IMLS awards funding for “Firefox Scholar” and “The Object of History”
CHNM is pleased to announce two new awards from the Institute for Museum and Library Services for Firefox Scholar and The Object of History.
The Object of History, a joint project of CHNM and the Smithsonian Institution�s National Museum of American History, will develop a new model for bringing museum objects and expertise to students in remote classrooms and for teaching them how to engage and analyze these artifacts. Through virtual representations and interpretations of iconic objects chosen from the NMAH collection, students will learn about key themes in American history. CHNM plans to develop six interactive web-based object lessons and virtual field trips that provide not only an educational resource for students and teachers nationwide but also provide a cost-effective, innovative, and replicable model for history museums seeking new ways to educate audiences and disseminate collections.
Firefox Scholar, a collaboration with the Virtual Library of Virginia, will create a set of free, open source web browser tools, which will enhance scholars� access to and use of digital library and museum collections. Firefox Scholar operates within the browser window and allows users to recognize and capture metadata from online objects, collect documents, images, and citations from the web. Firefox Scholar will relieve libraries and museums of the need to build personal collection tools for their users and greatly leverage the substantial investment they have already made in digitizing collection materials. Like the Firefox browser, Firefox Scholar will be open and extensible, allowing others who are building digital tools for researchers to expand on the platform.