The New Jersey Caucus of the
Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC) is pleased to announce the
recipient of the 2017 Innovative Archives Award is the Morristown National Historical Park, Library and Archives located
in Morristown, New Jersey.
MARAC is the regional
professional society for archivists and special collections professionals. It spans from New York to Virginia and
includes Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
The New Jersey Caucus comprises those members of MARAC living or working
in the state of New Jersey.
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| Dr. Sarah Minegar and Dr. Jude Pfister accepted the award at the October 14th Monmouth County Library Archives Day |
The Morristown National
Historical Park, Library and Archives, with a staff of three, has made great
strides in promoting the history of the site that George Washington chose as
his winter encampment for two winters during the Revolutionary War, and making
the Library’s collections an active site for research and discovery. In
addition to offering a series of
lectures, partnerships, and online articles, the curatorial staff collaborates
with universities and secondary schools to make historical manuscripts
accessible and relevant to young learners.
The Library and Archives has
pioneered several programs to reach out to secondary schools in the region and
engage those students and teachers in the complex concepts of historic
documentation and research that are involved in writing our nation’s
history. Having designed programs which
include example lesson plans to help schools to integrate the resources of the
Library and Archives into their curriculum needs, they also offer on-site
programs to further engage the young students in the joy of historical
discovery.
Their partnership with local
schools and universities have had a very high impact; most recently displaying
information related to the Shakespeare Folio that visited Drew University in
the Fall of 2016. One popular topic was
the art of transcription using their own records to discuss and demonstrate the
challenges of reading cursive writing.
The staff have developed,
with the help of high school and college-age interns, a variety of ways to
engage young adults in the research
process. This creative thinking along with the shear excitement communicated by
the staff for their topics is felt by those who participate in these
projects.
For these reasons, MARAC- NJ Caucus is pleased
to recognize the Library and Archives of the Morristown National Park as this
year’s recipient of the 2017 Innovative Archives Award.
MARAC - New Jersey Caucus
Innovative Archives Award Committee
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