CAPES Program

CAPES - Caucus Archival Projects Evaluation Service

A Special Program of the New Jersey Caucus of the Mid-Atlantic Region Archives

Conference (MARAC), made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Historical

Commission (NJHC), Department of State.

Many organizations in New Jersey hold unique and valuable archival collections

but don't know how to manage them. The New Jersey Caucus of MARAC has

assisted hundreds of repositories [doc] through the CAPES program since 1989.

Its mission is twofold:

1. Provide small local archives, libraries, historical societies, agencies, and other

non-profit private organizations with assistance from professional archivists in

evaluating, organizing and preserving their archival materials. The records under

consideration must relate to the history of New Jersey in some fashion. These

consultations may include addressing issues in archival administration, collection

development, preservation management, disaster preparedness, arrangement and

description, staff training, exhibit preparation, publications, grant writing,

reformatting of original materials (i.e. microfilming or digitization), and public

programs.

2. Assess potential grant applications for archival projects prior to their

submission to grant funding agencies (e.g. NJHC, New Jersey State Library, and

the National Historical Publications and Records Commission). CAPES

applicants need not have a grant project in mind in order to apply for a CAPES

evaluation.

Under this program, CAPES consultants will:

1. Visit eligible organizations.
2. Assess each organization's needs.
3. Evaluate the feasibility of proposed archival projects.
4. Issue a report with recommendations specific to each applicant.
5. Train staff or volunteers in archival practices.
6. They may also provide assistance in writing grant applications.

The CAPES service is free of charge to the recipient organization. The service is

available to both public and private organizations, but the collections to be

evaluated must be accessible to the public. Most institutions funded by the state

or federal government are not eligible for the CAPES service. CAPES

consultants do not evaluate artifacts.

There is no application deadline. For more information and an application form,

visit www.newjerseyhistory.org/projbook06a.pdf to view the NJHC's 2006-7

grant application booklet and print out the two-page CAPES application in the

back of the PDF booklet.

Or, write to:
CAPES
c/o New Jersey Historical Commission
P.O. Box 305
Trenton NJ 08625-0305

TEL: 609/292-6062
FAX: 609/633-8168

The current Coordinator for the CAPES program is Carla Zimmerman. She can be

reached at:

28 Ingram Circle
Aberdeen, NJ 07747-1715

TEL: 732-462-1466

capescoordinator@gmail.com

To obtain the most recent CAPES Coordinator report contact Ms. Zimmerman directly.