Pioneer Valley History Network

The Pioneer Valley History Network is a resource for local history organizations in western Massachusetts—and the public they serve.

• Click the Sites link to learn more about these organizations.
• Check out and attend upcoming events.

PVHN welcomes your history-related questions and genealogical inquiries!  Contact us at: pioneervalleyhistory@gmail.com

• Learn how your favorite historical society can benefit from PVHN’s Summer Themes, Gatherings & Workshops, and Special Projects.
• Get involved!
• And let us know your thoughts below:

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INFO MEETINGS SET FOR

THE “FUTURE OF OUR PAST”

Last week, the Pioneer Valley History Network (PVHN) announced a bold new project that will help small, historical societies, museums, and archives protect our local history.  The project, called “The Future of Our Past,” will enable eight local historical institutions in the Pioneer Valley to enhance their capabilities to protect the documents, artifacts, and photographs that tell our region’s history. The project is funded by generous grants from Mass Humanities and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.

Now, PVHN has announced the dates and locations of four information sessions at which details of the project will be reviewed and applications made available. These meetings will be held:

• Tuesday, August 7^th at Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke
• Wednesday, August 8^th at the Historical Society of Greenfield
• Thursday, August 9^th at Historic Northampton
• Monday, August 13^th at the Southwick Public Library

All of the meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m.

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To read more about the “Future of Our Past” project, click here.

To download an Application to participate, click here.

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Applications to participate in the project will be due by August 23. If selected, project participants will attend a series of six workshops, using a nationally-recognized curriculum designed by the American Association for State & Local History (AASLH), with high-quality presenters from some of the best historical institutions in western Mass. The participants will work with experienced mentors in between workshops who will help them meet their goals. Participating institutions will also have access to a pool of implementation funds for related projects that result in humanities-related programming. By design, the project will benefit historical institutions in all three Pioneer Valley counties.

The curriculum chosen, the “Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations,” or StEPs program, will help the participating history organizations assess their policies and practices and work towards meeting national museum standards. The StEPs program uses a Basic, Good, Better system of performance indicators to help even the smallest of organizations make incremental, but meaningful improvements in their operations, including collections care, and in serving their communities.

StEPs is a self-paced curriculum, however, experience has shown that participants achieve greater success by working together in a group. The collegiality developed by working on the tasks together, creates a positive experience for the participants, leading to greater achievement.

For more information about the meetings and about the project, contact the Pioneer Valley History Network at: pioneervalleyhistory@gmail.com

This project is funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities…

and by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (Franklin Fund; the Nan and Matilda Heydt Fund, administered by Bank of America, Trustee; and the Joan Walker Memorial Fund).

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This page has the following sub pages.

• Future of Our Past
• GET INVOLVED