Preservation & Access, Education, and Public Programs Initiatives at the Historical Society of Princeton Adapted to COVID-19

FAIN: PB-275181-20

Historical Society of Princeton, New Jersey (Princeton, NJ 08540-4838)
Izzy Kasdin (Project Director: May 2020 to January 2023)

Seven staff members and necessary materials to catalog existing scans of ephemera and manuscript materials and add them to the online public database; create packaged lesson plans for teachers to deliver independently; finalize exhibitions and companion digital versions; and develop and implement a phased reopening plan.

The Historical Society of Princeton (HSP) is a public history institution in Princeton, NJ. HSP seeks funding to support activities in three NEH program areas: Preservation & Access; Education; and Public Programs. These activities will help HSP staff adjust to telework, sustain and adapt our public history work in a manner that is responsive to this crisis, and develop an effective reopening plan to safely advance our mission as NJ slowly emerges from stay-at-home orders. The funding will provide support for 100% of HSP’s humanities positions, ultimately retaining seven positions. The work proposed helps directly to advance HSP’s mission and strategic goals, ensuring progress on both planned 2020 work as well as important new public history initiatives developed in response to the pandemic. The $86,934 requested will cover over 40% of HSP’s anticipated revenue loss, a critical contribution to a dramatic loss.