Authors

Using Social Media for Your Museum – Is it Worth It?

Jeannette Rooney — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:25:00 -0400

I’m a fairly private person, so it has taken me a while to warm up to social media. I’ve only been on Facebook for three years (yes, only three!), and I only have about 100 friends (yes, only 100!). I haven’t yet sent my first tweet or created a profile on LinkedIn. But even so, social media has now become a daily part of my life. I check out what my friends and favorite organizations are doing every day. I watch everything and anything on YouTube. I log on to Pinterest when I’m in need of aesthetic nourishment. In short, I can interact at the level I want, with the content I want – and I have tailored my social media use to fit my life.

So how do museums fit into this picture? Even though, by many standards, I’m a social media newbie and minimalist, I am engaged with the world virtually in many ways I couldn’t be offline. Often, I only learn about new animals at the zoo or what happened this day in history or an event I really want to attend at our local museum through social media. This, I suppose, is the crucial point. I don’t have to search for the news – it comes to me. And it makes me feel connected to these people, sites and organizations on a personal level because they are taking the time to share their world with me.

Even if I hadn’t decided to sign on, social media is here to stay. The sites may change, and perhaps Facebook (currently with 1.06 billion monthly active users), Twitter (500 million users), YouTube (4 billion views per day), Flickr (8 billion photos) and others will be replaced by new outlets in the years to come (data source: Digital Marketing Ramblings). But no matter the platform, museums who want to continue to engage with their audiences in creative ways are using social media to achieve this. Of course, social media can never replace the value of face-to-face communication and the authentic experience in a physical space, and it won’t reach everyone. Yet these virtual platforms, when used well, can be powerful tools to help you make new friends and keep more people connected to your museum.

Here are a few interesting resources to check out:

Do you use social media for your museum or history organization? Share your thoughts with us below or on our Local History Services Facebook page. Like us and we’ll like you back! And watch for our first tweet soon!

I hope you already like the IHS Facebook page. If you're on Twitter, you can follow IHS at @IndianaHistory.

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Jeannette Rooney is the coordinator for Local History Services at IHS. She travels the state with her LHS team members to assist local history organizations. Why? Because history rocks (and we get to make lots of ice cream stops)!

The Wild Ones

Jeannette Rooney — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 11:55:00 -0400

Jeff writes: The Local History Services department recently took a group trip across the canal to the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. We saw an interesting exhibit called Steel Ponies. It was a mix of motorcycle history, motorcycles IN art and motorcycles AS art. It was interesting to see how they blended the various aspects of the exhibit together. What I liked was that many of the patrons appeared to be “motorcycle” geeks and not the usual “art museum” geeks. Jeff hands the blog to Tamara ...

Tamara writes: I was particularly struck by the way the exhibit gave me a new perspective on an object I see almost every day. Thinking about the intersections of motorcycles with different types of culture makes me think about the way that objects and cultures can collide to form something extraordinary. I’m also thinking about how powerful it would be if museums explored those extraordinary combinations more often. I didn’t expect motorcycles to be thought provoking (I have to admit that I harbor a secret desire to own a big, shiny, bright red motorcycle) but they were. And now, to Stacy …

Stacy writes: I didn’t expect Steel Ponies to bring memories to the surface … but that’s just what it did. My father had a Honda 300cc dirt bike, and we used to take weekend rides around the mountains of Colorado together. My dad and I didn’t generally have deep conversations, separated by a chasm of 40 years and gender, so traveling together with no real need to talk was quality daddy-daughter time. I felt a tiny bit of insight into my father – a small-town boy from Iowa – as the exhibit described how the motorcycle symbolizes freedom and adventure. I could imagine why, having fled the Midwest for New Mexico and then California, the motorcycle drew my father in. And he chose to share his motorcycle, his freedom and a few adventures with me. When we create exhibits, we don’t necessarily design or write for evoking memories, but they are a powerful (if uncontrollable) part of sharing history, art and discovery with visitors. And to Jeannette, for the final hand-off …

