The michigan history center will develop and implement the preserving nuestras historias (preserving our histories) project that will support the preservation and sharing of materials and resources…

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources received a $511,275 Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the Museums for America program (CFDA 45.301), effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027. The award supports the "Preserving Nuestras Historias" (Preserving Our Histories) initiative, which will develop and implement a comprehensive preservation and digitization project focused on Latino history and culture materials in Michigan. The project team will deliver in-depth training and digital resources on preserving personal documents and artifacts, conduct oral history interviews, and host digitization events across Michigan communities. Additionally, the Michigan History Center will establish an online clearinghouse that aggregates resources, training materials, and a digital finding aid describing Latino history holdings across the state's museums, libraries, archives, and collecting institutions.

The initiative is designed to strengthen institutional capacity across Michigan's cultural institutions to preserve, engage with, and share Latino historical materials. By encouraging state repositories to accept and make these materials available online, the project will enhance public access to underrepresented cultural heritage while supporting professional development within the state's museum, library, and archival sectors. The Museums for America program supports project-based efforts in institutions of all sizes and disciplines to advance educational programming, community engagement, and collections stewardship activities aligned with strategic institutional priorities.

The michigan history center will develop and implement the preserving nuestras historias (preserving our histories) project that will support the preservation and sharing of materials and resources related to latino history and culture in michigan. The project team will provide in-depth trainings and digital resources on the preservation of personal documents and artifacts; conduct oral history interviews and host digitization days in communities across michigan; encourage the state's museums, libraries, archives, and other collecting institutions to accept materials and make them available online; and develop an online clearinghouse that provides resources, training materials, and a digital finding aid that describes holdings on latino history in michigan and provides links to their locations in repositories around the state. Overall, the project will enable sites across the state to better preserve, engage with, and share latino history and culture with their communities.