Jan 29, 2021 MARQUETTE — Northern Michigan University has received a $100,000 grant to launch UPLINK, a collaborative, regional digital network that will enable Upper Peninsula heritage organizations to preserve historical manuscript collections and offer online public access. The two-year project is being supported by a National Archives’ National Historical Publications and Records Commission implementation grant. NMU will be the home base for the project archivist. It will also serve as the principal service hub among three in the region capable of converting photographs, text and analog audio-visual media to a digital format. “The U.P. supplied much of the mineral and timber resources that fueled industrialization in the United States during the latter half of the 19th century and through much of the 20th,” said NMU Archivist Marcus Robyns, who initiated the effort. “Despite this important past, the U.P. has struggled to identify, collect and preserve its documentary heritage. 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.”