Digital Project Proposal

I would like to propose a site tentatively titled "The History of Paper Money in the United States, 1690 - 2002." The site is intended for the Smithsonian Institution's National Numismatic Collection website. The site will be structured in such a way as to allow for long-term updates and additions to the content. The goals of the site would be to:

1. Tell the story of paper money in the U.S.
2. Create a resource for U.S paper money researchers and collectors.
3. Provide a venue for the display of the Smithsonian's U.S. paper money collection and research based on the collection.

The initial site will be composed of:

• A numismatic overview of U.S. monetary history to include examples of the major types of US paper money up to the present. This section will be fairly 'fixed' with only minor updates as new US currency is issued.
• An abbreviated timeline of U.S. political and economic history. Fixed - not much will change here.
• A set of articles on the collector categories of U.S. currency (i.e. Colonial paper, Obsolete banknotes, National banknotes, etc.). This section will be focused on the objects and their issuance. This section will be fixed and will form a portion of the database to which other parts of the site will frequently link.
• A section on how to use paper money for broader historical research on specialized topics within numismatics and in broader history. This section will be intentionally open for expansion.
• A catalog section - potentially huge, but initially to include currently available paper money from the NMAH data-base (at least all of the objects used in the site). This section will grow as the NMAH database for U.S. paper money grows and will include images along with standard numismatic and museum identification data.
• An educational section to include sample lessons and teaching aids for teachers using paper money (to include links to relevant educational sites). This section will be open for expansion.
• A "Collectors' Corner" section providing information on how to collect and care for paper money.