Monday, June 9, 2008
9:00 am - 3:30 pm
Hogan Campus Center, College of the Holy Cross
Worcester

Concurrent Sessions A

1)  Multilingualism in Your Programs and Exhibitions

Working with new audiences can present challenges in creating text and programs in multiple languages.  Participants will learn how Wistariahurst and the Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust have met this challenge head on, as well as some of the pitfalls they faced in this approach.

Jane Calvin, Executive Director, Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust

Kate Thibodeau, Curator, Wistariahurst Museum

2)  Developing Innovative Partnerships

Collaboration is the key to sustaining organizations of all sizes, whether they are the National Park Service or an all-volunteer historical society.  Presenters will discuss how their organizations have successfully collaborated with other local and regional organizations.

Robert Judge, Webmaster, Pioneer Valley History Network

Lou Sideris, Chief of Planning and Communications, Minute Man National Historical Park

3)  Fresh Eyes: Finding Your Organization’s Hidden Treasures

Organizations throughout the state have treasures hidden in their collections that can lead to new interpretive exhibits and programs.  In this session, participants will learn how previously overlooked items have been used in innovative ways to bring new insights to interpreting Massachusetts history.

Mary Fuhrer, Doctoral Program, History Department, University of New Hampshire

Meghan Gelardi, Skinner Museum Collections Management Assistant, Mount Holyoke College Art Museum

4) Interpreting Unrecognized Stories

Like foundation myths, sometimes it seems as if the mission of a historical society is to tell a story of progress – beginning, middle, and today. Presenters discuss projects that have given a twist to the concept of the historical tour, enabling them to highlight locally hitherto unrecognized histories.           

Susan Denault, Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail

Brian Holt Hawthorne, Forestry Ecologist, Hidden Walls, Hidden Mills project

5) Virtual Archives: Preparing to Create a Digital Collection

Digitizing materials to make them available on the Web sounds sexy and easy. Buy a scanner, choose the collection, scan the materials, and mount them. Simple, isn’t it? Unfortunately, that is not the case. There is much more to be considered and accomplished before one can even get to the scanning step, let alone mount the materials in an organized and coherent manner. This session will address a number of the issues that need to be considered before the scanning of documents, photographs, or other materials actually begins.

Gregor Trinkaus-Randall, Preservation Specialist, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners           

Concurrent Sessions B

1)  Future Options for Historic House Museums

Many historic house museums are facing an uncertain future due to declining audience, aging volunteers, and increasing expenses.  Can these museums remain relevant to their community or should they explore other options for their futures? 

Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello, Assistant Professor, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Salem State College

Wendy Price, Team Leader, Historic Preservation, Historic New England

2)  Preparing for Leadership Transition: Succession Planning and Institutional Memory

As today’s leaders in history organizations contemplate retiring, succession planning and preserving institutional memory are crucial to maintaining a successful organization.  The Museum Association of New York (MANY) just released their report "The Status of Succession Planning in New York State Museums."   Join the Director of MANY, as well as the Director of the Bennington Museums to learn the steps your organization can follow to ensure a smooth transition in leadership. 

Anne Ackerson, Director, Museum Association of New York

Stephen Perkins, Executive Director, Bennington Museum

3)  Bi-Lingual Oral History

Oral history is a key way to collect history while building relationships with the broader community, but often large segments of the population are left out of this collection effort due to a language barrier.  Learn how to conduct oral histories in languages other than English so you can broaden your documentation efforts.