created by JMiller
Personnel
     Job Description   
     Project Archivist
          created by HJustice
Description of Repository
     Mission and Collecting Policies
          created by LMcNabb
Description of Collection
     Extent
     Historical Significance
     Purpose of Grant
          created by LMcNabb
Delivarbles and Outcomes
     created by HJustice
Appendix
     created by HJustice
Application
    created by HJustice
Budget Forms
    created by JMiller

Power Point (Bulk)
     created by JMiller
     contributors HJustice and LMcNabb
Blog Archiving and APA Formatting
     by HJustice