Institutional Application Roving Archivist Program

The Roving Archivist Program was developed by the Massachusetts State Historical Records Advisory Board (MA SHRAB) as part of its mission to provide leadership, advocacy, and guidance to help ensure the identification, preservation, and use of the Commonwealth’s historical resources, both public and private. The Roving Archivist Program connects stewards of historical records with a professional archivist to assist in setting priorities, drafting policies, and developing strategies and procedures for processing, preserving, and cataloging collections for their institution. Typical grantees include historical societies, museums, historical commissions, special libraries, schools, community archives, and public libraries with local history collections. Any cultural heritage repository may apply; preference will be given to repositories that do not have a professional archivist and have limited resources. Applications for the Roving Archivist Program are accepted during the months of June and November. The Roving Archivist Program provides the following assistance:

Strategic Assessment of Your Institution and Program Review

This assistance is for institutions that are assessing their needs or would like an outside review of their policies, procedures, and workflows. The Roving Archivist (RA) will engage with staff/ volunteers, including leadership, to understand the program. The RA will review the condition of the collections and address the basic components of running an archives, such as the importance of collection development policies, disaster planning, and preservation. The RA will complete a report of recommendations and a list of resources customized to the needs of the institution, typically within 30 days of the visit.

Applicants will also receive follow-up services from the RA, per request, such as guidance on implementing recommendations, support for regrant funding, and building communities of practice between similar institutions and the greater archival community within the Commonwealth.

Timeline for application review and service provisioning

The MA SHRAB accepts applications starting June 1st until June 30th and November 1st until November 30th. The MA SHRAB meets monthly, typically on the second week of the month, and applications will be reviewed at the next meeting following receipt of the application. The site will be contacted by the State Archivist regarding the status of the application, then if approved will be connected with the Roving Archivist to schedule a meeting.

How to Apply

To apply for services through the Massachusetts SHRAB Roving Archivist Program, please submit a document, not to exceed 10 pages in length, which provides the following information:

1. Application date
2. Institution name
3. Institution address
4. Name, title and contact information of person completing the application
5. Brief history and description of your organization
6. Description of your staff/volunteer composition
7. Description of the types of collections you manage
8. Extent of collection holdings (preference given to institutions holding 500 record boxes of materials or less)
9. Does your facility close for any extended period of time during the year?
10. What are your hours of operation?
11. How did you find out about the Roving Archivist Program?
12. Have you received a Roving Archivist grant previously?
13. What benefits do you expect through participation in this program?
14. Please also include a letter from your institution’s CEO/Director or Chair of the Board providing a Statement of Commitment to participate in this program and follow through with the recommendations provided.

Submission Information

Expectations and Outcomes:

• Upon notification of the grant award, or at the time of the visit of the roving archivist it is suggested that your organization submit press releases to the local media – print, TV, radio, as well as publicizing the visit on your institution’s website, and/or Facebook page.

  Press releases need to include the following:
  “This grant award was made possible through the Massachusetts State Historic Records Advisory Board (MA SHRAB)and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) grant program.”

• Copy of the press release and any online publicity should be submitted to the SHRAB along with the expressed permission allowing SHRAB to use the publicity to promote SHRAB and other SHRAB programs.
• Six months after receipt of your report from the Roving Archivist, SHRAB would welcome a brief one page narrative of what your institution has been able to accomplish with the direction of the RA’s recommendations, along with any challenges you have met, and projected work plan.

Updated 2024-06-24