Jeannette writes: I loved how Steel Ponies captures the excitement of the open road, but I was particularly captivated by how the exhibit seamlessly created a collective history of people who are, and were, otherwise very diverse. Usually, when I visit the Eiteljorg, I tend to view things as categorically segregated: American Indian culture and art before European influence, the clash of cultures in the early West (depicted by both sides), contemporary Western art, and contemporary American Indian art (which often deals with the identity of American Indians today). Thus, the art of American Indians and the art of the American West always seem to me to be two very distinct things – often overlapping in theme, but still coming from two extremely different perspectives. However, through the history of motorcycles in Steel Ponies, we seem to have found a commonality that bridges this gap – it is something that unites every bike owner, no matter their cultural background. It is like the little wave that all motorcyclists give to one another on the road – an acknowledgement that no matter who they are, they share this one thing that belongs to all of them equally.

Celebrating 30 Years with Fun, Limericks and (of course) Cake!

Jeannette Rooney — Fri, 27 May 2011 09:08:36 -0400

Thirty years ago, the Indiana Historical Society and the Indiana Historical Bureau jointly founded the County Historian Program in Indiana, and on Saturday, May 21, county historians from around the state gathered in Indianapolis to celebrate.

After the morning business and educational sessions, the afternoon was a fun celebration of the county historians and their work. Following a tasty lunch, IHS President and CEO John Herbst congratulated the county historians for their hard work and dedication, and he talked about how the program continues to move forward.

In addition to celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the program, we were also excited to honor six county historians who have served continuously in their roles since the founding of the program in 1981!

These dedicated historians are:

Daviess County Historian L. Rex Myers
DeKalb County Historian John Martin Smith
Fulton County Historian Shirley Willard
Henry County Historian Richard Ratcliff
Vanderburgh County Historian Dr. Darrel Bigham
Wabash County Historian Ron Woodward

To round out the festivities, county historians shared fun, quirky and odd stories from their experiences in the field. The resulting stories were entertaining and varied, and included those such as the identification of a skeleton that was brought to a historian’s home, a squirrel stampede and migration, a near-mishap onstage during a presentation and many others. After sharing their stories at their table, they were invited to present them to the entire room in any format they chose, and our creative historians presented several limericks, one dramatization and many theatrical retellings, much to the great enjoyment of the group.

To close out the day, we enjoyed a scrumptious cake (half chocolate and half vanilla) shaped like the state of Indiana and covered in delicious buttercream frosting.

Thank you to all of the county historians for all your hard work and commitment to local history in Indiana!

For more information about the program or to contact a county historian, click here.

Cookies and Truffles and Fudge, Oh My!

Jeannette Rooney — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 15:40:00 -0500

December is traditionally a slower period in the Local History Services office, so we use the time wisely by filing, cleaning, catching up on office work and stocking up for winter by eating lots (and lots, and lots) of goodies.

While we are busy eating truffles, cookies, spiced almonds, fudge and other yummy treats, we are also preparing for 2011 by adding new items to our Lending Resource Center (look for a new searchable database in January), finalizing the Speakers Bureau (set to go online by the end of January), and planning workshops, meetings and other fun activities. We look forward to working with you next year!

Happy Holidays!

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County Historians Gather 'Round the Table

Jeannette Rooney — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:15:00 -0400

Each fall, county historians gather for regional roundtables throughout the state to discuss current projects, share ideas and connect with their fellow historians (and of course, there are always snacks!).

While most also attend the large annual roundtable held each spring in Indianapolis, these smaller informal roundtables, hosted by county historians at a site of their choosing, offer the opportunity for more casual conversation. The smaller meetings also allow those who cannot make the trip to Indianapolis each spring the chance to meet with fellow historians in their area. In addition, I get to meet with the historians in person, and to catch up on all of their great work!

This year, meetings were held in Madison, Jackson, Montgomery, Knox and Marshall Counties. The discussion was varied and fascinating, as the historians are often working on many different projects which are always very close to their hearts. These dedicated volunteers are very devoted to their local history, and often take on tasks that may span many years.

Some of the projects that were discussed this year include:

Documenting and indexing local records
Working with cemetery records
Plans for the War of 1812 bicentennial
Cemetery preservation
Digitization of local records and photographs
Writing articles for local newspapers
Getting people involved in local history
Building preservation
Internet and Web site development

The county historian program is sponsored by the Indiana Historical Bureau and the Indiana Historical Society. For more information about the program or to contact a county historian, click here.

