State Library of Oregon announces Grant Project of the Year

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Staff from Oregon State University Libraries and the Oregon Historical Society Research Library have received the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Project of the Year award from the State Library Board for their collaborative project, “Reuniting Finley and Bohlman.” They were honored at an event on Feb. 22 at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland for their work.

The Oregon Historical Society worked with the Special Collections and Archives Research Center of Oregon State University Libraries to digitize, preserve and present unique materials and photographs from more than 50 years by influential conservationists and photographers William L. Finley, Irene Barnhart Finley and Herman T. Bohlman.

The project was made possible in 2016 by an LSTA competitive grant, funded by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the State Library of Oregon. The award honors work completed in fiscal year 2016.

The project is accessible at http://oregondigital.org/sets/finley-bohlman. Using materials in the newly digitized collections, organizers also produced a series of public programs about the lasting work of the Finleys and Bohlman that was presented throughout Oregon.

“Reuniting Finley and Bohlman” was chosen as an exemplary project because it also widened a public understanding of Oregon’s history of natural conservation.

“This award is special because it exemplifies the power of collaborative projects,” said Larry Landis, director of the Special Collections and Archives Research Center at OSU Libraries, “and collaboration has been a core value of the OSU Libraries and Press for several years.”