SMA in the New York Times

Check out the quote from immediate past president Mike DiPaolo about small museums in "The Particular Puzzle of Being a Small Museum" in yesterday's NYT!

SMA Conference Materials - Suiting Up for Action: Developing a Super Strategic Plan

These are materials from a session at the Small Museum Association conference from 2013.  

Whether you were able to attend the session "Suiting Up for Action: Developing a Super Strategic Plan" with Ellen Owens or not, you can now access the Powerpoint using the link below. Thank you!

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4-8yZbDluY7Zm9mVlZYejdlZU0/edit?usp=sharing

SMA Conference Materials - Be a Green Lantern! - Harness Resources, Imagination, and Will to Guide Your Small Museums and Historic Sites Along the Path (Back) to Green Power!

These are materials from a session at the Small Museum Association conference from 2013.  

Whether you were able to attend the session "Be a Green Lantern!  - Harness Resources, Imagination, and Will to Guide Your Small Museums and Historic Sites Along the Path (Back) to Green Power!" with Bridgitte Rodguez or not, you can now access the Powerpoint using the link below. Thank you!


https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4-8yZbDluY7d3NxNjBTZzVCUk0/edit?usp=sharing

SMA Conference Materials - Scholarships, Grants & Outreach: Reaching a Diverse Community in Today’s Economy

These are materials from a session at the Small Museum Association conference from 2013.  

Whether you were able to attend the session "Scholarships, Grants & Outreach: Reaching a Diverse Community in Today’s Economy" with Jane S. Chesson or not, you can now access the Powerpoint using the link below. Thank you!

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4-8yZbDluY7UnZpeHA3STNDazg/edit?usp=sharing

SMA Conference Materials: Demographic Realities in the 21st Century with Doug Horhota

These are materials from a session at the Small Museum Association conference from 2013. 

Demographic Realities in the 21^st Century

Who are the museum visitors today?

• Art museums. Have generally older visitor bases, with 65% of respondents over age 50. Only 18% of respondents are parents of minor children, and those parents that did respond have significantly older children; over half are in middle or high school. Respondents have the highest college attainment of any type, with 86% having at least a college degree. Additionally, 55% have at least one parent with a college degree. Generally, respondents are less diverse than the overall sample, with 92% identifying as white, and only 16% identifying as a minority.

• Science centers. Have generally younger visitor bases, with 72% of respondents under age 50. Two-thirds of respondents are parents of minor children, and most of those children are in elementary school. 80% of respondents have college degrees, and 53% have at least one parent with a college degree. Science centers have the most diverse sample, with only 84% of respondents identifying as white and 34% identifying as a minority. They do particularly well with Asian audiences, with 12% of respondents identifying as Asian - twice the top line (overall) average.

• History museums and historic sites. Like art museums, have generally older visitors bases with 65% of respondents over age 50. This sample is the closest to gender parity, with nearly 40% of respondents being male. A quarter of respondents are parents of minor children, and those parents have significantly older children; over half are in middle or high school. Respondents have the lowest college attainment of any type, with 78% having at least a college degree (though this is still three times the national average). They are also the least likely to have at least one parent with a college degree, only 45%. Respondents are the least diverse, with 95% identifying as white, and only 12% identifying as a minority.

• Children’s museums. Unsurprisingly have the youngest visitor base, with a whopping 89% under age 50, and 64% under age 40. Respondents are overwhelmingly female (89%) and parents of minor children (88%). Those children are significantly younger; two-thirds of respondents have at least one infant, toddler, or preschooler. 81% of respondents are college educated, and they are the most likely to have at least one parent with a college degree, 58%. Interestingly, despite being the youngest set of visitors, they also have the highest income, with 44% having household incomes over $100,000/year (compared to 39% top line average). And while respondents are not quite as diverse as science center respondents, they are significantly more diverse than art museum and history museum respondents.

Source:   http://reachadvisors.typepad.com/museum_audience_insight/2010/04/whos-coming-to-your-museum-demographics-by-museum-type.html

Assignment:  Each participant answer the following questions and take 5 minutes to jot down some notes.  

What are the current trends in demographics, housing, zoning, general development, population trends? 

What will your facility look like, expansion, location, who will your clientele be, how do you intend on attracting as the prime market? 

What can you be doing now to effect this change?      

SMA Conference Materials - A League of Extraordinary Individuals with Lacey Villiva

These are materials from a session at the Small Museum Association conference from 2013. 

A League of Extraordinary Individuals

SMA 2013, Tuesday, February 20^th, 9:30-10:30am

Access the powerpoint here

Recruiting Volunteers

Websites:

Regional

Volunteer Alexandria

www.volunteeralexandria.org 

Volunteer Fairfax

www.volunteerfairfax.org 

National

Volunteer Match

https://www.volunteermatch.org/post/register/np/overview.jsp

Idealist

www.idealist.org/info/About/

Your Own!

Visit www.carlylehouse.org for ideas and examples.

Other Methods:

Brochures

Newspapers

Signage          

Word-of-Mouth(best!)

Incentives to Grab Them:

Discounts

Free Parking

Continuing Education

Training

Retaining Them:

Create a Sense of Belonging!

Continued Incentives: Newsletter, Continuing Education, social Events

Volunteer Appreciation Events

Contact Lacey Villiva:

lvilliva@nvrpa.org

SMA Conference Materials: Exploring the Effect of Volunteers on Museum Professionals

These are materials from a session at the Small Museum Association conference from 2013.  

