HOPKINTON, Mass. – EMC Corporation announced that three organizations will receive EMC Heritage Trust Project grants through the company's Information Heritage Initiative program. The first round of the 2012 grants, totaling $30,000, will support projects that practice and encourage the stewardship of cultural information in local communities. Through the initiative, EMC has donated more than $20 million to date to help advance the conservation of information heritage.

The EMC Information Heritage Initiative program was founded in 2007 to recognize organizations and individuals that protect and preserve cultural information from around the world through digitization, allowing readily accessible online research and education. Using the same criteria for excellence that guide the initiative, the EMC Heritage Trust Project was created to recognize and support people and projects that practice and inspire the digital stewardship of the world's information heritage.

The EMC Heritage Trust Project grant recipients were selected based on the following criteria: potential size of the audience that would benefit from access to the information they are seeking to protect; the at-risk status of the information and why it is urgent to digitize; and how beneficial the EMC grant would be to the overall success of the project.

Bill Teuber, vice chairman of the EMC Corporation, said "The goal of EMC's Heritage Trust Project is to help the world's communities preserve their irreplaceable history. This year's grants recognize the dedicated efforts of organizations seeking to protect and make accessible invaluable cultural artifacts for future generations."

2012 EMC Heritage Trust Project Grantees:
CyArk, Mission Dolores Preservation, San Francisco -The EMC grant will support CyArk, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, in its efforts to digitally preserve San Francisco's Mission Dolores, California's oldest standing structure. Because it lies adjacent to the San Andres Fault, Mission Dolores is at risk of being destroyed physically when the next big earthquake hits, and in the process, losing its story and distinct character. The EMC grant will help CyArk in its creation of a digital record to ensure that if Mission Dolores were to be damaged, there would be billions of accurate 3D data points to aid in a precise reconstruction and restoration.

Springfield Free Public Library, Springfield, N.J.-The Springfield Free Public Library is home to a collection of historical documents, photographs, publications and regalia from the Township of Springfield, Union County and New Jersey. The collection of documents – dating as far back as 1789 – was started by Springfield's Donald B. Palmer in 1939 when the Board of Trustees of the Springfield Library allocated $25.00 for Palmer's first acquisitions. The EMC grant will help digitize this valuable historical information to make it available to people wishing to study Springfield, Union County, New Jersey and American history, while preserving these valuable photographs and resources for future generations.

The Abbotsford Living History Project, The Reach Gallery Museum, Abbotsford, BC, Canada-The EMC grant will support the digitization efforts of the museum's online photo archive, The Abbotsford Living History Project. Home to 15,000 images chronicling the history of Abbotsford from the 1880s to the present, this collection is the community's only online photo archive. The EMC grant will also allow The Reach to provide individuals with the opportunity to share their feedback and memories about the images, thus enhancing the depth and relevance of the historical record with meaningful, personal interpretation.

For more information on the EMC Heritage Trust Project, please visit: www.EMC.com/heritage_trust