Held every year in conjunction with the Annual Meeting, the AASLH Online Conference provides an opportunity for you, your colleagues, and volunteers to attend the annual meeting virtually.

This year’s Online Conference will be held September 18-19, 2014. Registration will open early August.

2014 Online Conference Sessions:

Many Small Surveys, One Big Impact – Systematic evaluation of teacher and student experiences across multiple programs, including field trips, can reveal powerful stories of institutional impact while exposing vast areas for improvement. Using examples from collaboration among fifteen Minnesota Historical Society sites, panelists explore evaluation challenges, provide do-it-yourself tools, and discuss how to use results effectively.

Telling a Whole History: Methods of Interpreting Domestic Servants in Historic House Museums – PBS’ popular television show Downton Abbey has led to an increase in visitors’ interest in domestic service. Is your museum current with scholarship and new trends in interpretation of this phenomenon? Discuss methods and strategies for revitalizing interpretation in historic house museums to include the voices of domestic servants.

Museum Management Tune Up – Are you as good of a manager as you think you are? We’ll help you kick the tires, read the gauges, and help out if your check engine light is on! In this session, you’ll evaluate your own skills in the following areas: employee assessment and review, communication, time management, and work relationships.

Your Most Valuable Partnership: Engaging Your Board to Ensure Success and Sustainability – Your relationship with your board matters—are you setting them up for success? Join colleagues from around the country to identify strategies you can use right away to ensure your board is engaged and effective.

Field Services Alliance Presents Navigating Legal Landmines in Museums and Archives – There are many aspects of running an archive and museum that are grounded in the law. This information-packed session addresses legal concerns surrounding oral history, collections, and digital copyright to help increase your legal literacy in recognizing and understanding the various concerns organizations face in these areas. The session is intended to be academic in nature and will not provide legal advice.

Support Young Children, Grow Future Audiences – At a very young age, children develop a sense of who they are and begin to construct meaning regarding their heritage, families, and communities. Through collections, cultural artifacts, and everyday objects, museums are in a unique position to provide important information that helps children gain insight about themselves and others. Consider the impact building relationships with young children and their families will have on the future of your institution.