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Communique Online
March 7, 2008
 
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Table of Contents:

Training Opportunities and Conferences

Planning for Beginners Workshop
What’s Your HiSTORY?: A Storytelling Workshop
Civic Engagement at Historic Sites Workshop

Programs

Tea Fusion and Infusion at the Morris-Butler House

Traditional Victorian Tea at the Morris-Butler House

Cultural Institutions to Observe MayDay
NEH Unveils Picturing America Program

World War II Tribute at Buckley Homestead County Park
Brown County Log Cabin Tour

Funding Opportunities

National Endowment for the Humanities Preservation Assistance Grant

Second IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf Is Now Open

IHS News

Big March Sale

Awards

General Lew Wallace Study and Museum Nominated for National Medal

Traveling Exhibits

Indiana Cartoons and Cartoonists at the Medical Campus of Indiana Business College in Indianapolis

Job Opportunities

Curator of Education at the Elkhart County Historical Museum

Museum Education Internship at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield

On the Internet

Disaster Planning Information
Dental Collections Survey

Preservation Directory Online
Copyright Advisory Network

Free Teaching and Learning Resources
Google Alerts
Google Grants Awards In-Kind AdWords to Non-Profits

 

Training  Opportunities and Conferences     

 

Planning for Beginners Workshop
This workshop will be held on Wed., March 19, 2008, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center.
 
The speaker will be Stacy Klingler from the Indiana Historical Society.
 
Have you been caught off guard when a funder asked for your organizational or strategic plan? Has your staff or board resisted going through a planning process? You don’t need to be big or have paid staff to create a plan that works for you. In fact, planning is even more important for all-volunteer organizations where comings and goings are common. We will de-mystify the mystique around creating strategic and organizational plans and share non-threatening ways for you to introduce planning (and budgeting) to your group.
 
The cost is $10, $8 IHS members (lunch on your own).
 
Register by March 12.
 
For more information or a registration form, please visit http://www.indianahistory.org/lhs/LHS2007Q1Brochure.pdf, e-mail sklingler@indianahistory.org or call (317) 233-3110.

 


What’s Your HiSTORY?: A Storytelling Workshop
This workshop will take place on Sat., March 15, from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center.

The cost is $35 for non-IHS members and $28 for members.

Register by March 7.


Learn how to make your own life, family or community history come alive through story! Professional storyteller Bob Sander will share insights on how to use historical records in crafting meaningful tales about people, places and events close to your heart. Whether you’re new to storytelling or not, this workshop will help you understand the fundamentals of constructing and telling stories rich in historical detail.


Call (317) 232-1882 to register.

 


Civic Engagement at Historic Sites Workshop
This workshop will take place on April 21, 2008, at the Oak Park Public Library in Oak Park, IL.

The workshop will explore the benefits of community engagement, outline the
successful skills and strategies needed for facilitating dialogues and
discussions, how to identify appropriate partners and forge collaborations
that are mutually beneficial, suggest methods for constructing tours that
support civic engagement and provide tools for assessing and planning civic
engagement initiatives.

Presented in Partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation,
the Illinois Association of Museums, and the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust.

The cost is $130 for members of AASLH and NT Forum and $150 for non-members.

The registration deadline is March 21.

For more information or to register visit www.aaslh.org/workshop.htm or call (615) 320-3203.

 

  

 Programs 


Please confirm events specifics with sponsoring organization, especially if traveling any distance. 

Tea Fusion and Infusion at the Morris-Butler House
This tea-tasting and tour will be held on Sat., March 8, 2008, from 1-3:00 p.m.

Sample a variety of teas from Tea’s Me Cafe and learn about the history and health benefits of tea from Wayne Ashford, owner of Tea’s Me Café, in the lovely surrounds of the restored 1865 dining room and library.

Four deliciously unique teas will be paired with scrumptious Lemon Tea Cakes, Tart Dried Cherry Scones, Chocolate Tea Bread and Coconut Cookies.

Following the tea, take a tour of all three floors of the elegant Morris-Butler House. Tea provided exclusively by Tea’s Me Café.

Tickets are $22 for members of Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana and $25 for non-members.

Reservations are required. Please contact the Morris-Butler House staff at (317) 636-5409 or mbhouse@historiclandmarks.org for reservations.


Traditional Victorian Tea at the Morris-Butler House
This event will be held on Sat., March 15, 2008, from 1-3:00 p.m.

