Division of Preservation and Access

Prints from the inaugurations of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Read All About It: Early Newspaper Accounts of Presidential Inaugurations

For the past few decades Presidential Inaugurations have been large and grand affairs, however, earlier inauguration ceremonies were not always so large and grand, or even dignified.  Historic newspapers are one of the best sources of...

By Adriana Cutler
Cover of Puck, November 25, 1903

Holiday Foodways

As the holidays approach, our thoughts turn to family and food.

1928 map of Portland Maine and Some Places Thereabout.

Historical Atlas of Maine Wins Major Awards!

Opening the pages of the Historical Atlas of Maine one can’t but marvel at the state’s rich history – at once integral to the growth of the United States as a nation, at the same time uniquely local, a rugged and remote land that evokes a powerful sense of place and that has supported diverse populations throughout its history.

In the Light of the Moon. Iron County Register.

Superstitions and Celebrations: Halloween History in Chronicling America

It’s time for spirits, fairies, ghosts, and ghouls!  Halloween originated in the ancient Celtic festival of the dead Samhain (“summer’s end”) and later Christian celebrations of martyrs and saints (“All Saints Day” or “All Hallows”). The historic newspapers in Chronicling America show that in the 19th and early 20th centuries Americans both disparaged and delighted in, and ultimately borrowed from, old world traditions involving the supernatural, divination, and trickery.

Leanne Hinton works with Havasupai consultants in 1965.

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage

The audiovisual preservation community designates October 27 to recognize the preservation challenges that face the preservation of sound and moving image media. Learn more about NEH support for audiovisual preservation.

The main buildings of the Monhegan Museum and Light House

Sustainability in Practice: Preventive Conservation at the Monhegan Historical and Cultural Museum

The Monhegan Historical and Cultural Museum demonstrates how site and collections specific risk assessment, funded through the Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections grant program (guidelines now available!) can benefit cultural institutions of all sizes.

Beauvoir, the Jefferson Davis Home and Library in Biloxi MS after Katrina

Preparedness Tips for Hurricane Matthew

As Hurricane Matthew bears down on the Caribbean, it’s important that all individuals and cultural institutions along the entire Southeast coast – and potentially up the mid-Atlantic to the Northeast – prepare for tropical or hurricane storm–force winds.  Check out these tips from FEMA and the Smithsonian.

Portrait montage

Tune In Tuesdays: StoryCorps

Sixty-seven thousand interviews, spanning 44,000 hours, containing over 100,000 voices – and counting.  These are among the raw estimates for one of the nation’s largest collections of recorded memories, StoryCorps.

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Posted: July 27, 2014

Nevada and South Dakota Join the National Digital Newspaper Program

NEH is pleased to welcome two new partners to the National Digital Newspaper Program this year!  Awards were made to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the South Dakota Department of Tourism and State Development to digitize newspapers from Nevada and South Dakota. 

Posted: February 6, 2013

Preservation Assistance Grants 2013 Guidelines Now Available

The 2013 guidelines for Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions are now available.

Posted: February 6, 2013

Preservation and Access Research and Development 2013 Guidelines Now Available

The 2013 guidelines for Preservation and Access Research and Development grants are now available.

Posted: February 6, 2013

Preservation and Access Education and Training 2013 Guidelines Now Available

The 2013 guidelines for Preservation and Access Education and Training grants are now available.

Posted: May 16, 2012

In the News: Amon Carter Museum of American Art

The Amon Carter Museum of American Art's project to digitize the collections of eight prominent American photographers was featured on Dallas Art News.

Posted: May 16, 2012

Foundations: New Funding Category for the Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Grant Program

NEH’s Division of Preservation and Access has introduced a new funding opportunity for 2012: Humanities Collections and Reference Resources “Foundations” grants.

Posted: April 24, 2012

SNAC Featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education

The Social Netwroks and Archival Context Project, featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education, creates a unique and comprehensive way to research important historical figures.

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Posted: January 6, 2016

Webinar on Documenting Endangered Languages Program at NSF on January 19th

A free and accessible webinar is scheduled for January 19, 2016 at 3 pm EST for the Documenting Endangered Languages Program, which is a joint U.S.

Posted: April 2, 2015

Program Officer Mary Downs to Attend 2015 Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting

NEH Program Officer Mary Downs will be attending the upcoming 2015 Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA, April 15-19, and is available to meet with those interested in learning more about NEH funding opportunities.

Posted: December 16, 2014

NEH Program Officer Sarah Lepinski to Attend 2015 Joint Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America and the Society for Classical Studies

Sarah Lepinski, Program Officer in the Division of Preservation and Access, National Endowment for the Humanities, will be at the upcoming Joint Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America and the Society for Classical Studies (New Orleans, Jan. 8-11, 2015).

Posted: September 17, 2014

NEH Program Officer Mary Downs to Attend 2014 AASLH Annual Meeting

Mary Downs, Senior Program Officer in the Division of Preservation and Access, National Endowment for the Humanities, will be at the upcoming American Association of State and Local History Annual Meeting

Posted: August 11, 2014

NEH Preservation and Access at the Society of American Archivisits Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Drop by the Networking Café during the Society of American Archivists annual meeting to visit with program officers from CLIR, IMLS, NEH, and NHPRC.

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Posted: July 3, 2014

Reconnecting the Humanities and Sciences through Preservation and Access

screenshot of video presentation

Program Officers Joel Wurl and Mary Downs consider how the history of science can serve as an especially accommodating bridge between the humanities and scientific disciplines. 

Posted: February 19, 2014

Preservation Assistance Grants Help Small Institutions Across the Country!

Screen capture of Preservation and Access Grants Map

Are you a small institution with a significant humanities collection?  Then you may want to know more about the NEH’s Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions.  Take a look at the map of projects across the country funded through this program!

Posted: November 20, 2013

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers

Sample image of Vermont Watchman & State Journal newspaper

This video presents lectures from several scholars of historical digital research delivered at the National Digital Newspaper Program Awardee Conference in September 2013.

Posted: November 12, 2013

Preserving the Iraqi Jewish Archive

Iraqi Jewish Archive Exhibit, behind the scenes preservation

In May, 2003, Coalition forces searching the flooded basement of Iraqi intelligence headquarters in Baghdad discovered startling evidence of Iraq’s once-vibrant Jewish community.  More than 2,700 books and tens of thousands of documents – wet and moldy – were removed and laid in the sun to dry.

Posted: July 25, 2013

Bdote/Prime Time/Lit & Med/Warrior Scholars

Bdote/Prime Time/Lit & Med/Warrior Scholars, thumb

Want to learn about the Native American history of Minnesota? This video presentation introduces the Bdote Memory Map, an oral history resource on places of importance to the Dakota people.

Posted: May 22, 2013

Making Medieval Modern

Walters Digitization Project, thumb

How is a richly-colored, hand-crafted manuscript from the 9th century transferred to a digital museum catalogue?

The answer can be found at The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, where the NEH is funding the digitization of the museum's manuscripts.