Vasa National Archives receives Sherrard Foundation Grant

The Bill and Susan Sherrard Foundation has given the Vasa National Archives a grant to organize and preserve their library collections. Grant funds will be used to hire a summer intern and purchase supplies to complete the library organization project. This project will make the books more accessible to researchers in Henry County and those interested in Swedish-American/Canadian history.

The Vasa Order is an international fraternal Swedish-American organization focused on Nordic heritage, traditions and education with lodges located throughout the US, Canada, and Sweden. The Vasa National Archive houses the collections from the Vasa Order of America from 1896-present. Additional collections folk costumes, personal belongings and artworks created by Nordic and Swedish immigrants. Swedish and Nordic historical documents and films, pictures and AV recordings of special events held across the US and Canada. The book collection contains over 3,500 books and pamphlets on Sweden, Swedish-America, and Swedish-Canada.

The book collection represents a range of topics related to Sweden, Swedish history and immigration, Swedish immigrant communities in both America and Canada, and Nordic cultures and customs. The book collections also contain books written by Swedish-Americans and Swedish-Canadians. The Vasa National Archives collects books printed in the Swedish language and published in America. The publication dates range from mid-1800s to the present.

Anyone interested in applying for the internship is encouraged to contact the Vasa National Archives at VasaArchivist@gmail.com, 309-927-3898, or PO Box 101, Bishop Hill, IL 61419.