The AASLH Online Conference is a yearly component of our Annual Meeting where six of our most popular sessions are reworked for a virtual audience and broadcast from the conference to registered viewers across the nation. OLC sessions are exclusively available to registrants for six months after the conference and then become available for purchase by the general public. These sessions are a great way to stay connected with the conference even if you can’t be there in person, as well as to organize a mini-conference at your home institution to discuss important field-wide issues with colleagues. Stay tuned to register for the 2018 Online Conference, live from Kansas City!
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Field Services Alliance Tips: Caring for Collections on a Budget
Every museum works within the confines of a budget. We all know the best practices and what we should do for our organizations, but the question stopping us is usually: How? Join us for a series of tips and tricks addressing budget-friendly practices for collections care, exhibition, and disaster planning.
Karen DePauw, Coordinator, Local History Services, Indiana Historical Society
Samantha Forsko, Preservation Specialist, Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA)
Janice Klein, Executive Director, Museum Association of Arizona
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Historic Preservation Never Ends: Practical Maintenance for Your Historic Buildings
A historic building expresses the tangible past like few other artifacts can-but needs its own collections care. Learn proper preservation stewardship for your museum: the basics of routine maintenance, working with construction professionals, the guiding ideas of preservation and how to inform stakeholders about the processes and costs involved.
Evelyn Montgomery, Director of Collections, Exhibits and Preservation, Dallas Heritage Village
Ron Siebler, Historic Preservationist
Joshua Torrance, Woodlawn Museum, Gardens & Park
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Engaging Programs = Engaging Communities?
History museums and historic sites are always part of a community, but what makes a community want to engage with it? This session will explore three different approaches as well as develop a set of practical steps to help you engage more effectively with your local community.
Max A. van Balgooy, President, Engaging Places LLC
Christian Cotz, Director of Education & Visitor Engagement, Montpelier
Dawn DiPrince, Founder and Leader, Museum of Memory Project
Ken Turino, Adjunct Professor, Tufts University
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Innovative Audience Engagement From Outside the Museum Bubble
What techniques and practices from outside the “museum bubble” inspire us to push the boundaries of audience engagement? After reviewing innovative experiences from “non-museum” organizations that meaningfully connect audiences and content, we’ll use creative thinking strategies to brainstorm intersections with museum work and techniques our field might adapt or borrow
Beth Maloney, Director of Interpretation, Baltimore Museum of Industry
Andrea Jones, Educator, Peak Experience Lab
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Seeking Absent Voices: Inclusion and Relevance; Examples, Tools, and a Conversation
Your institution is missing its full potential. Be motivated to build relationships in your communities and to collect and convey the stories you’re missing. Observe the value of digging deeper. Learn tools for meaningful engagement. And be forewarned of challenges you will face if you open this door.
Steve Boyd-Smith, Manager of Interpretation and Design, 106 Group
Richard Josey, Minnesota Historical Society
Megan Wood, Director, Museum and Library Services Division, Ohio History Connection
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The Art of Saying “No”: Declining Collections Gifts Gracefully
Saying “no” to potential donations is a difficult part of collections work. Yet, this skill is essential to maintaining relevance and sustainability. Participants will learn how to say “no” gracefully, why a collections policy is their ally and how to suggest alternative homes for the items.
Aimee E. Newell, Ph.D., Executive Director, Luzerne County Historical Society
Julia Gray, Director of Collections & Research, Abbe Museum
Jennifer Landry, Director of Museums, City of Irving, TX
