The Marshfield Sun Printing Museum has won a $6,540 grant from the National Institute for Conservation's Conservation Assessment Program.

The program helps small and mid-sized museums get assessments of their collections, environments and historic buildings, according to a press release from the museum association.

The Marshfield Sun museum is on the National Register of Historic Places. Its displays feature a functional 19th Century newspaper and job printing shop, in addition to most of the Marshfield Sun newspaper issues printed from 1891 to 1944.

It's not the first grant the museum has received. An earlier $3,000 grant from the Coquille Tribal Community Fund helped provide archive storage to preserve the newspaper files.

This latest funding will provide expert assessments of the museum's entire collection, including evaluation of the antique equipment and building itself, with recommendations long-term conservation. Assessors are scheduled to arrive in September for on-site work. J. Claire Dean of Portland-based Dean & Associates will assess the museum's contents, while Harrison Goodall of Conservation Services in Langley, Wash., will assess the building.

“Their reports will help us conserve this important window into the 19th Century, and carry it well into the 22nd century,” said Project Director Lionel Youst.

In all, 106 museums nationwide received funding through the Assessment Program.