80 at 80 Museum of Science and Industry Celebrates 80th Birthday with 80 Artifacts On Wednesday, the museum celebrated its 80th birthday by debuting “80 At 80,” a collection of 80 artifacts that represent the “museum’s DNA” from early inventions to modern advancements, according to Kathleen McCarthy, head curator. To read more, click here. A … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Museum of Science and Industry
Visible Storage: Living the Dream
Oh, wow. When I worked at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, we talked about a lovely dream – to have a beautiful, state-of-the-art open storage facility. See, MSI’s collection is lovely, but the institution’s mission and vision have changed dramatically since most of the collection was acquired, which leaves a small amount … Continue reading
Extreme Inspiration
A colleague recently sent me this link, which is from a show called Incredible Basements. (Hosted by, I might add, Mike Rowe, who has made quite a name for himself by hosting Dirty Jobs.) Anyhow, the owner of this, er, basement, was inspired by the Museum of Science and Industry‘s Yesterday’s Main Street exhibit, which … Continue reading
The Job Search
When people ask me for career advice — which has been happening a lot lately, my number one piece of advice is to be creative. Start by studying the popular museum and archives job sites and be sure to read the job description and requirements closely. If a job calls for 10+ years of experience … Continue reading
Fishing Lessons (not really)
In addition to my many other jobs, I also teach preservation classes for the Des Moines Public Schools Community Education Program. I’ve been teaching a photo preservation class called “Saving Your Family Photos” for about a year and a half now, and will debut a paper and book preservation class this spring. (I believe registration … Continue reading
It’s My Party
Have you ever attended a special event at a museum, historic site or gallery that was not sponsored by the institution? Companies, organizations and individuals love to rent museum spaces for their events for a few reasons: 1. The space is more interesting than a outdated ballroom at a hotel or conference center; 2. The … Continue reading
More than “In-Kind”
In-kind refers to donations that are provided to an organization by way of goods, services, time, and sometimes blood, sweat and tears. The honorable individuals who give so much of themselves to a museum or organization are often the lifeline behind the organization’s success. And really, the “kind” in “in-kind” just doesn’t seem like a … Continue reading
Crack the Code!
Have you ever noticed the catalog numbers that are sometimes visible on an artifact or an exhibit label? * Sometimes a number is written directly onto an artifact: (Oh no! I can’t seem to find an example. Must. Take. Camera. Everywhere.) * Sometimes it’s written on a tag: (Textiles rolled for storage at the Amherst … Continue reading
The Beginning: A Review
It might seems a little strange that I’m starting a blog by looking back at the past year, but one of the reasons I decided to start the blog in the first place was so I could share all the fabulous things that happen through the course of my museum work. [Important Museum Minute Disclaimer: … Continue reading
Museum Minute 