Pioneer Hill Sunsets: Special Purpose at the Boxley Cabin in Sheridan
This concert with acoustical band Special Purpose is the first in the 2009 Pioneer Hill Sunsets event series and will be held on Friday, May 29, from 6 to 9 p.m. near the historic Boxley Cabin in Sheridan Veterans Park.

The performance is free to the public. Donations are welcome.

This concert is designed to showcase the new park’s open space and is produced by a volunteer committee. If there is rain, the concert will be rescheduled.

Boxley Cabin will be open to the public and staffed with tour guides from 1 to 3 p.m. on the following dates:

• May 22, 23, 24, 25, 29 and 30
• June 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27
• July 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 and 31
• Aug. 1, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29
• Sept. 4 and 5 

Groups may always make special arrangements for cabin tours by calling the Sheridan Chamber of Commerce at (317) 758-1311. A fall schedule of cabin open dates will be available in late summer. Donations are requested for all events and cabin tours.

Historic Landmarks Foundation Back to the Future: A Mid-Century Modern Home Tour
This tour features five houses built between 1955 and 1964 and will be held on Saturday, May 30, from 1 to 6 p.m. in West Lafayette.

As one of several events to celebrate National Historic Preservation Month, Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana partners with the Wabash Valley Trust for Historic Preservation to offer a look inside West Lafayette examples of the classic modern residence of a half-century ago.

Boxy modernist houses and low-slung ranch homes were the height of hip when they were built, and they still have a cool factor today. They've been around long enough that some qualify as historic structures – a point that sparks debate and causes us to view them in a new light.

In 1950s and 1960s America, many people considered Victorian architecture dated and ugly. As a result, countless architectural gems were lost to the wrecking ball. Historic Landmarks Foundation and its affiliate Wabash Valley Trust seek to protect Modernist Indiana architecture from a similar fate and foster appreciation for the Modernist style. Back to the Future is staged with support from the Lafayette-West Lafayette Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Back to the Future: A Mid-Century Modern Home Tour showcases five houses in and near the Happy Hollow subdivision. The area is noted for its admirable collection of mid-century architecture, the result of a post-war residential building boom created when Purdue University's faculty and staff swelled to accommodate returning veterans on the GI bill.

Residences open for the May 30 Back to the Future tour include:

• George Benda, 300 Hollowood Drive
• Janet and Arnold Sweet, 304 Hollowood Drive
• Dick and Connie Grace, 2175 Tecumseh Park Lane
• Sara Strickler, 132 Mohican
• Sid and Phyllis Kilsheimer, 1607 Western Drive

Maps will be available at each tour home and a shuttle will circulate among the sites. Ticket holders may drive on their own among the homes or park and ride a shuttle that departs from Redeemer Lutheran Church located at 510 Lindberg Ave. Maps, restrooms and refreshments will be available at the church.

Tickets are $12 per person in advance and $15 on the day of the tour at each tour home.

Call Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana at (317) 639-4534 or (800) 450-4534, or visit http://www.historiclandmarks.org/ for ticket sale locations.

Sixth Annual Sheridan Fireside Tales
This event from the Sheridan Historical Society will be held on Saturday, June 6, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in Biddle Memorial Park in Sheridan.

There will an on-demand and expanded kitchen band making quaint folk music, a rabbit pulled out of the hat by a magician and wild stories told near a campfire at Sheridan Fireside Tales, preceded by a hog roast barbeque at 5:30 p.m. The program line-up is as follows: 

• 5:30 to 9 p.m., Hog Roast
• 6 to 7 p.m., Music and Picnic with homespun fun, games and songs featuring Bob and Joyce Seymour
• 7 to 7:45 p.m. CR Ryan, magician
• 8 to 9 p.m. Bob Sander, Sandertales

“It is a quality time for the Sheridan community to come together under the old tree canopy near the pavilion and a one-mile stretch of the Monon Trail.  For families today, anything colorful, festive and affordable is a welcomed retreat, especially when they can bring their own picnics, blankets and coolers,” viewed Brenda Bush, a society member.  “This will be the second year for the hog roast, so people have food options, and we’ll move into the pavilion if it rains, along with our pinwheels, magic carpets and rainbow flags.”

Admission is free.

For more information, please contact the Sheridan Historical Society at (317) 758-5054 or SheridanHistorical@sbcglobal.net.

President Benjamin Harrison Home Calls for Croquet Players in Indianapolis
The President Benjamin Harrison Home is calling for registrants for its 15th annual Wicket World of Croquet® competition which will be held on Saturday, June 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the south lawn of the Presidential site at 1230 N. Delaware St. 

Teams of men and women dressed in traditional white will compete on the south lawn in the spirited Victorian sport for the first-place team prize.  The White River Jazz Band will provide music, and a lunch will be served. 

Registration for a team of two is $100. Croquet equipment will be provided for all participants.  Proceeds from the Wicket World of Croquet® will be used to fund educational programs at the Harrison Home which welcomes more than 16,000 students each year.