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Nothing but fast food for us this month

Jeannette Rooney — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 08:00:00 -0400

We are so busy ...

[Jeff writes] Local History Services department of the Indiana Historical Society has been very busy traveling the state. It feels like the department is juggling multiple balls, plates and a few sharp objects. [Jeff tosses the blog to Stacy]

[Stacy catches the blog and writes] Jeff and I are getting ready to go to the American Association for State and Local History conference in Oklahoma City – for me, that means preparing to present on how to do audience research, writing remarks to open the Small Museums Luncheon and writing blog posts for the AASLH Conference blog. Thank goodness Jeannette will be in the office! [Stacy tosses the blog to Jeannette]

[And it’s passed to Jeannette] Actually, I won’t be in the office much! We have just started the fall round of County Historian Regional Roundtables, which continue through September and October. The meetings are a great chance for me to visit with county historians across the state, and for them to discuss projects and connect with one another. [Back to Jeff!]

[Jeff catches the blog and writes] I’ve been in 14 cities this month picking or dropping off traveling exhibits, giving a workshop, attending meetings and other things. One of the difficult things when you are so busy is just getting the phone answered. Excuse me, my phone is ringing. [Back to Jeannette]

[Me again? - Jeannette] Well, I have to admit, I like being busy, and I love getting out to travel! Next week, I get to visit lovely southern Indiana for a workshop, south-central Indiana for a meeting, and finally the beautiful western part of the state to pick up an exhibit. The following week will be north, east, then south again for exhibits. Fall really is an exciting time for us! Wait ... my office is where, again? [Passes to Stacy for the home run]

[Stacy squares her shoulders to hit the blog out of the park] I’ve sent at least 100 e-mails in the last two weeks, encouraging local history organizations to come to our "Getting Money" workshop series in October, as well as recruiting new presenters for the 2011 update of the IHS Speakers Bureau and checking in with organizations who might be losing their tax-exempt status. And yes, we’ve almost got our list of In Your Neighborhood meeting sites set for next year. There’s no time for cuisine this month – it’s all fast food!

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Jeff Harris is director of Local History Services. He constantly travels the state for his job, giving him the opportunity to pursue his dream of finding the perfect mashed potatoes.

Stacy Klingler is assistant director of Local History Services at IHS. Along with the other LHS team members, she travels the state assisting local history organizations. She loves her job because it’s never the same thing twice, unless she has to make a U-turn at Main Street.

Not Just a “Grave” Affair

Jeannette Rooney — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:55:00 -0400

Sorry! So many puns fly around at our Basic Cemetery Preservation Workshops (May 14 and 15) that I couldn’t resist at least one (most of them can be attributed to my boss). The truth is, the workshops ARE fun, not necessarily what you’d expect when spending two days in a cemetery.

This is my third year coordinating the cemetery workshops (a basic workshop in the spring and an advanced workshop in August), and I look forward to them every time. Don’t get me wrong, it takes a lot of work and several VERY early mornings, but the reward is definitely worth the effort. (And plenty of Long’s doughnuts don’t hurt either!)

Every year, we hold the workshops at a cemetery filled with broken, fallen and lichen-covered stones, so not only do we have a place for the participants to practice the correct techniques taught by instructor John "Walt” Walters, but we also get the satisfaction of doing good work for a cemetery in need. The DNR-DHPA funds these workshops so that participants can learn how to properly care for their local cemeteries (laws, symbolism and funding are also taught in a classroom portion of the workshop).

This year, we were at the Old Southport Cemetery and Bethel Community Church in Southport. The cemetery has a variety of interesting markers from the 19th century, including the one marking the grave of Mary Bryan, one of the first American women to cross the Cumberland Mountains. More than 50 participants from around Indiana and beyond worked enthusiastically throughout two days to restore many of the older markers in the cemetery, and we will return in August for more complex work.

So what makes this fun? The people. The two days are filled with camaraderie, laughter and plenty of hard work, and it is immensely rewarding to see the enthusiasm of these passionate individuals as they set out to continue the work in their own communities.

Can’t wait 'til August!

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