Download our Logo
Vol. 24:2 ISSN 0160-8460 August 1996
NHPRC Staff Review Grants Process, External Communications
At the request of the Executive Director, members of the NHPRC staff are initiating reviews of the Commission's grant program and the processes used to carry it out and of communications tools, including Annotation. These reviews are part of an effort to enhance services to grant applicants and grantees, to take advantage of advances in technology to improve communications with constituents, and to make the best use of resources in a time of staff transition and general government downsizing.
Richard Cameron, Assistant Program Director for State Programs, is leading a Commission staff team in a program review and process redesign project. The project will analyze all of the processes that make up the Commission's grant program in an effort to maintain or improve the quality of service to the Commission's grantees, applicants, and other constituents, as well as the way in which Commission staff work together with others in the National Archives and Records Administration, and with other government agencies. Among the areas that the review team may consider are a reduction or simplification of our guidelines and application process, streamlining of grant payment procedures and project reporting, improved access to and increased use of the many products created by Commission grantees, and increased knowledge, nationwide, about Commission-sponsored work and research. As always, Commission staff seek comments and suggestions from those who have had direct contact with the staff as well as those who know the Commission primarily through the work it supports. It is especially important for Commission staff to hear about areas where our work or processes set a standard that should be maintained and about areas where our work or processes can be improved. The report resulting from this review will be presented to the Commission at its November 1996 meeting.
Communications with grantees, potential grantees, state historical records coordinators, and others interested in the Commission's work are also an important part of the grant program. A report presented to the Commission by the Executive Director and staff at the June Commission meeting emphasized the potential of the NHPRC's new Web site (see related story, p. 3) to enable grant applicants to obtain application forms and other information electronically; assist grantees with the dissemination of information about their projects; and provide a means for the Commission and staff to post news and information of interest to the archival, editing, and historical communities. At the same time, the report recognized that many people still do not have Internet access and that a newsletter can serve an outreach function beyond the boundaries of paperless communications.
Acting on recommendations in the report, staff are undertaking an evaluation of the content, audience, format (including length), frequency, and cost of Annotation. Readers are invited to share their impressions and to suggest possible improvements. For example, what information would you like to see in Annotation that is not there? What information currently in Annotation could be dropped or provided through some other means? What changes could be made in the format, length, or frequency of Annotation that would improve its usefulness or readability? If Annotation were only published electronically, would you have access to it, and if so, would you read it?
Staff will utilize upcoming professional meetings, such as the Society of American Archivists meeting August 27 to September 1, the American Association for State and Local History meeting September 11 to 14, and the Association for Documentary Editing meeting September 26 to 28, to publicize these reviews and to solicit suggestions for process and communications improvements. If you are planning to attend one of these meetings, please seek out an NHPRC staff member with your comments. In addition, suggestions or questions about the reviews may be submitted electronically to nhprc@nara.gov or by mail to Program Review, NHPRC, National Archives Building (Archives I), Room 607, Washington, DC 20408.
