Authors

Those Darn Kids: Texting in Museums

Tamara Hemmerlein — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:30:00 -0400

Often when I visit museums, I overhear bits and pieces of conversations and random comments. Frequently I hear people complaining about kids walking around museums, holding their phones and texting.

“Those kids are not paying any attention.”
“They’re being disrespectful and not listening.”
“How can they be in a museum and not be completely absorbed by the history and art that’s right in front of them?”

I have one of those kids. She’s attached to her phone. It’s her connection to the world beyond school and family. I’ll admit that I’ve been frustrated on occasion because I want her to communicate the way I did when I was 15. But, she doesn’t. She is very much of her generation. And, she texts when we’re at museums.

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who also happens to be the director of a small museum. Our conversation was about kids, cell phones and museums. She said that very often those kids are texting about what they’re doing at that very moment. They’re sharing information about their world. My friend told me that if they’re texting about her museum, that’s great. She says that a kid will listen to another kid and that they’re communicating with each other in a way she never can.

In fact, my daughter volunteers at the Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County. At their recent Pi Day event, she texted some friends about what she was doing that day. Later, those friends came to the museum. It seems to me that we should stop being frustrated by those kids and their phones and embrace the fact that they are our connection to new audiences.

Kids communicate better with each other than with adults. They do what their peers do. They share their cool moments. When those cool moments include museums, they’ll text/tweet/chat about it.

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Tamara Hemmerlein is the Hoosier Heritage Alliance coordinator at IHS. She will be traveling all over Indiana to advocate for good collections stewardship. Tamara loves mashed potatoes and ice cream, but not together.

Museum Heroes

Tamara Hemmerlein — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:00:00 -0500

Lately I’ve been fascinated by stories of people and communities who have worked together to save our cultural heritage when it has been at risk. During World War II, people all over the world sandbagged, packed, transported and hid works of art and artifacts. There was a group of men and women – museum directors, curators, art scholars and educators, artists, architects and archivists – many with the military, who served as Monuments Men. Their job was to save as much of Europe’s culture as they could. More recently, I’ve read news reports of men and women in the Middle East who have stayed at museums and cultural sites to try and save as much as they can from destruction.

It’s made me think about how important our culture is to us. If people are willing to risk everything to save art and history, then, at some level, we must really recognize its importance. In the United States, our cultural institutions haven’t faced the kind of threat that museums and libraries have in other parts of the world. We are fortunate in that.

Our libraries and museums face a different kind of threat. Our cultural heritage may disappear if we quit caring about it. I don’t know if I would have the courage that the Monuments Men had. But I do know that I can be a different kind of museum hero. I can volunteer at my local museums. I can write a check. I can encourage my children to spend less time with video games and more time with real objects.

Can you be a museum hero?

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You like us! You really like us! At least we hope you do.

Tamara Hemmerlein — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:40:00 -0500

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, Flickr, CafeMom – the list goes on and on and on. You probably already know what these names have in common. Not so long ago, I wouldn’t have had any idea what these were. Of course, my teenage daughter could’ve filled me in if I were willing to risk the eye-rolling when I asked her.

Social networking sites have become a really important way for people to pass along information and catch up with each other. Social media has also become a way that individuals and organizations change history. Just think about recent world events. Keep track of how often someone mentions a Facebook post or something they saw on Pinterest in one day. It’s astounding!

A lot of history organizations are using social media to keep in touch with their members and communities. And, we’re joining them. IHS Local History Services has launched a Facebook page so that we can share the information about the resources and workshops offered by LHS and, hopefully learn about what Hoosier history organizations are doing. We’re a very social department and want to share the love.

Consider clicking on the “like” us on button on our Facebook page - www.facebook.com/IndianaLHS.

You’ll connect with LHS and your colleagues around the state. You might be surprised by what you discover. And, we might be convinced to share some of our favorite Indiana places to eat.

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Connecting to Indiana’s History Collections

Tamara Hemmerlein — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:30:00 -0500

The Hoosier Heritage Alliance Connecting to Collections project is one of the most exciting projects I’ve ever been involved with. It’s all about working with Indiana’s history organizations to help preserve Hoosier history. I didn’t know before I started that an estimated 1,028 organizations in Indiana hold more than 20 million historical objects and 424,000 linear feet of primarily historical documents. That’s a lot of important stuff.

The Hoosier Heritage Alliance project was designed to address some of the needs of the organizations that care for those objects and documents. All of the activities are intriguing and have been fun to help plan and design. There are collections care training site visits, an Endangered Heritage traveling exhibit, the Collections Advisor monthly email and, coming soon, regional conferences and online training. As coordinator of the project, I get to do very cool stuff with lots of talented people.

