News

Archivist Hired for Cooperative Grant-Funded Project to Assist Wyoming Cultural Heritage Institutions

Details: Category: Archives News; Published: Friday, 12 August 2022 06:40

The Wyoming State Records Advisory Board (SHRAB) is excited to announce the hiring of a project archivist through funds from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

This one-year grant award funds a part-time archivist to build an information network for records stewards from Wyoming’s libraries, museum, and archives to foster discussions on preserving and providing access to cultural heritage resources in the state. The project’s first phase includes identifying and conducting a needs survey of Wyoming’s smaller repositories that house archival materials and creating an online directory from these survey contacts.

After a national search, Jordan Meyerl has been hired to conduct the first phase. She has a Bachelor’s in English Literature from Arcadia University and a Master’s in History on the Archives track from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She is currently an Archives Cataloguer with Historic New England. Previously she worked as a Business Systems Analyst at Harvard Business School’s Baker Library and as a Clinical Documentation Specialist with

Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

“I am passionate about collaborating with smaller institutions to ensure they have the appropriate resources to preserve and make accessible the cultural heritage resources in Wyoming,” says Meyerl, adding, “I am incredibly lucky to be part of the early stages of this project and look forward to seeing its evolution and growth over the course of this year.”

Based on Meyerl’s work, a follow-up grant proposal to the NHPRC will be written with the intention of establishing a traveling archivist program (TAP) in Wyoming. The overall objective of this effort is to create a program that provides much needed support to Wyoming’s smaller historical societies and museums, as well as to public libraries with local history manuscript collections.

“I have previously worked on the Mass Memories Road Show, a project aimed at empowering communities to preserve their own history when there are no cultural heritage organizations,” says Meyerl. “However, we also need to empower and support existing organizations to preserve their history and build stronger relationships to local communities. Establishing a TAP is a key step in this process.”

The project is a collaboration between the Wyoming State Archives, the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming, and WY SHRAB.

For more information, please contact Sara Davis, SHRAB Coordinator and Wyoming State Archivist at 307-777-8691 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or Leslie Waggener, AHC Simpson Archivist at 307-766-2557 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Wyoming SHRAB promotes the identification, preservation, and dissemination of the state’s historical records, by encouraging and supporting ongoing training programs for state, tribal and local governments, local repositories, organizations, and others involved in records care in Wyoming. Grants are made available through the Wyoming SHRAB by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The program is administered by the Wyoming State Archives, which is part of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resource