Before exploring all three floors of the elaborately decorated Morris-Butler House, take part in a leisurely Victorian afternoon tea.

Sample delightful Plum Cakes, Buttermilk scones, Peach Tarts, Shortbread cookies, Cucumber sandwiches, Fresh Fruit and English Breakfast tea. Tea provided exclusively by Tea’s Me Café.

Tickets are $18 for members and $22 for non-members.

Reservations are required. Contact the Morris-Butler House Museum at (317) 636-5409 or mbhouse@historiclandmarks.org for reservations.


Cultural Institutions to Observe MayDay
Archives, libraries, museums and historic preservation organizations across America are setting aside May 1, 2008, to participate in MayDay, a national effort to protect collections from disasters.

It's easy to put off disaster planning, but you can take one simple step to prepare for disaster this MayDay. Here are some ideas from the Heritage Emergency National Task Force:

  • If you have a disaster plan, dust it off and bring it up to date. 
  • If you don't have a plan, make a timeline for developing one.
  • Get to know your local firefighters and police. Invite them to tour your institution and give pointers on safety and preparedness. A poster outlining tips for working with emergency responders is available from the Task Force at www.heritagepreservation.org/catalog/.
  • Identify the three biggest risks to your collection or building (such as leaking water pipes, heavy snow or power failure) and outline steps to mitigate them.
  • Conduct a building evacuation drill and evaluate the results.
  • Update your staff contact information and create a wallet-size version of your emergency contact roster. See the Pocket Response Plan (PReP™) at www.statearchivists.org/prepare/framework/prep.htm.
  • Eliminate hazards such as storage in hallways, blocked fire exits or improper storage of paints or solvents.
  • Provide staff with easily accessible disaster response information, such as www.heritageemergency.org.
  • Join forces with nearby institutions and agree to assist each other in a disaster.
  • Establish a method of identifying objects that are most important to your mission, irreplaceable or most fragile, making evacuation simpler when disaster hits.

Register for a free course to learn how your institution fits into existing emergency response protocols. A list is available at www.heritagepreservation.org/lessons/courses.html. 

Any organization can participate in MayDay. Last year, the registrar of the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel, Miss. wrote an article about the museum's emergency preparedness activities for the local newspaper. She included readiness tips for the homeowner and tied it all into the MayDay message. The article can be found at http://livefromlrma.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html.

Let Heritage Preservation know what you do for MayDay this year by e-mailing taskforce@heritagepreservation.org. You'll receive a free Working with Emergency Responders: Tips for Cultural Institutions poster. Heritage Preservation is offering its popular Field Guide to Emergency Response and Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel at special MayDay sale prices from April 15 to May 31.

You can make a difference – help save our heritage!


NEH Unveils Picturing America Program
On February 26, at White House ceremony presided over by President George W. Bush, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) launched its new Picturing America program.

Picturing America is composed of forty works of art spanning several centuries--all by American painters, sculptors, photographers and architects. The NEH will distribute large, high-quality reproductions of these images, along with a teachers resource book, lesson plans and materials, to schools and libraries nationwide.

For more information visit http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/index.php?sec=home.


World War II Tribute at Buckley Homestead County Park
This event will be held on May 3, 2008, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and May 4, 2008, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

The cost is $5 for adults and free for children under age seven.

Reenactors from all over the Midwest, and some from as far away as Canada, don authentic uniforms and use restored military equipment to portray that most important time period in our history. Throughout the weekend, the park comes to life with memories of the war years, both military and on the homefront. If you are a veteran, history enthusiast or would just like to learn more about the 1940s era, this is the place for the entire family. It's wonderful for families and students.

Call (219) 696-0769 for more information or visit http://www.lakecountyparks.com/events.html#Event#8.


Brown County Log Cabin Tour
This event will be held on Sat., June 7, and Sun., June 8, 2008, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day (rain or shine).

The cost is $15 for adults and $7 for children under 12 (free for children under 2).

Five privately-owner log or country homes in the hills of Brown County will be featured during the 35th annual Log Cabin Tour. The tour is sponsored by Psi Iota Xi philanthropic sorority and all proceeds support art, literature, music and speech and hearing needs in the Brown County community.

Visitors on the tour take a beautiful drive, using tour maps provided with the tickets, through the back roads and gentle rolling hills of scenic Brown County to see unique decorated log cabin homes both new and old.

