The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has exceeded its $250,000 goal in an effort to preserve and digitize more than 200 diaries from Holocaust victims and survivors.

The museum announced Wednesday that its first crowd-funding campaign launched on Kickstarter last month met its goal with pledges from more than 4,500 people. The campaign launched on June 12, the birthday of Holocaust diarist Anne Frank. The funding also will make it possible to translate three diaries into English.

The museum is now launching a stretch goal of $50,000 to translate 10 more diaries into English. That effort runs through July 13.

Museum officials say the diaries are important because they offer evidence that the Holocaust happened at a time when Holocaust denial is on the rise.

(AP)