WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK 1987-1988


of the Wisconsin Council for Local History. In this way the society combines
the benefits of a
democratically based private membership with the publicly supported program,
one that at-
tempts to blend the scholarly and the popular aspects of history for the
education and enjoyment
of the citizens of Wisconsin.
   The board selects the director, who serves as the administrative head
of the society.
   The Historical Markers Council is composed of 5 ex officio members. It
meets in February in
 Madison, at which time it chooses its chairperson, and it may also hold
special meetings.
   The Division of Historic Sites, the Division of Museum, the Burial Sites
Preservation Board
 and the Historic Preservation Review Board are all attached to the society
for administrative
 purposes under statute Section 15.03.

   Agency Responsibility: From the very beginning, the State Historical Society
has actively col-
 lected and interpreted the history of Wisconsin in the context of Midwest
and American history.
   Today, as in the past, the society has a statutory charge to collect and
preserve historical and
 cultural resources relating to Wisconsin, the Midwest, and the nation, and
to make them freely
 available to students, scholars, the citizens of Wisconsin, and the general
public. To implement
 this program, the Board of Curators has established 4 major objectives:
1) maintenance of a
 major research collection in American history for scholarly research at
the university level and at
 cooperating area research centers at 11 university campuses and Northland
College; 2) promo-
 tion of an appreciation and understanding of Wisconsin history by operating
a museum, historic
 sites, and a statewide school services program, along with extension of
technical services and
 advice to more than 200 affiliated local historical societies throughout
the state; 3) research and
 publication in Wisconsin and American history and the broadest possible
dissemination of this
 information; and 4) preservation of historic structures and archaeological
sites through adminis-
 tration of the National Register of Historic Places program in the state.

   Unit Functions:
   Archives collects, catalogs and makes available primary source materials,
including manu-
 scripts, maps, charts, photographs and other records pertaining to the history
of the state and
 the nation. Collections are particularly strong in Wisconsin history and
genealogy; the history of
 labor and the industrialization of America; social action, including civil
rights and antiwar
 movements; mass communications, including journalism, broadcasting, public
relations and ad-
 vertising; and dramatic arts, including the theater, motion pictures and
television. Archives is
 also the official repository for the permanent records of the state and
its political subdivisions.
 Its collections include more than 84,000 cubic feet of records and more
than 1,000,000 photo-
 graphs and other graphic images, some 25,000 maps and atlases, and more
than 20,000 audio
 recordings. Separate collections in the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater
Research include
 approximately 14,000 motion picture titles, some 2,000,000 still pictures
and other graphic
 images pertaining to the performing arts of film, theater and television,
and other items of film
 memorabilia.
   Editorial is responsible for the editing and publication of most scholarly
and popular materials
issued by the society.
   Historic Preservation administers a comprehensive program of historic
preservation in the
state, including - in partnership with the National Park Service - the National
Register of
Historic Places in Wisconsin. It surveys the state to identify and locate
places or architectural,
historic, and archaeological significance, and nominates them to the National
Register; adminis-
ters federal grants from the Historic Preservation Fund for survey, planning,
and rehabilitation
and restoration of historic properties; reviews federally funded and licensed
projects for their
impacts on historic and prehistoric properties; certifies projects for federal
income tax credits to
rehabilitate historic income-producing buildings; certifies local governments
to participate di-
rectly in state and federal historic preservation programs; and conducts
a program to catalog
and preserve historically and culturally significant burial sites. It also
carries out a statewide
educational and informational program on relevant aspects of Wisconsin history
and prehistory,
and on historic preservation programs.
  See the Historic Preservation Review Board and Burial Sites Preservation
Board in the "At-
tached Units" section that follows.


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