Tour headquarters will be at the gazebo on the Village Green in downtown Nashville, IN, on the days of the tour only.

For tickets mail Log Cabin Tour Tickets, P.O. Box 39, Nashville, IN 47448 or e-mail logcabintour@hotmail.com.

Visit www.logcabintour.com for more information.

Funding Opportunities

National Endowment for the Humanities Preservation Assistance Grant
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) will award grants of up to $6,000 on a non-matching basis to support the preservation of materials in collections-holding organizations. A focus of this program is to promote preservation planning and preservation training within the country's smaller institutions. Last year 50% of proposals in this category were funded.


Don't miss this opportunity!

 

2008 grant application and guidelines will soon be available at http://www.neh.gov.

Applicants will be asked to describe in detail the nature and significance of their collection. Call NEH to discuss your project and receive helpful tips for writing a successful application at (202) 606-8570.

 

All institutions applying for an NEH grant must submit their applications ONLY electronically via http://www.grants.gov the government-wide grants portal.

The deadline is May 15, 2008.

 


Second IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf Is Now Open
Apply anytime from now until April 30, 2008.

 

The IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf is part of a multi-year, multi-faceted IMLS national initiative to raise public awareness and inspire action to care for the collections held in public trust by libraries and museums throughout the United States.

The Bookshelf is actually three sets of resources:

  • The Core Collection set contains eleven publications that all awardees will receive.
  • The Living Collections set contains six additional resources that will be distributed to those institutions that care for living, biological collections.
  • The Nonliving Collections set contains five additional publications focused on specialized collections and on library preservation issues.

Awardees will receive either the Living or the Nonliving Collections set, not both.

The Bookshelf includes books, DVDs and other collections resources, as well as a Guide to Online Resources and a User’s Guide to all of the materials. For a complete list of the Bookshelf publications, visit www.aaslh.org/Bookshelf. The User’s Guide and the Bookshelf bibliography can be viewed at links at the top right of the Web page.

 

Priority will be given to smaller institutions, but large museums and large libraries with special collections are also eligible to apply. Please note that federally operated institutions, for-profit institutions and libraries that do not hold special collections are not eligible to receive the Bookshelf.

 

The Bookshelf will be distributed free of charge to 2,000 institutions. Over 800 institutions were awarded the Bookshelf during the first round. Over 90% of those who applied were winners!

 

Go to www.aaslh.org/Bookshelf for complete application information.

 

If you are a member of a library or museum association and would like your members to receive information about the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf at conferences, by email, or by regular mail, contact Terry Jackson at AASLH, 615-320-3203 or email jackson@aaslh.org.

 

For more information about the initiative in its entirety see www.imls.gov/collections.


   

IHS News

 

Big March Sale
It's spring cleaning time at the Basile History Market!  Get the biggest savings of the year at our annual spring clearance sale.  Find substantial savings on items throughout our store, including deaccessioned items from the Indiana Historical Society Collections & Library.

 

Throughout March all sale and deaccessioned items are 10% off.

 

In addition, find substantial savings and markdowns on books, gifts, postcards and more!

 

IHS members receive an additional 10% OFF all month! Memberships start at $40 and are available at time of purchase.

 

Also visit www.shop.indianahistory.org or call (317) 234-0020 for more information.

 

 

Awards

 

General Lew Wallace Study and Museum Nominated for National Medal
The Museum has been nominated for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for libraries and museums that help to make their communities better places to live.

 

The Museum’s nomination was submitted by Heritage Preservation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving America’s collections (www.heritagepreservation.org). 

 

The Museum has worked with Heritage Preservation in their Conservation Assessment Program (CAP), and Museum Director Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko was selected to participate in the Connecting to Collections Summit, co-hosted by Heritage Preservation in 2007.  She also serves on the CAP Advisory Committee representing America’s small museums.

 

The National Medal for Museum and Library Service honors outstanding institutions that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. Selected institutions demonstrate extraordinary and innovative approaches to public service, exceeding the expected levels of community outreach and core programs generally associated with its services.

 

National Medals are awarded annually by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (www.imls.gov), the primary source of federal funding for museums and libraries, in conjunction with the White House.  Previous award winners include Chicago’s John G. Shedd Aquarium and Brookfield Zoo, the Miami Museum of Science and the Frankfort Community Public Library.  2008 award recipients will be announced in November.