Small Museum Association Conference Feb. 2013

Tuesday, Session Two with Colleen Walter

Evil Nemesis or Grand Alliance: Exploring the Effect of Volunteers on Museum Professionals

The Premise:

This is my third year attending the SMA conference, and my first as a speaker.  During this time, I have transitioned from student to museum professional.  This experience raised in my mind many questions about the value of history education in the job market and the devaluation of the work of professional historians.  Positions once considered ideal for a newly minted historian are now highly competitive and graduates find themselves competing against colleagues with years more education and experience for entry level positions.  Many of these new professionals opt to volunteer at local institutions in the meanwhile, gaining work experience and waiting out the recession.  For some, this strategy ultimately secures them a paid position within the institution.  But what about the rest?  By willing to work for no pay, are new professionals doing themselves a disservice?  Are they unintentionally devaluing the years of training and expense spent to earn the title of historian? 

Small museums thrive on the time and work of dedicated volunteers or docents.  Without the efforts of those individuals vital programming, events, education, and outreach would never be accomplished.  Clearly, volunteers are a valuable asset to the small museum.  And so a catch-22 emerges.  How can we, as museum professionals, make the best use of our volunteers without writing ourselves out of a job?  What role do volunteers play at your museum? 

Discussion Outline

·         Understanding Your Volunteers

o   What roles do they serve at your site?

§  Examples from my work experience, in no particular order: Docents, board members, assistance with educational programs, basic archival processing, grounds (ie hiking trails and farmstead site) development and maintenance, gardening/ farming, seed preservation, participation in living history events, heritage textile arts (Stitch in Time= traditional wool processing), FoodWays colonial cooking and food preparation, costume manufacturer, and many more.

§  Consider these roles.  Are volunteers effective?  Why or why not?  What do you consider to be an effective use of a volunteer? 

§  What unique skills or qualities does a volunteer bring to their role?

o   Demographics- Who are your volunteers?

§  Retired people, stay-at-home parents, non-earning spouse in a single-income household, individuals with a devoted interest in the history of YOUR site, they generally live locally

·         Understanding the New Professional

o   What skills/ training do they possess that is unique?

o   Academic degree, training in standards of research and interpretation, comprehension of the field overall, professional accreditation, knowledge of current research and case studies in a specific field

o   With that in mind, what roles could they serve on site that is different from those listed above for the volunteers?

o   Do YOU think that the use of volunteers devalues the work done by New Professionals?

·         An Effective Transition- How Can Your Institution Help?

o   For many New Professionals, the answer to finding work in the field is simple- be a volunteer until a paid position opens up.  Hopefully this comes in the form of an internship.  But post graduation and without gainful employment, many turn to volunteering as a way to continue to be active in the field and do the work they are passionate for.  A constructive position ideally builds on the knowledge the individual brings to that role, facilitating their growth as a museum professional and segue ways into a permanent, paid position. 

o   What opportunities does your institution offer to facilitate this transition?

§  Small museums generally mean a small, dedicated staff.  As such, many times there are simply not positions available to offer to a volunteer, regardless of their qualifications.  Should/ could you turn first to volunteers when conducting a search to fill a vacancy?

§  Do not discount the value of a trained professional when deciding whether or not to fill a vacancy. 

·         Closing Thoughts

o   What can we take away from this discussion? 

SMA Conference Materials - Plenary "Mild-Mannered Superheroes Rarely Make a Difference"with Max van Balgooy

These are materials from a session at the Small Museum Association conference from 2013.  

Below are the links to enjoying the Powerpoint and hand-outs from plenary speaker Max van Balgooy on mission, vision and strategic planning

Strategic Planning
Mild-Manner Superheroes Handout
Purpose and Vision Handout

Also, check out Max's post about his speech here:
http://engagingplaces.net/2013/02/19/rethinking-the-mission-statement/

as well as his impressions of the conference:
http://engagingplaces.net/2013/02/26/small-museums-association-conference-highlights/

Employment Opportunity with Heritage Preservation

Position Announcement

Administrative Assistant, Heritage Preservation

Heritage Preservation seeks a full-time Administrative Assistant. In addition to general office administration, responsibilities include coordinating Heritage Preservation membership, managing databases, processing publications orders, marketing, and planning meetings. This position serves as the primary point of contact with the public for Heritage Preservation.

The Administrative Assistant will possess excellent computer skills, including experience with Microsoft Office and FileMaker Pro or a similar database program. Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills, attention to detail, ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities, and willingness to take on a variety of assignments are essential to this position. The ideal candidate will have Bachelor’s degree in Historic Preservation, History, Art History, Museum Studies, or a related field. This position is well suited for a recent college graduate. Congenial staff and interesting work make this a great opportunity.

Heritage Preservation is a national nonprofit organization based in downtown Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of the United States. By identifying risks, developing innovative programs, and providing broad public access to expert advice, Heritage Preservation assists museums, libraries, archives, historic preservation, and other organizations, as well as individuals, in caring for our endangered heritage. Heritage Preservation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. For more information visit www.heritagepreservation.org.

Salary is in the low $30,000s with a comprehensive benefits package that includes a public transit allocation. Heritage Preservation will not cover relocation expenses.

To apply, please send a resume with cover letter describing relevant skills, experience, and interest to: Kristen Laise at jobs@heritagepreservation.org.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received until Friday, March 15, 2013.