Caddo Heritage Museum Receives Grant
Caddo Heritage Museum RECEIVES GRANT TO HELP PRESERVE ITS HISTORIC COLLECTIONS  

            The Oklahoma Department of Libraries, in partnership with the Oklahoma Historical Records Advisory Board, today announced that the Caddo Heritage Museum was awarded a “Threats to Your Collection” grant of $1000 to aid in protecting existing historic materials. 

              In October, 2008, the Caddo Nation restructured many of the programs. The Caddo Heritage Museum, NAGPRA, and the THPO offices are now combined as one department within the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma. In forming this Cultural Department, the resource holdings associated with these three programs have tripled. All three programs overlap and have had great success in working together in the past. The materials of these offices include archeological reports, field notes, maps, GIS reports, photographs, legal agreements, repatriation files, manuscripts, and numerous other associated research materials. This new restructuring now presents additional storage and organizational needs in order to provide a safe repository for the preservation of these important Caddo resources. “In presenting this grant to Caddo Heritage Museum, it is our intention to help further its commitment to providing the best possible care of the historic materials in its collections,” said Susan McVey, Director of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries.  “We hope that these grants will facilitate increased local support for the care of historic collections held by organizations such as the Caddo Heritage Museum.”            According to McVey, the “Threats to Your Collection” grant opportunity was an outcome of a statewide survey that assessed the condition of collections held by Oklahoma’s 800 museums and libraries.  The study found that almost all organizations have lost historic materials through theft, environmental damage, and other causes.  “It is our goal to stem the loss of Oklahoma’s heritage by providing funding for secure storage, environmental controls, archival storage supplies, fire detection, and other projects that address threats to collections,” McVey said.Support for the grant program was provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the funding arm for the National Archives and Records Administration.   Grants totaling $50,000 were awarded to 27 Oklahoma institutions out of the 37 applications received during this year’s grant period. Grants ranged from $750 to $5350. Space in any form, is valuable to our needs here at the tribal complex. Shelving, filing, and organizing are hard to do without the proper tools, space, and materials. The Caddo Heritage Museum is grateful for the approval of these monies to aid in the protection of these valuable Caddo collections.