   

Traveling Exhibits

 

Indiana Cartoons and Cartoonists at the Medical Campus of Indiana Business College in Indianapolis
From the antics of fat-cat Garfield to the cracker-barrel philosophy of Brown County savant Abe Martin, the many creations of Hoosier cartoonists are highlighted in this colorful exhibit. The exhibition also explores the amusing goings-on of characters from comic strips such as "Chic" Jackson's "Roger Bean," which featured the lives of a typical Hoosier family, to the editorial musings of Pulitzer Prize-winning artist John T. McCutcheon, a fierce opponent of America's entry into World War II.

 

This traveling exhibit is on loan from the Indiana Historical Society. For more information about the IHS traveling exhibit program, go to www.indianahistory.org/LHS and click on “Traveling Exhibition.”

 

 

Job Opportunities

 

Curator of Education at the Elkhart County Historical Museum
This position is responsible for community access to lifelong learning opportunities at the Elkhart County Historical Museum. The curator will develop a comprehensive strategy for the continued expansion of educational programs and special events.

 

Responsibilities:

  • Maintains contact and cultivates relationships with county schools.
  • Designs and implements school visits that may incorporate tours, interactive components, and follow-up activities.
  • Develops multi-year educational programs for K-12 students based upon Indiana State Standards. Programs will be designed for on-and off-site opportunities.
  • Assists curatorial staff with exhibit design by creating educational and interactive activities.
  • Aids museum director in authoring grants relevant to educational programs and events.
  • Expands docent program by recruiting, training and organizing volunteers.
  • Plans and executes the annual event schedule, including the development of workshops and other programs designed for adult learning.
  • Publishes annual booklet about museum educational offerings and designs the annual event schedule.
  • Working mutually with the museum director, he or she will create a marketing strategy for educational programs and events.
  • Collaborates in the development of Parks Department special events with the naturalist and Bonneyville Mill interpretive staffs.

Position requires ability to work some evening and weekend hours.

 

Bachelors degree in museum studies, history, education or related field required. Graduate degree in history or education with emphasis on museum studies preferred. Two to five years experience in a museum or education setting. Valid driver’s license. Pre-employment background check. 

 

Submit resume and cover letter to Elkhart County Personnel Office, 117 N. Second St., Goshen, IN 46526 no later than March 19, 2008. 

 

The job begins in May 2008.

 

For more information visit http://jobs.aaslh.org/jobdetail.cfm?job=2825216&keywords=&ref=1.

 


Museum Education Internship at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield

The Monticello College Foundation Internship in Museum Education provides a challenging opportunity to work closely with museum educators, exhibits staff and curators in a museum of natural history, anthropology and art. The program is designed for candidates who wish to explore a career in the field of museum education.

 

The Monticello Intern helps coordinate the day-to-day operations of A Place for Discovery, a hands-on children's gallery, including the gallery's 45 volunteers. The Monticello Intern also assists with other museum education programs including school groups, monthly children's programs and special events.

 

Requirements: A Bachelor's degree in education, anthropology, natural science, museum studies, history or art; career interest in museum education; experience working with the public; and ability to use a personal computer. Teaching experience or Master's degree a plus. Flexibility, maturity, caring personality and enthusiasm for working with children and volunteers – especially retirees – are very important.

The internship will run from Sept. 1, 2008 to Aug. 31, 2009. There is some flexibility in start and end dates.

 

Monthly stipend of $1565, plus benefits package including fully-paid medical and life insurance, holidays, vacation, personal business days and sick time.

 

To apply: Send cover letter, resume, college transcripts (undergraduate & graduate if applicable, photocopies are acceptable), an e-mail address where you may be reached and contact information for three professional references (letters are not required) to:

 

Beth Shea, Education Chairperson
Illinois State Museum
502 S. Spring St.
Springfield, IL 62706-5000

 

The deadline is May 1, 2008. E-mail or fax applications will not be accepted. E-mail inquiries are invited. Send inquiries to bshea@museum.state.il.us. No phone calls please.

 


On the Internet

 

Disaster Planning Information
As part of its Field Service program, the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) offers an emergency assistance program for institutions and individuals with damaged paper-based collections.

 

For more information and links to disaster planning and other recovery resources visit http://www.nedcc.org/services/disaster.php.

 


Dental Collections Survey
The American Academy of the History of Dentistry is conducting a survey of all museums, libraries, special collections, archives and other similar organizations to identify, locate and learn more about dental history collections and to update a directory that was published in the organization’s journal in 1992.

