Organizations and individuals are invited to apply for the Regional
Council of Historical Agencies (RCHA) upstate New York Awards of Merit
program.  RCHA’s Awards recognize outstanding accomplishments in the
field of state, local or regional history and work to encourage projects
of similar excellence in upstate New York.  RCHA presents both awards
for Institutional Achievement and for Individual Achievement.
        Institutional Achievement awards recognize projects that demonstrates
innovation and excellence and examples of eligible projects include, but
are not limited to:  exhibits, publications, innovative collections
management programs, media projects, public and school programs and
other projects that contribute significantly to the preservation,
interpretation and presentation of state, local and regional history. 
Any organization is eligible, including, but not limited to:  regional,
county and local historical societies, specialized organizations and
societies in related fields, libraries or archives, junior historical
organizations and community organizations engaged in history-related
projects. Previous winners have included the Chittenango Landing Canal
Boat Museum for its exemplary newsletter, the Seneca Falls Historical
Society for its exhibition on Italian-Americans, and the Geneva
Historical Society for its exhibit, “Close to the Heart of the War: 
World War II in Geneva.”
        Awards of Individual Achievement go to individuals, either as paid
staff or volunteers, who are engaged in the research and/or presentation
of local history or to those whose participation and leadership has
contributed significantly to the success of local historical
organizations.  Previous winners in this category have included
Jefferson County historian Laura Lynn Scharer and Wendell Tripp of
Cooperstown, the editor of New York History.
        Said Linda Norris, Projects Manager for RCHA, “The awards are a way to
acknowledge the tremendous work done by individuals and organizations. 
Their community history efforts help all of us to understand our
communities as they grow and change.”  Applications for the awards must
be postmarked by February 15, 1999.  The awards are presented at RCHA’s
Annual Conference, held this year in Hamilton, NY on May 3, 1999.  To
receive an application form or more information, contact RCHA at its
toll-free number, 1-800-895-1648 or on-line at [log in to unmask]
        The Regional Council of Historical Agencies is a non-profit
organization, based in Cooperstown, that provides training, support and
other assistance to museums, historical societies, libraries, municipal
historians and other individuals interested in the preservation and
presentation of upstate history.  RCHA receives support from the New
York State Council on the Arts.