Small Museum Sessions at the AAM Conference

Let’s Get Small! Celebrating Small Museums at the 2012 AAM Annual Meeting

2012 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo™

Minneapolis Saint Paul

April 29-May 2

The 2012 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo™ offers plenty for small museums. Don’t miss out. Register by January 31st to save 40% off the full registration rate.

The premier professional development and networking opportunity of the museum year, the AAM Annual Meeting has numerous offerings designed to help small museums. With the leadership of the Small Museums Administrators Committee, there will be numerous sessions devoted to the issues confronting smaller institutions of all types, including the following:

Your Turn: Answers About MAP, CAP, and StEPS National Assessment Programs

Monday, April 30, 9-10:15

Building Community: Addressing the Challenges and Achievements of University Museums

Monday, April 30, 2-3:15

Small Museum Successes: Creative Ideas and Helpful Hints for Small Institutions

Monday, April 30, 3:30-5:30

Learn more about the Annual Meeting, check out the hotel bargains and roommate options, explore fellowship opportunities (also due January 31!) and plan your learning opportunities at http://aam-us.org/am12/.

Small Museum Fellowships to AAM's Annual Meeting

The Small Museum Administrators Committee of AAM (SMAC) is partnering with other Professional Networks to offer Fellowships to the 2012 AAM Annual Meeting for Mid-Career Professionals working in small museums.

Two Fellowships will be awarded for mid-career professional from small museums (budgets of $350,000 or less) who have worked in the museum field for at least 3 years. These Fellowships are open to volunteers as well as paid staff.

The Fellowships cover basic conference registration, registration for one evening event and one business lunch, a Fellowship Breakfast, and a $750 travel stipend. All monies must be used to attend the 2012 AAM Annual Meeting in Minneapolis.

To Apply:  Visit http://aam-us.org/am12/fellowships.cfm for more information about eligibility requirements and application. When applying, you will be expected to provide the following:

• A description of your job responsibilities and how a fellowship would help advance your museum career and benefit your institution.
• A summary of your significant contributions and future plans for service to the small museum community, highlighting any leadership roles. Examples include but are not limited to presenting sessions or teaching; serving on professional committees or association board; publications; and/or mentoring interns and emerging professionals.
• How you will specifically use the opportunity to attend the meeting to assist your colleagues.
• A statement of your financial need.
• Your current resume
• A letter of recommendation from your employer that includes a statement of the value to your institution of your conference attendance.   
• A copy of the museum’s annual budget or other proof of budget size

               

Deadline: Tuesday, January 31, 2012. 

Emerging Museum Professionals Fellowships for those in the first 10 years of their careers and Diversity Fellowships for those who are members of under-represented groups in the museum field are also available.   Both are open to individuals working in small museums.   Visit http://aam-us.org/am12/fellowships.cfm for more information.

Call for Small Museums! Share Your Data

"I think it’s important to have small museums represented as a significant part of the museum community, and very few have contributed data so far to AAM’s Museum Benchmarking Online project.  Ultimately, the data collected by the American Association of Museums will be useful for all of us—to lobby our cities/counties/parent organizations for funding; to plan/refine our budgets; to apply for grants; etc." - Karen Daly, Director, Dumbarton House and SMA Board Member

Museum Benchmarking Online (MBO), AAM's new web-based tool, makes it easy for you to share your museum's data for the good of the whole museum field. MBO follows in the footsteps of our old, reliable, authoritative Museum Financial Information survey. The collected data is AAM's best weapon for advocacy on Capitol Hill and beyond. December 31, 2011 is the deadline for your museum's data to be included in a museum advocacy report! Contributors can review and update their data at anytime; and subscribers can make comparisons and generate reports on demand. Learn more by visiting www.aam-us.org/mbo or emailing benchmark@aam-us.org.

SMA's Board President wins national award

MIKE DiPAOLO NAMED RECIPIENT OF 2011 AAM

NANCY HANKS MEMORIAL AWARD

Honor Recognizes Excellence by a Museum Professional

With Less Than 10 Years Experience 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 9, 2011) ─ The American Association of Museums (AAM) today announced that Mike DiPaolo, executive director of the Lewes (Del.) Historical Society (LHS) is the recipient of its 2011 Nancy Hanks Memorial Award for Professional Excellence, honoring a museum professional with less than 10 years experience in the field. DiPaolo will receive his award during the general session of the AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo™ in Houston on Wednesday, May 25^th at 10:30 A.M..