Reservations are required and can be made by calling (317) 631-1888 or e-mailing David Pleiss at distance@pbhh.org.  More information is available at: http://www.pbhh.org/croquet/Croquet.php.

Arrowhead and Indiana Artifact Collector’s Convention at the Greentown History Center
This event will be held on Sunday, June 14, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Greentown History Center Annex located at 101 E. Main in Greentown.

The Greentown Historical Society, in conjunction with their exhibit, The History of Native American Indians in Indiana, is hosting a one day show for arrowhead and Indian artifact collectors. The purpose of this show is for collectors to meet, display and discuss their “best finds”. The public is welcome to attend and bring in items to show.

Admission is free.

For more information or to reserve a table space, call Lisa Stout at (765) 610-8461.


ArchiCamp for Kids in Scottsburg
Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana and the Scott County Heritage Center and Museum will offer a two-day camp for children on June 17 and 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Scott County Heritage Center and Museum located at 1050 S. Main St. in Scottsburg.

The camp is for children ages eight to 12.

Participants spend each day discovering the architecture and landmarks – history in 3D – of Scottsburg. Campers will try their hand with tools from the past and present, decorate their own flowerpots and plant nineteenth century flowers, explore the architecture of historic Lexington and Scottsburg and build a Box City from recycled materials.

This is the second year for the Scottsburg ArchiCamp. Winner of a prestigious award from the American Association of State and Local History, ArchiCamps encourage children to use their imaginations and powers of observation while teaching them about history, architecture and renovation.

Cost of the camp is $30 and includes transportation, refreshments, educational materials and souvenirs. Participants should bring a sack lunch both days.

Enrollment for the camp is limited to 20 children. Reservations must be made by June 10.

For more information or to register, please contact Jeremy Risen at (812) 752-1050 or jrisen@scottcountyheritagemuseum.org.

Programs at the Honeywell Center
The following shows will be held at the Honeywell Center in Wabash.

• Josh Turner
  This event will be held on Friday, June 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $18, $38 and $75.
  
  
• Dance Kaleidoscope presents iconoGlass and Class
  This event will be held on Saturday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for general admission seating.
  
  
• The US Army Field Band: The Volunteers
  This event will be held on Sunday, July 5 at 3 p.m. Tickets are free.
  
  
• The Special Consensus
  This event will be held on Friday, Aug. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10, $15 and $25.
  
  
• Bill Scheft
  This event will be held on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $8, $12, $18 and $25.
  
  
• David Phelps
  This event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $15, $20, $25 and $35.

All tickets may be purchased by visiting the box office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, by calling (260) 563-1102, visiting http://www.honeywellcenter.org/ or by dialing *tix from your Centennial Wireless phone.

Miami County Iron Bridge Festival
This canoe rally and hog roast will be held on June 20 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Wabash River at the River Walk in downtown Peru.

This year’s event will open with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Wabash River Water Trail by the Wabash River Heritage Corridor Commission. Our day starts at 9 a.m. with the ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by the launching of our canoe rally. Paddlers from all over Indiana come to canoe the beautiful Wabash River and get a river rat's view of the Nickel Plate Bridge and the Kelly Avenue Bridge. (Peru to Lewisburg is a four to five hour trip).

Bring your own canoe or rent one from Miller's Cool Running Canoe Rental (call (765) 985-9800 to rent). Your family will enjoy every minute of the trip no matter what your experience level. There are check points along the way and transportation from Lewisburg back to Peru is provided. Upon returning to Peru our guest will enjoy a hog roast and live music from 3 to 5 p.m.

If canoeing is not for you, we have a driving tour map available that will take you to our Iron Bridges (about a one hour drive). Then feel free to come back and enjoy the hog roast and live music.

Everyone is welcome, even if you just want to come to eat and sing along with the band!

The cost is $15 for adults and $7.50 for children ages 10 and under. Admission includes transportation for you and your canoe from Lewisburg to Peru, hog roast, live music and driving tour map. This is an alcohol-free family event.

Register by phone Tuesday through Saturday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at (765) 473-9183. For more information, please visit http://www.ironbridgefestival.com/.

The International Survey of Library and Museum Digitization Projects
The study presents data from more than 100 library and museum digitization programs from academic, public and special libraries in the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, the UK and other countries. The mean annual budget for the digitization projects that contributed to the sample was $122,408, with a range from $0 to $1.963 million.  

The reports presents data on sources of funding, the outlook for raising money for additional projects, collaboration within and outside of institutions, staffing of digitization projects, spending on hardware and software, practices on rights, permissions and copyright clearance, outsourcing, staff training, impact of digitization on preservation mediums, cataloging issues, marketing of digitization projects and other aspects of library and museum digitization project management.  

Data is broken out by size and type of digitization project and by size and type of institution. Data is presented separately for text, photograph, audio, and film/video intensive projects.  

