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Funding Boost for Kansas Historical Records and Publications Projects
The Kansas State Historical Society (KSHS) and various Kansas-based organizations have received significant grants to support a wide range of historical records preservation and publication projects. These grants aim to increase public awareness and appreciation of Kansas's heritage.
The KSHS, founded in 1875, serves as the official archival repository and administers historic preservation programs at both state and federal levels. With an annual appropriation of approximately $8.4 million from the state general fund and about $11.5 million in total funding for FY 2025, the KSHS supports its broad mission, including record preservation and publications like Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains.
One of the KSHS's key projects is the Electronic Records Applied Research Project, for which it received a grant to conduct research, evaluate guidelines, and modify them based on the research results. The funding for Publications Projects alone totals $36,681, supporting various publications such as the Anderson Family Papers, Town and Land Company Records, and the Private Papers of Charles and Sara T.D. Robinson.
Other organizations have also benefited from these grants. For instance, the University of Kansas received $114,213 for a three-year project to survey, accession, arrange, and describe materials which document the African-American experience in Kansas. Meanwhile, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious received $32,400 to conduct nationwide several week-long workshops on basic archival techniques for persons designated archivists by their religious orders.
Johnson County, too, received a grant of $20,000 to support the County's Archives and Records Management Program and develop a plan for online access to the Archives. Additionally, Johnson County Government received $88,566 to develop its website and records management program.
The Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board received several grants, including a strategic planning project to assess its mission and vision, evaluate surveys, identify issues, and establish task forces, as well as funding for programming by the Kansas Historical Records Advisory Board. The Kansas Historical Foundation also received grants to support the Kansas Historical Records Advisory Board's programs.
Other projects include a two-year project to create or verify high-level content information for the KSHS's holdings, a project to develop and implement an electronic records management policy for Kansas state government and for local governments, and a regrant project to preserve endangered local government records of enduring value and make them accessible through microfilming.
In summary, the KSHS's core funding objectives focus on maintaining and disseminating Kansas historical records and publications, backed by significant state appropriations. Other Kansas organizations provide more limited or specialized grants related to community histories or cultural projects.
- The Kansas State Historical Society received a grant for the Electronic Records Applied Research Project, contributing to the manufacturing of guidelines and modifications based on research findings in the industry of record preservation.
- The Kansas State Historical Foundation also received grants to support the Kansas Historical Records Advisory Board's programs, which includes funding for the finance and publication of various historical records and publications like the Anderson Family Papers.
