Meet the Vermont Connecting to Collections Interns

BARRE, VT: During this past spring and summer, members of various Vermont historical societies have been meeting with Laura Brill and Emily Voss, the two interns, funded by IMLS,  who are working for the Vermont Historical Society in the Connecting to Collections program.

The IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services) awarded a $40,000 grant to the Vermont Historical Society, in partnership with the Vermont Museum and Gallery Alliance (VMGA)  the Vermont Department of Libraries, the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation and the Vermont State Archives in order to assess the needs of Vermont collections.

The interns coordinated the distribution of the survey, arranged logistics and speakers for the regional workshops, designed and wrote press releases and informational materials, entered survey responses into the database, visited Historical societies, and have cheerfully answered many questions.

“The majority of collections in Vermont are held by small institutions with limited means and no professional staff,” says Jackie Calder, Curator of the Vermont Historical Society Museum. “Laura and Emily have been instrumental in helping us distribute and complete the surveys, so we can assess the needs of Vermont’s collecting agencies and help with the preservation of Vermont's history."

Laura, a 2008 graduate of NYU’s M.A. program in Art History with an Advance Certificate in Conservation, will stay in Vermont and work on a special project at the Shelburne Museum. Emily will return to for her second and final year at the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent federal agency that grows and sustains a “Nation of Learning,” because lifelong learning is critical to success.  http://www.imls.gov