DiPaolo became the LHS’s first full-time executive director in 2001, and since then the group’s membership has grown to more than 1,000 and its revenues increased more than five-fold. Under DiPaolo’s stewardship, the society’s facilities have undergone a major re-design, the number of exhibits has expanded dramatically and the society’s profile within the state and beyond has increased markedly. On the last point, DiPaolo’s communications initiatives have incorporated social media, publications and numerous public events to acquaint the community and state elected officials with the historical significance of Lewes, the first Dutch settlement in Delaware. And all of this was achieved with a full-time staff of two, including DiPaolo.

One of DiPaolo’s signature achievements came in 2006, on the 375^th anniversary of the first Lewes settlement. The LHS staged a ceremonial session of the Delaware General Assembly, a body that had met in Lewes in 1780-81.

“Mike DiPaolo has re-confirmed one enduring truth in the museum field: that one person, with energy and drive and imagination, can turn a modest institution into a major one,” said AAM Board Chair Douglas Myers. “His achievements in Lewes are emblematic of a museum leader’s commitment to education and community engagement, and that success in these areas only leads to more success and a wider impact.”

On the eve of its 50^th anniversary, the Lewes Historical Society now welcomes more than 80,000 visitors annually, making the LHS among the most-visited museum in the state. These visitors come for year-round programs that include exhibitions, tours and events.  The society holds a collection of 10,000 objects, ranging from fine art to decorative arts, large industrial items and small maritime vessels.

“Mike DiPaolo’s work is a prime example of the challenges many small museum leaders face daily,” said AAM president Ford W. Bell. “Such individuals provide the vision for their institutions, while also acting as fundraiser-in-chief, collections manager, exhibit creator and designer and chief communications officer, among many other roles. Mr. DiPaolo has excelled in all these capacities, and the chief beneficiaries of his efforts are the people of Lewes and of Delaware.”

DiPaolo began his career in Lewes in 2001, and seems to have found a niche. “This is a good place to be,” the Cleveland, Ohio native said. “Lewes residents are very engaged in improving the community and supporting local organizations.”

Thanks, in no small measure, to the Lewes Historical Society.

First given in 1985, the Nancy Hank Memorial Award recognizes a specific achievement that has benefitted either the honoree’s home institution or the museum field in general. The cited achievement may be in any area of a museum’s operation: administration, exhibitions, education, public relations, registration, collections management or development.  Alternatively, the accomplishment may benefit the museum field generally (for instance, a development plan, membership plan, exhibition design, or collection policy that can serve as a model for other museums).

The award commemorates the lifelong support by the late Nancy Hanks of cultural endeavors, and in particular her encouragement of young professionals in the cultural arena.  Nancy Hanks served eight exceptional years as Chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts, among other accomplishments.

About AAM

The American Association of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing= knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. With more than 18,000 individual, 3,000 institutional and 300 corporate members, AAM is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.

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Press Contact:

Dewey Blanton

AAM Communications

Phone: (202) 218-7704

Email: dblanton@aam-us.org

SMA and Museums Count!

SMA participated in the IMLS/AAM Museums Count surveys by filling out questionnaires, examining previous survey efforts, taking part in brain storming meetings and reviewing drafts of questions.  It is important to note that the Museum County census is truly aimed at attempting to identify all museums in America . This will help museums’ case that we deserve and need critical funding that will enhance our efforts to collect, preserve and display our shared cultural and environmental heritage; in the end, there is only so long that any of us can continue to do more with less.  In addition, SMA was an active participant to ensure that issues critical to small museums were included in the survey and that the survey would be designed with small museums in mind. - Mike DiPaolo, SMA Board President

(From AASLH's Dispatch): 

Last fall, the Institute of Museum and Library Services anounced a contract with The White Oak Institute and the American Association of Museums to develop a web-based census of museums in America , including standard data definitions and the collection of baseline data. I was delighted to be invited to participate on a panel of expert reviewers to help with the project, known as Museums Count. To date we have worked via snail-mail, email, Wiki, and at a recent convening held in Washington , DC .

“To be successful, this effort must engage a broad cross section of museums and provide useful data for practioners, the public, researchers, and policy makers,” said Susan Hildreth, director of IMLS. “Museums Count is an important step toward building a stonger evidence-based story about the integral role museums play in urban and rural communities across the United States .”