Of all the project activities my favorites are the collections care training site visits. I spend a day at a local history organization, and we work together on their collection. We talk about concerns and problems; we also share success stories. I get to travel all over the state and meet museum staff and volunteers who are dedicated to taking care of Indiana’s history. The visits are free to history organizations and are tailored to fit the organization. I also get to leave presents – $100 worth of archival supplies.

I see wonderful objects and documents that help me connect to Indiana’s heritage – like a trough used by Francis Slocum, gorgeous pottery made by the Overbeck sisters and objects used at Lyles Station, a settlement of freed slaves in Southern Indiana. I wish that people who think of Indiana as a “flyover” state would stop and take the time to see what I’ve seen and meet the people I’ve met. The people who spend their time caring for Indiana’s history are taking on an honorable and important task. I admire their dedication and care. It’s a privilege to work with Indiana’s museum people. Plus, I’ve gotten to sample some great home cooking at lunch time.

For more information about the Hoosier Heritage Alliance Connecting to Collections project activities, go to www.indianahistory.org/hha.

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Tamara Hemmerlein is the Hoosier Heritage Alliance coordinator at IHS. She is traveling all over Indiana to advocate for good collections stewardship. Tamara loves mashed potatoes and ice cream, but not together.

Collegial Connections and Delicious Desserts

Tamara Hemmerlein — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:27:33 -0400

Not too long ago, the Local History Services department was on the road to Washington, Ind., and we stopped for lunch at Stoll’s Lakeview Restaurant. I made my dessert decision by looking at what everyone else chose and asking how they liked their choices.. They even offered to let me taste their desserts before I got mine. Based on their opinions and their experiences with desserts, I chose oatmeal pie. Turns out, it was good decision. My colleagues shared their thoughts with me, and I gave the pie a try.

That’s kind of what it’s like to participate in the Connecting to Collections online community – colleagues communicating with each other and sharing information. I’ve participated in several of the online discussions and recommend them to anyone who wants to learn more about collections care and collections-related issues. The list of topics and the recorded discussions cover lots of ground. Recent topics include integrated pest management, cold storage for photographs and care of metal objects. The question and answer discussions give you valuable insight and ideas not only from presenters, but also from other participants.

The online community also provides a way for staff and volunteers to connect with conservation professionals from all over the United States. I think that it’s always good to network with other museum folk and comforting to know that you’re not alone with your concerns and questions.

Connecting to Collections is a nationwide IMLS initiative created to help libraries and museums provide the best care possible for their collections. The Connecting to Collections online community is an important part of that initiative. Its goal is to help smaller museums, libraries, archives and historical societies quickly locate reliable collections care resources. The website states that it “is a source for conservation information rather than advice." The value of the online community is sharing general information and collections experiences.

Registering is simple and lets you make connections with other professionals, participate in discussions and choose how you want be notified about updates on the page. Register at www.connectingtocollections.org to be a part of the Connecting to Collections online discussions.

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Finally! A Seat at the Cool Kids’ Table!

Tamara Hemmerlein — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 08:20:00 -0400

In 2000, I met Trina Nelson Thomas, IHS senior director of public programs, at a field school in Bloomington. We roomed together for three weeks and I learned a lot about IHS. I thought what a great place IHS would be to work. Now, I’m here!

My name is Tamara Hemmerlein, and I am very excited to be the Hoosier Heritage Alliance coordinator in Local History Services. For the next two years, I will help to carry out an IMLS Connecting to Collections Implementation Grant. The major components of my job will be teaching basic collections care and management to staff and volunteers of Indiana local history organizations, developing a traveling exhibit and a poster, and planning training conferences and web-based or other distance learning. I will be helping heritage organizations advocate for increased funding from their communities and donors for collections stewardship.

Before joining the LHS staff, I worked at two small institutions in Crawfordsville – home of the Dairylicious Boston, a traditional milkshake with vanilla soft serve ice cream injected into the center. I was the executive director of the Montgomery County Cultural Foundation, Rotary Jail Museum for 12 years and the Montgomery County Historical Society for eight.

While I was there, I heard a little boy exclaim that he had seen things right in his hometown touched by three presidents. I saw a woman get teary eyed because she saw the hat her great-great grandmother had woven. Those objects had real meaning for them.

Caring for history and its artifacts is a huge responsibility and one which Indiana’s local history organizations have chosen gladly. I am proud to be a part of something so important and look forward to visiting Indiana’s heritage organizations.

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