North Haven Historical Preservation Fellow Placement Opportunity

The North Haven Historical Society was founded as a 501(c)(3) organization in 1975 by a small group of island residents concerned about the loss of historically significant documents and artifacts that were being disposed of when island houses were cleaned and sold to summer people. The goal was to acquire, study, and preserve material and to honor and perpetuate the memory of early settlers on the island. The documented history of the island goes back to the Red Paint People who were summer residents more than 5000 years ago, but the focus of the Historical Society is on preserving the archival material and artifacts related to the history of the island's settlement in the 1760s and its growth since then, including governmental, economic, social, and educational changes. 

By vote of the townspeople, the Society's archival collections and library have been housed in a room in the Town Office building since 1977. Soon thereafter, Lewis and Ida Haskell gave the Society their property on Pulpit Harbor Road, including a replica late-1800s store and museum attached to their house. (They have a lifetime tenancy in the attached apartment.) In 1994 a barn was built to house donated farm implements, and in 1998 a boat shed was constructed to house island-built small boats of historical significance. About the same time, the Officers and Board realized that there was no longer room to store the ever-increasing archival collections in the room at the Town Office building. Work thus began to plan and construct an Archives Building on the property at Pulpit Harbor Road. With extensive support from both the year-round and summer communities as well as major gifts from the National Endowment for the Humanities and several private foundations, the Society raised the funds for, and is just finishing construction of, a new Archives Building that includes climate-controlled, state-of-the-art archival safe storage and work areas, a library, and a meeting/education room. 

The Society is governed by a Board of Directors and Officers who adhere to the mission statement and bylaws as they conduct business for the organization. Extensive work is done by a multitude of volunteers and members. There are no paid staff members. 

As they move collections from the Town Office Building to the new Archives Building, volunteers are ever more cognizant of the need to catalogue and assign accession numbers to each precious item. The Fellow would work with volunteer amateur archivists to move items into the new Archives room in an organized and professional manner. They plan to use the American Association for State and Local History's accession and cataloging software, PastPerfect. They plan to send the archivists and fellow for training as needed and will take advantage of offers of advice and help from mainland archivists who use PastPerfect. Collections need to be scanned and preserved as they are stored so that originals remain in good condition and scanned documents can be used for research and study. 

The Society would like to develop a website to enhance its public image and disseminate information about collections, programs, and activities available to the public. The Fellow could be of enormous help in this process and maintain it once it is up and running. They will have state-of-the-art computer equipment, printers, scanners, etc., and wireless connections to network and the internet. The Meeting/Education Room will have the latest audio/visual equipment for presentations and programs. 

Without further elaboration, a list of some of the anticipated activities and responsibilities the Fellow would assist with includes: 

1. Catalogue and assign accession numbers to archives and artifacts using PastPerfect software.
2. Scan documents, photos, diaries, genealogies, etc.
3. Preserve and store archival materials and artifacts.
4. Develop a Website, including calendar of events, for the Society and keep it updated.
5. Work with school and community groups on programs using Historical Society resources for their research and education. One example is to conduct genealogy workshops to teach individuals how to research their own family histories, thus adding to our already extensive collection of island family genealogies. Another might be working in the School with a particular class using original resources to study local history.
6. Help with the development and production of monthly/weekly public and school programs, including a major art exhibit, the Gardner Cox retrospective, currently planned for summer 2009. Help with planning, publicity, and execution of public activities, educational programs, exhibits, etc., at the Museum and Archives Building.
7. Attend board meetings and keep current with the business of the Society, presenting ideas for and helping with programs that serve the Society and further its mission.
8. Assist the Board with our Oral History Project currently underway. Interview a wide range of island residents on various topics to create a collection of oral histories of North Haven. Document and store these histories for easy retrieval.
9. Help with the accession of the Oscar Waterman Arrowhead Collection which we have been given by the family and the North Haven Library and assist with its organization, display and documentation in the Museum.
10. Assist in the Museum as needed to set up displays, help with tours, guide research, etc.
11. Supervise researchers in the Library or Archives as they need access to collections.

The Fellow will have many opportunities to create and carry out programs and activities of special interest that they are confident will develop as she/he learns more about the Society, the collections, and the community of North Haven.