UMD receives $3.6M grant to improve Native records access

The University of Maryland has been awarded a $3.6 million Mellon Foundation grant to improve access to Indigenous archival records. The project, led by professors Diana Marsh and Shelbi Nahwilet Meissner, will develop tools and standards to make Indigenous collections more accessible and culturally respectful. Collaborating with Tribal organizations and the Social Networks and Archival Context Cooperative, the initiative seeks to repair harmful colonial-era practices in archival descriptions.