The Yellowstone Gateway Museum (YGM) has recently received a National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) Preservation Assistance Grant to support its ongoing work of properly storing significant archival materials held in its collections. “It is my great pleasure to announce the latest round of NEH grant awards,” said NEH Chairman William Adams. “NEH grants play a critical role in making the insights afforded by the humanities available to all to help us better understand ourselves, our culture, our society.”

NEH granted $17.9 million in awards and offers for 233 humanities projects.YGM is the only institution in the State of Montana to receive funds during this grant cycle.

The upcoming work at YGM fulfills an assessment made by local archival consultant Ellen Zazzarino in 2013. Zazzarino recommended relocating materials to storage areas in the museum that are regulated by an HVAC system, keeping temperature and humidity swings at a minimum. The timely move and re-housing of these collections is necessary to prevent deterioration of photographs, artwork, and paper items.Materials include early photographs and papers of individuals who moved to Livingston to work on the Northern Pacific Railway, to visit or work in Yellowstone National Park, and the ranchers and homesteaders who relocated to Montana from the 1880s to 1940s. Framed artwork is also included.

Trained volunteers will move collection items to the HVAC-controlled museum and store them in archival folders, boxes, and cabinets to ensure the stability of the items for current and future researchers. The $5,102 grant specifically funds the purchase of archival supplies and three fireproof cabinets. If you are interested in helping with this worthy project, please contact Karen Reinhart or Paul Shea at 406-222-4184 for more information.

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the NEH supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the NEH and its grant programs is available at:www.neh.gov. The NEH press release is available on the NEH website (www.NEH.gov) at: http://www.neh.gov/news/press-release/2014-12-08 which includes grant recipients nationwide.