“Whilst snug in their Club-Room, they Jovially twine/ The Myrtle of VENUS with BACCHUS’S Vine.” Recognize the meter? How about now: “O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave/ O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” That’s right. Our national anthem is set to another tune. When Americans wanted to … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: September 2011
Museums of Ideas: Commitment and Conflict
What is the definition of museum? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the definition of museum is: an institution devoted to the procurement, care, study and display of objects of lasting interest or value. I recently co-wrote an article for MuseumsEtc and their new publication, Museums of Ideas: Commitment and Conflict; it includes articles from 17 different countries. … Continue reading
Save that Dress!
What?!? Do you have a wedding dress just “hanging around” your home or museum collection? Well today’s post is for you. Today’s Museum Minute, written by my dear friend and colleague, Steven Rosengard, is all about wedding dress preservation. Take it away, Steve! Calling all Brides! Many of you may have gone through the trouble … Continue reading
Interactive Timelines: Fantastic, fun, and free!
The Washington Post has used it to chart the progression of events ranging from the captivity of miners in Chile to the many marriages of Elizabeth Taylor. You can use it to document the milestones of absolutely anything that interests you, and it’s free! It’s dipity. Once you create a free account, you can make … Continue reading
Let’s Talk About Museums, Change and Creativity
Last week I attended AASLH‘s annual meeting in Richmond, Virginia. I am still exhausted from all of the activities, and the cold I got while visiting Colonial Williamsburg (it rained all day), but I am professionally re-energized! The theme for the conference was “Commemoration: The Promise of Remembrance and New Beginnings.” Several sessions were dedicated … Continue reading
New Favorite Thing: Workflowy!
Workflowy? What on earth is that? Sounds funny, doesn’t it? That’s exactly what I thought when my husband showed me a promotional video for Workflowy, a new, free, online way to (and I quote) “Organize Your Brain”. Workflowy allows you to create a list–a giant list–of everything you can possibly think of. It allows you … Continue reading
I’m enjoying Social Media Week–and you can, too!
This was my view from the Tribune Tower in Chicago yesterday. I was attending the session, “Your Friends or Mine? Does Your Company Have a Say in Your Social Network?” Social Media Week is now taking place in twelve international cities. The free programs address a variety of social media topics. Sessions started yesterday and … Continue reading
Flipping through digital scrapbooks
Two weeks ago, I was at the Campbell Center for Historic Preservation attending a workshop on preserving historic scrapbooks. Like most people who work with collections of historical materials, I have a love/hate relationship with scrapbooks. Many of them have fantastic commentary and contain unique items that would have otherwise disappeared. I have seen scrapbooks … Continue reading
Hello from the AASLH Annual Meeting!
Hello from the American Association of State and Local History’s Annual Meeting in Richmond, Virginia! The theme for this year’s meeting is “Commemoration: The Promise of Remembrance and New Beginnings.” Very fitting with the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War and the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. I’m excited to attend this year’s meeting: Adam Goodheart … Continue reading
Call for Presentations!
Today’s bonus post is a call for papers from my alma mater. We encourage the entire museum community to attend the conference, as it’s not just for EIU folks! I’m hoping to attend, as it’ll be my 10 year reunion of sorts, although I live in Iowa and am presenting a photo preservation workshop for … Continue reading
Museum Minute 