 

Add your organization to the survey mailing list. You need not be an AAHD member institution to participate.

 

The aim of the directory is two-fold:

  • To provide a guide for scholars and interested individuals wishing to study the history of dentistry.
  • To generate interest in this field and stimulate new research.

The data will help create an on-line database and directory to be published in the Journal of the History of Dentistry and the AAHD website (http://www.histden.org/) later this year. If you have suggestions about small local museums with dental exhibits or collections that may get missed, the committee is open to your suggestions.

Please respond to dentalmuseum@umich.edu and include your name, position, institution name, full mailing address, phone number and e-mail address.

 


Preservation Directory Online
This directory can be found at www.preservationdirectory.com. It is the online resource for historic preservation, building restoration and cultural resource management in the United States and Canada. The goals are to foster the preservation of historic buildings, historic downtowns and neighborhoods and cultural resources and to promote heritage tourism by facilitating communication among historic preservation professionals and the general public.

 

If you would like to receive periodic updates about additions to the directory as well as news and information added to our site by our partners in preservation, join any or all of three e-mail news lists. Information on the following topics is added to the preservation directory site each month:

  • New job postings at museums, historic and cultural organizations, internships and other employment information.
  • Event and conference information added that is of interest to the preservation and restoration community.
  • Historic homes for sale that have been added and other new resources for those selling historic houses and vintage homes.
  • News items and other posts of interest to our "Preservation Blog".
  • Much more great information of value to those interested in historic preservation, cultural resource management, building restoration and architecture.

E-mail newsletters are typically sent every 4-6 weeks. Your email is NEVER shared with any 3rd party and remains confidential.

 

For more information on receiving these e-mails, go to:
http://www.preservationdirectory.com/historicalpreservation/home.aspx.

 


Copyright Advisory Network
This network is a website, bulletin board, blog and wiki established to help librarians discuss copyright issues with colleagues facing similar concerns, share solutions and learn more about copyright from trained copyright specialists.

 

Pose your copyright query on the Network Forum and trained copyright specialists – known as the CAN Scholars – will respond to your question within 48 hours. The Scholars will not provide legal advice but informed opinion on your topic.

 

Anyone can join the Network by registering at http://www.librarycopyright.net.

 

This is a free service offered by ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP). Contact Carrie Russell, Copyright Specialist at crussell@alawash.org with questions or comments.

 


Free Teaching and Learning Resources
The federal government offers a treasure trove of teaching and learning resources at http://www.free.ed.gov.

 

This site organizes more than 1,500 lesson plans, primary documents, science animations, math challenges, and works of art, literature, and music. Material comes from the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, National Archives, National Science Foundation, NASA, National Institutes of Health, National Gallery of Art, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Park Service, U.S. Geological  Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other federal agencies.

 


Google Alerts
Google now offers a service that automatically sends an email to you when there are new Google results for your search terms. They currently offer alerts with results from News, Web, Blogs, Video and Groups.

 

Input your organization’s name and e-mail address to be notified when new relevant results are added to Google.

 

For more information, go to http://www.google.com/alerts?hl=en.

 


Google Grants Awards In-Kind AdWords to Non-Profits
Designed for 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, Google Grants is a unique in-kind advertising program. It harnesses the power of the flagship advertising product, Google AdWords, to non-profits seeking to inform and engage their constituents online.

For more information go to http://www.google.com/grants/index.html.

 

 

Note from the Editor

If your historical organization, genealogical society or museum has changed its address or phone number in the past six months, please send the updated information to Coordinator, Local History Services, at col@indianahistory.org or 450 W. Ohio St., Indianapolis, IN 46202.

 

Communique Online  is provided for the benefit of local historical societies and museums throughout Indiana. It is e-mailed to a subscriber list maintained by the Local History Services department of the Indiana Historical Society.

Anyone may subscribe.  This is a free publication. 

To be added or removed from the mailing list, simply e-mail col@indianahistory.org  or call toll free (800) IHS-1830. 

News releases from local societies are welcomed and may be faxed to (317) 234-0427, e-mailed to the above address

or mailed to Local History Services, Indiana Historical Society, Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center,

450 W. Ohio St., Indianapolis, IN 46202.
 
Please visit the IHS Local History Services Web site at   www.indianahistory.org/LHS.