The kentucky museum at western kentucky university will undertake a project to establish greater intellectual and physical control over its extensive holdings by conducting the first full inventory…

The Kentucky Museum at Western Kentucky University received a $493,850 Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the Museums for America program (CFDA 45.301), awarded October 1, 2025, with completion targeted for September 30, 2028. The grant supports the museum's first comprehensive inventory of its extensive holdings since 1939 by funding a full-time inventory manager and student intern positions operating under a digital-first, mentorship-based model aligned with the institution's teaching mission. The three-year project focuses on inventorying collections housed at the museum's off-site storage facility, where the majority of holdings are located, establishing greater intellectual and physical control over the collection.

This initiative directly supports key objectives identified in the museum's strategic plan and facilitates downstream institutional goals including fulfillment of preservation efforts, revision of the exhibit plan, and increased faculty and student participation in programs. The project builds on the success of previous IMLS-funded awards to the institution and represents a significant collections stewardship activity consistent with the Museums for America program's investment in museums of all sizes and disciplines through project-based funding focused on collections management, curation, and care.

The kentucky museum at western kentucky university will undertake a project to establish greater intellectual and physical control over its extensive holdings by conducting the first full inventory since IT began collecting in 1939. Building on the success of previous imls-funded awards, the museum will use grant funds to hire a full-time inventory manager and several student interns, who will work in a digital-first, mentorship-based model that aligns with their mission as a teaching museum. Over three years, the project team will inventory collections housed at the museum's off-site storage facility, where most collections are stored. This project is a key goal of the museum's strategic plan and leads into several other goals including fulfilment of preservation efforts, revising the exhibit plan, and increasing faculty and student participation in programs.