Historical Society of Cheshire County Receives Connecting to Collections Bookshelf

The Historical Society of Cheshire County (HSCC) has received a set of conservation resources designed to assist museums, libraries, and archives in caring for their collections from the Connecting to Collections program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums, and the program is an initiative to assist small organizations in caring for their collections. It was funded by the Getty Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

Connecting to Collections provides 22 texts which address a wide range of collections issues and provide specific information about caring for objects, documents, photographs, artwork, and digital materials; guidance on responding to conservation challenges; and instructions for developing emergency response plans. "Properly preserving and storing valuable collections is a challenge to small museums," said Alan Rumrill, Executive Director of the Historical Society of Cheshire County. "We are pleased to have these important resources to assist us and anyone who accesses the materials in our library."

The Historical Society collections include the Wright Collection of New England town histories, vital records, and important genealogical sources, including published family genealogies, passenger and immigration list indexes, and collections of DAR lineage books and the New England Historic and Genealogical Society Register. It is one of the most important genealogical research collections in New Hampshire. In addition to the Wright Collection, the HSCC collections include more than 300,000 local history items, the vast majority of which are library and archival research collections, including manuscripts, books, photographs, newspapers, maps, and hundreds of films, DVDs, CD's and microfilm reels.

The Historical Society of Cheshire County is located in the historic Ball Mansion at 246 Main Street in Keene. Its library is open to the public free of charge Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. Information about the Historical Society is available at www.hsccnh.org or may be obtained by calling (603) 352-1895.