Press Release – February 2022
Bixby Library is proud to announce that it has been awarded a Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (CVNHP) grant to continue bringing the library’s Object and Artifact Collections to life. In 2019, the library documented a complete inventory of donations made over the decades. In 2020, a CVNHP grant enabled the library to understand and develop a process to comply with the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) of 1993 which helps museums and other cultural institutions return items of indigenous American origin to their native In 2021, The Bixby Board of Trustees formed an Historical Collections Committee and updated its policies to reaffirm the library’s central role in curating, preserving, digitizing for broader access and providing contextualized presentation of the many archival and objects collections that celebrate the remarkable history of our five towns.
In 2022, Bixby Library will continue to make more of its locally-provenienced artifact collection available to the community through the creation of hands-on kits with associated exploration guides available to inspire learners of all ages. CVNHP funding in 2022 will support the development of five of these kits, and associated exhibits, which will touch on themes including civic duty, agriculture, art, culture, and beyond. We look forward to partnering with local historians, collectors, and educators to connect the relevance of our local history to the lives and mindsets among older and younger generations.
The Bixby community is deeply grateful to CVNHP for its generosity in funding this important work. We invite our community members join in this undertaking by volunteering, providing insights into local history and offering suggestions for making Bixby Historical Kits project as meaningful as possible for as many as possible.
About Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (CVNHP)
The project was funded by a 2022 Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (CVNHP) grant. Managed by the Lake Champlain Basin Program, the CVNHPworks with partners in the eleven counties surrounding Lake Champlain to conserve, interpret and promote the region’s natural and cultural treasures to build a sense of stewardship for its rich environmental, historic, and cultural resources. (Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership – Home)
This project is funded by an agreement P21AC11821-00 awarded by the United States National Park Service (NPS) to NEIWPCC in partnership with the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (CVNHP). The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government.
About the Bixby Memorial Free Library
Bixby Memorial Free Library proudly serves and is supported by the people of Addison, Ferrisburgh, Panton, Vergennes, and Waltham, Vermont, offering both traditional library lending as well as an ever-expanding range of services, programming, digital resources and technology for every age and every stage of life. The renowned 120-year-young library serves as the public cultural and community center offering welcoming spaces to read, relax, work, meet, socialize, host events and take in the view of the stained-glass dome from the marble lobby or Otter Creek Falls and the Adirondack from the west porch rocking chairs. Tuesday – Thursday: 10am to 7pm; Friday and Saturday: 10am to 3pm. Catharine Findiesen Hays, Director catharine.hays@bixbylibrary.org. Website: http://www.bixbylibrary.org/