Grant will help groups preserve UP history in a digital way

MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) - History in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is going digital.

A $100,000 federal grant will help create UPLINK, a digital network that will allow U.P. heritage groups to preserve collections and offer public access, The Mining Journal reported.

“The U.P. has struggled to identify, collect and preserve its documentary heritage,” said Marcus Robyns, archivist at Northern Michigan University. “Most museums, archives and libraries are not well funded and short-staffed, primarily with volunteers.

“This has resulted in considerable challenges for preservation and access to important historical records, making digitization projects nearly impossible,” Robyns said.

Robyns reached out to more than 20 heritage groups in the U.P. and found that only the Delta County Historical Society in Escanaba provides online public access to digital material.

NMU will host the website on a dedicated server. UPLINK will be managed by representatives from NMU, Michigan Technological University, Lake Superior State University and some heritage groups.