NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE LIBRARY ANNOUNCES CONSERVATION GRANT RECIPIENTS

by Janet Eklund
Administrator of Library Operations
NH State Library
(603) 271-2397 www.nh.gov/nhsl

Eight New Hampshire institutions have received over $58,000 in funding through the New Hampshire State Library's Conservation (Moose Plate) License Plate Program for the 2006/2007 fiscal year.

Those that were awarded grants are: the City of Claremont ($10,000), the Town of Madison ($6,856); the Town of Gilford ($9,280), the Tow of Farmington ($8,531); the Town of Hancock ($9,707); the Town of Chichester ($8,050), the Town of Newport ($2,900) and the Bedford Public Library, which was awarded $3,785 for the "Bedford Public Library 1789 Register Preservation Project."

According to the 1903 history of Bedford, there was a circulating library there as early as 1789. The Town has a leather-bound register listing the library's original accessions a well as the names of the 38 residents who were the library's original subscribers. This money will be used to preserve this register as a document of historic significance.

The City of Claremont will use their awarded funds to restore and preserve fourteen unique volumes of historical cemetery books. These books, which in many instances are the only record of New Hampshire's first settlers, contain valuable and irreplaceable information about many of the state's early citizens.

"During this round of funding, the State Library received 13 applications totaling over $100,000," said Michael York, N.H. State Librarian. "Since it's inception in 2003, the State Library has funded 42 grant applications totaling over $220,000. We look forward to these numbers growing in the future and continuing to award deserving projects and communities."

The next round of grants will be announced in late January 2007. For more information, please visit www.nh.gov/nhsl/moose or contact Janet Eklund, (603) 271-2393 or at jeklund@library.state.nh.us.

Be sure to continue buying, giving and renewing Moose Plates so there will be sufficient funds for future worthwhile projects in New Hampshire. For more information on Moose Plates, please visit www.mooseplate.com.