Activating 21st Century Local History

The Activating 21st Century Local History Training Program will work with local historical societies (LHS) around Vermont to develop advanced skills in approaching their work from within an “Active Collections” framework (https://www.activecollections.org/). The goal is to help them establish collections priorities, right-size their collections, and energize their community engagement strategies to help increase organizational sustainability and ensure the continuing preservation of local history.  

Project components include an Online Resource Center, workshops, and intensive work with two LHS cohorts to provide training, resources, and direct assistance on self-selected collections-based projects.  
This program is funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (Grant 21MP-256386-OMS-24). 

LHS Cohorts 
The project will bring together two cohorts/groups of LHS, each consisting of five organizations. The cohorts will each run for roughly one year (2025, 2026). Cohort organizations will participate in workshops, receive direct collections-based assistance, and build peer-to-peer networks to help tackle their collections issues. 
Being a cohort organization may be best for an organization that has started some parts of Active Collections work, such as completing a tiering chart, but needs more in-depth assistance to make it to the next step in applying the framework to their collections.  

Local historical societies, museums, and other cultural organizations in Vermont with substantial history collections are eligible to apply. Priority will be given to organizations whose members have already completed some form of Active Collections training. 

Learn More & Apply 
The cohort application will be available via this page on/by October 7. Applications for the 2025 cohort will be due by November 15, 2024.

Learn more about the project and how you can participate at our virtual Information Session on October 21 at 10:00 am held via Zoom. 

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85825180109?pwd=u5l0BWH8Z1ZL1aIHgjb6INFjIQEp2B.1 

The recording of the information session will be available via this website after October 21.