Kentucky Chapter pushes for federal funding

Information Outlook, May, 2005

When the going gets tough the SLA Kentucky Chapter gets going. That is what happened when President Bush gave the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) zero funding in his proposed 2006 budget. Chapter Secretary Stacey Greenwell stepped forward and led the association to add a link to their site advocating continued funding. The NHPRC request is an "action alert" on the SLA Web site (http://capwiz.com/sla/home).

Due to the efforts of Kentucky librarians, the Council of State Historical Records Coordinators has indicated Kentucky as a model for other states to follow.

This struggle is important to Kentucky, which has received more than $2.1 million in funding to support such projects as the Kentucky Virtual Library, the Kentucky Local Records Grants program administered by Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, the publication of the Henry Clay Papers at the University of Kentucky, and Louis Brandeis and D.W. Griffiths publications at the University of Louisville.

NHPRC money also has been given directly to institutions to preserve and process important collections. These include the University of Louisville for microfilming the Louisville Defender newspaper, the Filson Historical Society for preserving important Kentucky manuscripts, KDLA and the Kentucky Historical Society for microfilming the records of Kentucky governors from 1792 to 1927, and University of Kentucky for the preservation of photographs from the Lexington Herald Leader.

"Without this important funding, Kentucky history would deteriorate and fade from knowledge," a press release from the Kentucky chapter said.