For the second year in a row, the Utah State Historical Records Advisory Board (USHRAB) was awarded the SHRAB Award of Merit from the Council of State Archivists (CoSA) and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

The Utah State Historical Records Advisory Board, created by the State of Utah in 1978 and administered by the Utah Division of Archives and Records Service, is tasked with ensuring institutions keeping historical records are provided the support and resources. Guided by its 2023-2027 strategic plan, the USHRAB creates opportunities to holistically advance Utah’s archival communities, to address systemic deficiencies and needs, and to foster more interest in archival research. The strategic plan supports a re-grant program for processing and preservation, and also expands USHRAB’s role to encourage engagement and support for the archival profession. Among the initiatives are travel stipends and ways to increase the quality of applications from underserved communities. Learn more and see the strategic plan at ushrab.org.

In addition, USHRAB Executive Secretary Gen Miller was awarded the Atlas System’s’ Travel Stipend to attend the 2024 CoSA Annual Meeting in St. Louis last month. Miller’s interest in archives stems from her background as a researcher and her desire to understand the methods for organizing information and making historical documents accessible. She knows outreach is essential to USHRAB’s mission as many local government repositories utilize the consulting archivist and project grant programs to enhance the accessibility of their records.