History's Venture Capitalist: The NHPRC

John W. Carlin

As Archivist of the United States, one of my duties is to serve as the Chairman of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), which helps preserve, publish, and make accessible the documentary heritage of the United States. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the important work that the NHPRC is doing through its grant program, its educational activities, and its collaboration with the states.

The NHPRC is the grant-making affiliate of the National Archives and Records Administration and is the only national grant-making organization, public or private, whose mission is to save historical records from destruction and to publish the papers of significant figures and themes in American history. The NHPRC is composed of fifteen representatives of the three branches of the federal government and of professional associations of archivists, historians, and records officers. The commission helps archives, colleges and universities, historical agencies, and other individuals and organizations to assess the condition of records, develop archival and records management programs, and publish important historical documents. On parchment and paper, on film and computer tape, the documents tell us much about our culture and give us a unique perspective on our own times. The commission's commitment is to safeguard a national documentary legacy that, if lost, cannot be replaced.

Despite the fact that it operates on a minuscule budget by federal standards--a current grants budget of approximately $6.5 million--the NHPRC acts as a catalyst in launching new projects and stimulating private and public cooperation. Working with local and state archivists, historians, and others, the commission uses its federal grant dollars as inducements for others to save and publish records. It provides seed money and lends credibility to worthy endeavors. It also helps projects raise additional funds, and its stringent grant requirements produce strong, viable programs. In other words, as NHPRC helps save evidence of the nation's history, it employs methods and strategies familiar to any successful entrepreneurial enterprise by establishing clear and worthy goals, assembling the best possible teams for the work, helping bring together close and effective partnerships, and seeking support from those with common interests and needs.

In addition, the NHPRC supports the editing and publication of several documentary works that focus on the founding of the United States. These publications make a vast range of historical materials widely accessible, help researchers in many fields negotiate elusive research paths, enrich the scholarship of historians, and provide essential information to all Americans--whether the genealogist tracing family roots, the lawyer seeking historical precedent, or the student discovering events long past. The commission financially supports the editorial work on the volumes and also provides assistance to nonprofit presses for the publication of the editions.

Efforts by the states to preserve and make available valuable documentary resources are also supported by the commission. In each state and territory and the District of Columbia, the commission relies on a State Historical Records Advisory Board as the central advisory body for historical records planning and for projects carried out within the state, including "regrant" projects that combine federal dollars with matching nonfederal funds. The NHPRC supports efforts to survey historical records within the states; to prepare strategic plans that articulate and address state historical records priorities; and to develop programs jointly funded by the NHPRC and the states to address such key priorities as archival training, archival and records management programs, the conservation of damaged records, and other measures necessary to ensure that vital records are not lost to the ravages of time, neglect, and accident.

As record keeping becomes more electronic, it is essential that policy makers, managers, and the public create mechanisms that insure that records remain comprehensive and authentic. In addition, we must make certain that records created today will be readable on tomorrow's technology. The NHPRC is laying a research foundation for understanding the problems confronting archivists and records managers in the proliferation of electronic records. Through research and development projects, conferences, and other efforts, the commission is working to help establish the best practices for long-term preservation and access to these records.

The commission is now beginning to focus on rescuing and making available to the public records of communities in the United States that have been traditionally underdocumented in history books and in collections of papers at manuscript repositories.The NHPRC is supporting a project at Northeastern University, for example, to ensure the preservation of the history of several of Boston's underdocumented communities such as Chinese Americans and Puerto Ricans. This effort is vital at a time when the concepts of nation and national identity are undergoing critical analysis and redefinition.

As we Americans take stock of who we are and decide what parts of our culture, history, and values we will bring with us into the future, we must preserve the historical evidence. In preserving, protecting, and making accessible the nation's documentary heritage, the NHPRC is playing a vital role.