Just of few of the report's many findings are that:  

• More than 60 percent of the funding for the projects in the sample is derived from the library budget itself. For U.S. libraries, close to 64 percent of funds for digitization projects comes from the library budget.  
• More than 53 percent of the organizations in the sample have teamed up with another department or faculty of the organization to work jointly on a digitization project.  
• The institutions in the sample had a mean of 4.43 individuals who spent at least part of their working day on digitization projects, with a maximum of 20.  
• The organizations in the sample spent a mean of $21,839 on equipment to copy, duplicate, record, photograph, scan or transform content of any kind into digital formats. Median spending was only $3,000 and the range was $0-$330,000.  
• The mean number of hours spent obtaining rights permissions or copyright clearance of the organizations in the sample was 221.04.  
• Nearly 49 percent of the organizations in the sample outsource some form of digitization, in whole or in part, to an outside party. Museums were more likely than other organizations to do this kind of outsourcing; more than 61 percent of the museums in the sample outsource some form of digitization to an outside party.
• 44.68 percent of the organizations in the sample said that digitization had had no impact on their use of microfilming or other preservation mediums.  
• Only 8.16 percent of the organizations in the sample had completely outsourced a digitization project to another organization such as a major museum or university that specializes in such projects. 

For more information or to purchase the entire report, visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/ddb437/the_international_survey_of_library_museum.

National:

Historic Site Supervisor at Fort Buford State Historic Site in Williston, N.D.
The State Historical Society of North Dakota is seeking an historic site supervisor for the Fort Buford State Historic Site located near Williston, N.D. 

The state historic site supervisor will develop programming and interpretive information; actively engage in public relations and networking; manage the interpretive center, reconstructed barracks and original fort buildings; and supervise staff.  Administrative duties include recruitment of regular and volunteer or supplementary program staff, orientation, training, staff and facility management, limited museum collections and exhibit management, museum store operation, budgeting, project management, security, record keeping and completion of reports and planning documents, the museum store operation, budgeting, project management, security, record keeping and completion of reports and planning documents.  

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in history, public history, education or museum studies with other related fields of study considered.
• Two years of work experience in historic site, park, museum or other cultural facility management which must include two years of work experience developing interpretive and programming materials and supervision of staff, or six years of related experience which included staff supervision. Knowledge and experience with the operation and maintenance of buildings and grounds keeping equipment helpful.
• Strong writing, research and organizational skills.
• High level of interpersonal skills and experience with public relations and interpretation.
• Self directed and motivated, detail-oriented, goal-directed.
• Strong Computer Skills.
• Valid Drivers License
• Preference will be given to those with a master’s degree in history, public history, education, museum studies or other related field of study and those with extensive experience developing interpretive and programming materials.

The salary range is $2,750 to $3,300 per month.

For a full description and application instructions, please visit http://www.nd.gov/hrms/jobs/7016463.html.

AASLH Online Resource for Searching and Posting Traveling Exhibits
AASLH recently announced its more accessible AASLH Traveling Exhibits Clearinghouse.

In existence since 2005, AASLH developed its Traveling Exhibits Clearinghouse to give AASLH members an easy online resource to advertise their traveling exhibits to institutions from around the U.S. creating a searchable database for those interested in bringing such exhibits to their community and museum.

To help build a more comprehensive list of exciting and new traveling exhibits that truly represents the history field at large, AASLH has now opened this opportunity to all history organizations.

AASLH also plans to advertise the more comprehensive list of Traveling Exhibits to their growing number of contacts within the field. In return, AASLH will create one of the leading online resources for searching and posting traveling exhibits available to history professionals.

To learn more about how you can list your Traveling Exhibit visit www.aaslhnet.org/travellingexhibits.

IRS Exempt Organization Information

• Maintaining Public Trust in Charities During the Economic Downturn 
  To read the remarks of EO Director Lois G. Lerner before the Georgetown Law School CLE program, Representing and Managing Tax-Exempt Organizations, on April 6, 2009, visit http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/georgetownlawcle_040609.pdf.
  
  
• Comments on the Redesigned Form 990
  Now that filing season is underway, and as part of the IRS' on-going effort to obtain information from the tax-exempt sector, EO is accepting comments on the redesigned 2008 Form 990, Return of Organizatin Exempt From Income Tax.  E-mail your comments to Form990Revision@IRS.gov.  We will review these comments as we consider making future revisions to the Form 990, schedules and instructions and to identify areas where we might provide additional assistance through the EO Update, frequently asked questions or other means. 
  
  
• IRS Wants Your Ideas for Improving Charities and Non-Profits Web Site
  How we can reorganize our Charities and Non-Profits Web content to make it more user-friendly?  What new materials should we add to better serve your needs?  Read Announcement 2009-25 and learn how to submit your suggestions for improving our Exempt Organizations Web site at http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=203907,00.html.
  
  
• Six Important Facts About Tax-Exempt Organizations
  Every year, millions of taxpayers donate money to charitable organizations. To read six things you should know about the tax treatment of tax-exempt organizations, visit http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=205630,00.html.
  
  
• Ten Tips for Deducting Charitable Contributions
  Follow these simple tips to ensure that donations you make to charity are fully deductible for federal income tax purposes: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=106990,00.html.