The national world war i museum and memorial will digitize over 1,500 objects in its collection and make them available to the public on its online collections database

The National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri received a $727,233 Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the Museums for America (CFDA #45.301) program. The purpose of this two-year award is to digitize over 1,500 objects from the museum's collection, including posters, maps, camp newspapers, and oral histories, and make them available to the public through the museum's online collections database. The project will involve working with a contractor to digitize the collection, with museum staff overseeing a team of volunteers to upload the digital images and enter object metadata. Additionally, the grant will support the hire of a full-time digitization technician. This project aims to improve the care of the museum's collection by reducing the need for physical handling, enhance the staff's resources for developing exhibitions and programs, and provide improved public access to the museum's collections for scholars, researchers, educators, and the general public.

The objects selected for this project represent some of the most requested items in the collection and include posters, maps, camp newspapers, and oral histories. The museum will work with a contractor to digitize the collection. Project staff will then oversee a team of volunteers to upload digital images and enter object metadata into the database. The project will also support the hire of a full-time digitization technician. This project will improve the care of the collection by reducing the need for handling, benefit the staff by providing better resources for the development of exhibitions and programs, and provide enhanced access to the collections for scholars, researchers, educators, and the public.