Developing a census of history museums is a tough nut to crack for a variety of reasons. First, there are a lot of them. Next, some very small, all-volunteer history museums are not on the radar screen for any of us, including state museum associations. Then there’s the issue of how to define a museum. IMLS authorization has a paragraph that defines a museum (see Sec. 9172. Definitions), then for granting purposes IMLS breaks it down even further to say that a museum must be open to the public a minimum of 120 hours a year.

AASLH has gone round and round for years trying to figure out how to afford to conduct a census of history organizations (not necessarily museums). We even applied for funding to IMLS and NEH, but the project was so large and complicated it didn’t receive funding. This time, with IMLS as a full partner in the project rather than acting as prospetive grantor, I believe developing a census of museums has a real shot.

Developing standard data definitions and collecting data is no walk in the park. The Museums Count panel of experts is making great headway on the data definitions. We haven’t, however, found the magic bullet that will ensure museums complete the data survey and keep it up to date.

The amount of information known about history museums in America is embarrasing. No other segment of the museum community has the problem—why is that? The answer has two parts. First, segments such as children’s museums and science centers are pretty small. It’s a lot easier for their associations to pick up the phone and retrieve data when a few museums simply don’t respond to surveys. Art museums have a different solution —money. There are a lot of art museums, no doubt. But unlike with history museums, states have a real incentive to collect data on art museums because of the federal-state partnership grants that flow from the National Endowment for the Arts. As I always say, when money flows down, data runs up. Does this ring a bell? AASLH and others have been working for years to establish federal-state partnership grants within IMLS, and have made some headway and you can read more on our website. 

Kudos to IMLS, et al. for this much-needed project. Its success is really up to you. When you get the call from AASLH or IMLS, I beg you to go directly to your computer and complete the data survey. It won’t happen for quite a while, so don’t get too excited. And I know you get lots and lots of surveys. But your participation will be essential if you want good benchmarks, or to be able to respond when a Congressman asks how many people are employed by history museums (or all museums), or when a foundation wants to know how many school children are impacted by museums, or when one of your family members asks how many museums there are in America.

As is true with most things in life, it’s only as good as you make it! Please, help us make the Museums Count data the best that it can be. After all, without data—museums don’t count!

SMA at Museums Count Meeting

Mike DiPaolo, SMA Board President, is attending the IMLS, AAM, and White Oak Institute meeting for the new initiative, Museums Count. We'll ask Mike to submit a follow-up on his activities there.

Here is more about the meeting:

Washington, DC—On January 25 IMLS, together with White Oak Institute and the American Association of Museums, will convene a group of museum experts to discuss data definitions for Museums Count, an IMLS initiative to build a comprehensive, real-time, web-based database of museums in the United States.

Lack of comprehensive information about the scope and size of the museum sector is a significant barrier to the development of sound museum policy in the US and also contributes to difficulty in sharing information among museums.

“To be successful, this effort must engage a broad cross section of museums and provide useful data for practioners, the public, researchers and policy makers. We are delighted that this project has generated so much enthusiasm,” said Susan Hildreth, director of IMLS. “Museums Count is an important step toward building a stronger evidence-based story about the integral role museums play in urban and rural communities across the United States.”

The purpose of the meeting is to develop a short list of high priority data elements and definitions that will be used to establish baseline information to characterize the US museum sector. The IMLS definition of museum includes aquariums, arboretums, botanical gardens, art museums, children's museums, general museums, historic houses and sites, history museums, nature centers, natural history and anthropology museums, planetariums, science and technology centers, specialized museums, and zoological parks.

IMLS will provide future opportunities for all interested parties to review and comment on the data elements and definitions. 

IMLS is planning for a May 2011 launch of the Museum Count website and will encourage every museum in the US to participate.

Participants in the January 25 meeting include:

• Christine Anagnos, Association of Art Museum Directors
• Jessica Cahail, Cultural Data Project
• Margo Carlock, Virginia Association of Museums
• Randy Cohen, Americans for the Arts
• Brian Crockett, Independent consultant
• Terry Davis, American Association for State and Local History
• Celeste DeWald, California Association of Museums
• Michael DiPaolo, Small Museum Association
• Robert Docherty,Official Museum Directory
• Janet Rice Elman, Association of Children's Museums
• Carolyn Fuqua, National Opinion Research Center
• Angela Han, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
• Kristen Laise, Heritage Preservation
• Erik Ledbetter, Visitor Studies Association
• Jessica Luke, Institute for Learning Innovation
• Kit Matthew, Blackbaud, Inc.
• Jill Norwood, National Museum of the American Indian
• Steve Olson, Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
• Eric Pourchot, American Institute for Conservation
• Terrie Rouse, National Capitol Visitors Center
• Christine Ruffo, Association of Science-Technology Centers
• Dan Stark, American Public Gardens Association
• Stephen L. Whittington, Association of Academic Museums & Galleries
• Dan Yaeger, New England Museum Association

To learn more about Museums Count, please contact Carlos Manjarrez at cmanjarrez@imls.gov. See also the Acting Director’s Message by Marsha Semmel from July 2010 for more information about IMLS’ museum research strategy. 

