Services ...

Federation Advisor Network (FAN)

With a diverse membership of historical societies, museums, historic sites, genealogical societies, historical commissions, and other groups, Federation members have years of experience in many aspects of preserving state and local history. Through the Federation Advisor Network, Federation members who have questions—on such topics as developing exhibits or managing volunteers—can connect with members who have experience.

The Federation has created a database of members who have volunteered to offer advice on particular topics. Please look at the list below to see the areas in which advisors can offer support:

• Accession/Deaccession
• Board Training
• Creating Historical Publications/Videos
• Digital Outreach (Social Media)
• Disaster Recovery
• Exhibit Development
• Fundraising
• Genealogical Research
• Grant Writing
• Management of a Museum Facility
• Management of Collections
• Management of Finances
• Management of Personnel
• Management of Volunteers
• Newsletter Publication
• Physical Security of a Facility
• Public Programming
• Public Relations/Working with the Media
• Restoration and Conservation
• Retail Issues
• School Programming
• Setting Up a Library
• Starting a Museum

If you have a question or need advice in one of the areas outlined above, please contact Laura Ketcham at laura.ketcham@ncdcr.gov or at (919) 807-7395. In your request, be sure to specify which area you would like advice in and to give your contact information. In return, you will receive the name and contact information of up to three advisors who have signed up in that area. It will then be up to you to contact any or all of those advisors to seek assistance.

If you have wisdom to share and are willing to offer advice to other Federation members, please click on the link below to download a copy of the Advisor Application Form. We especially need more advisors in the following topics: board training and development; digital outreach; disaster recovery; grant writing; physical security of a facility; restoration and conservation; retail issues; and setting up a library. Please fill out the Application Form, save it to your computer, and email the completed form to laura.ketcham@ncdcr.gov.

Advisor Application Form(doc)

Revolving Fund

The Federation offers interest-free revolving loans. Any organization may apply; however, Federation members have priority. The types of loans are:

Historical Publications Loan

Groups may apply for amounts up to $15,000 for the publication of historical books or pamphlets. Applications are accepted throughout the year. Grantees have one year in which to repay the loan.

(List of Publications)
Application for Publishing Book or Pamphlet (PDF)

Historical/Educational Videos or CD's

Groups may apply for amounts up to $15,000 for the production of historical videos or cds. Applications are accepted throughout the year. Grantees have one year in which to repay the loan.
Application for Creating a Video or CD (PDF)

Special Events Loan

Member organizations may request up to $1,500 to use as seed money for special events. Grantees have three months in which to repay the loan.

Application for Special Event (PDF)

Workshops

The Federation sponsors workshops in the spring and fall focusing on different aspects of perserving, sharing and promoting local history.

Spring 2012 Workshops

Thursday, April 19 - New Hanover County Public Library, Wilmington
Thursday, May 10 - Patrick Beaver Memorial Library, Hickory
Thursday, May 17 - Edgecombe Community College, Rocky Mount

Learn about the basics of good research and a variety of resources to help you discover your community's history during the Federation's spring workshops. Discover how city directories, maps, ads, online collections, and other resources can help you uncover your community's past, and learn about useful resources offered by the Department of Cultural Resources.

Bob Crowley, curator of the N.C. Railway Museum, will lead a morning session on researching business and industrial history. In the afternoon, different presenters at each workshop will focus on one aspect of local history. In Wilmington, Beverly Tetterton will describe the rich local history collections available at the New Hanover Public Library. Also in Wilmington, professor Kate Amerson and several of her students will talk about how they conducted research into New Bern's 300 years of history for a documentary, and will screen the 30-minute film, Voices of New Bern. In Hickory, Leslie Keller will describe her research that led to the publication of Lost Hickory, an exploration of historic buildings that were lost over time. In Rocky Mount, city officials will describe how they uncovered parts of the city's political and architectural history and will offer a tour of restored buildings.

Registration Information
The workshop, which starts at 10 a.m.,is being offered at three locations across the state: the New Hanover County Public Library in Wilmington on April 19; the Patrick Beaver Memorial Library in Hickory on May 10, and Edgecombe Community College in Rocky Mount on Thursday, May 17. Registration is $20 for Federation members, $25 for non-members. For questions or more information, call (919) 807-7395.

Connecting to Collections

The Federation also partners with the Department of Cultural Resources in DCR’s Connecting to Collections initiative. The Department is offering workshops on collections care and disaster planning; please visit the N.C. Connecting to Collections website at (http://c2c.ncdcr.gov/forums-workshops.html) for more information.