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit http://www.imls.gov.

About the White Oak Institute
The mission of the White Oak Institute is to further innovation in the museum field through research, analysis, and dissemination of data-based findings drawn from museum operations to inform management’s major decisions and to advance promising innovations. The White Oak Institute, working with museum leadership, aspires to lead management-level research in the business and operations of museums. The White Oak Institute is a new (2007) nonprofit formed by the principals of White Oak Associates, Inc. (museum planners and producers), and it benefits from that firm’s resources and 36 years of service to the museum field. For more information, visit www.whiteoakinstitute.org. 

About the American Association of Museums
The American Association of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. With more than 17,000 individual, 3,000 institutional and 300 corporate members, AAM is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present, and future. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.

Deadlines!! CAP and AAM Advocacy Day

From Heritage Preservation:

This is a reminder that the deadline to apply for the 2011 Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) is Friday, January 21, 2011. The application is available on Heritage Preservation's Web site at www.heritagepreservation.org/cap/application.html.

If you have questions about the CAP program, please call the CAP staff at 202-233-0800 or email cap@heritagepreservation.org.

From AAM: 

Your Participation in Museums Advocacy Day 2011 is Important!
With more than 100 new elected officials and new leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, it is critical that members of Congress hear from their constituents back home. Only you can convey the value of museums in your community!

Registration closes TODAY for Museums Advocacy Day 2011, Feb. 28–March 1 in Washington, D.C.

Register Online NOW
OR
Print, Complete and Return the Paper Registration Form

Museums Advocacy Day 2011
On February 28 and March 1, museum supporters – staff, trustees, students, volunteers and advocates – will gather in Washington, DC for advocacy and issue training and a day of making our case on Capitol Hill. Will you be there? There’s still time to register for this two-day event, and AAM members attend for FREE! Registration is open through TODAY January 21, 2011. (After that date, registration requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis.)

This two-day event includes a day of advocacy training in coordination with advocates from your state, a Monday evening reception at the U.S. Botanic Gardens with Members of Congress invited, and a Tuesday morning Congressional Breakfast where Members of Congress are invited to address museum advocates, followed by a day of visits to the offices of your Members of Congress (scheduled by AAM). Please visit www.speakupformuseums.org to learn more about Museums Advocacy Day.

Special Hotel Rate Also Available Through Today!
Hotel rooms have been reserved until January 21 (TODAY) at a special AAM rate of $159 at the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center, where the day of advocacy training and issue briefings will be held. Please call 202-687-3200 or 888-324-2111 to make reservations at this special AAM rate and note that you are with the American Association of Museums when you call to make your reservation. Book now before the room block expires!

Any other deadlines I'm missing??

MAP Your Way to Excellence

From AAM about its Museum Assessment Program:

MAP Your Way to Excellence

"Our institution participated in the MAP program in 1987 and the experience put us on the road from a small historical society to the regional history museum we are today. At that time we were an institution of 3 full time staff, and a very small budget-less than $200,000.  Today-23 years later-the institution has a staff of 35, and is a major regional museum in Florida with a budget of over $3M....MAP is the best thing AAM ever came up with." -Sara Van Arsdel, Executive Director, Orange County Regional History Center.

The Museum Assessment Program (MAP) is an affordable way to strengthen your museum and achieve excellence. Within a year your museum can conduct a self-study, consult with a museum professional and gain the tools to become a stronger institution.

MAP is open to small and mid-sized museums of all types, including zoos, aquariums, public gardens, history museums, art museums and children’s museums.  Apply for one of three MAP assessments:
Organizational
Collections Stewardship
Community Engagement

Apply now at www.aam-us.org/map. The postmark deadline is Feb. 18th.

MAP staff are available to answer any questions at map@aam-us.org or 202-289-9118.

The annual application is supported through a cooperative agreement between AAM and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).