Blog and Newsletter

The Society for American Archivists Diversity Committee is gathering case studies that illustrate diversity in the archival record and/or unique efforts to collect and document a variety of individuals, groups, and organizations. Consistent with the goals embedded in SAA's Strategic Plan, these case studies will be made available online on SAA’s website so that archivists, other information professionals, teachers, and communities can use them as resources and references. These case studies will help in carrying forward goals and activities embedded in SAA’s Strategic Plan.

We are looking for submissions from archivists, cultural heritage communities, and other informaiton professionals that illustrate:

• The broadest possible range of individuals, socio-economic groups, governance, and corporate entities in society;
• Diversity of viewpoints on social, political, and intellectual issues, as represented both in archival records and among members of the profession;
• Diversity in ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation;
• Groups and segments of communities that have not been well-documented for a variety of reasons and thus have few extant records;
• A variety of formats (for the previously mentioned groups) that are not being preserved.

Submission Instructions:

For more information, or to submit a Case Study on Diversifying the Archival Record, complete the form here: http://www2.archivists.org/groups/diversity-committee/diversifying-the-archival-record-a-call-for-case-studies

Yarmouth Historical Society seeks part-time administrative support for fundraising including membership, annual fund, sponsored programs and fundraising events.  18 hours per week. No phone calls please. Send an email requesting full job description to info@yarmouthmehistory.org or go to www.yarmouthmehistory.org, click About Us and see job description. Apply with cover letter and resume to info@yarmouthmehistory.org by December 20, 2013.

Maine Memory Network cataloger/production staff

Maine Historical Society seeks a part-time project cataloger and
production assistant for Maine Memory Network, a statewide digital museum
(www.mainememory.net). This person is responsible for vetting all records
added to MMN, managing the digital image archives, and doing production
work related to MMN. This person will work as part of the MMN team and
serve the requirements of the project as needed, including assisting the
MMN curator, website testing, and other special projects. This position is
part-time, grant-funded.

http://www.mainehistory.org/PDF/MHSJobListing-MMNCataloger.pdf

ABBE MUSEUM

Curator of Education

Bar Harbor, Maine

Type: Full Time, Experienced

Required Degree: MA/MS

Salary: Competitive with benefits and is commensurate with current salary structure

Description: The Curator of Education is a highly visible position at the Abbe Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate,

responsible for developing, coordinating, implementing, and evaluating programs and educational services for

all museum audiences – children, adults, school groups, teachers, and regular museum-goers (seasonal and

local). This individual is also a key member of the exhibits team to plan, organize, and implement exhibits and

frequently serves as lead exhibit curator.

The Curator of Education communicates the Museum's vision and mission and spearheads all educational

initiatives in the institution; works closely with the President/CEO and carries out policies established by the

President/CEO and the Trustees; serves as a primary content provider and liaison for museum-tribal

partnerships and collaborations.

The Curator may be assigned to other duties as required by the small museum environment, including Gala

support, guest services support, etc.

Organizational Relationships: This is a full-time, salaried position reporting to the President/CEO. The

Curator of Education participates as part of the senior management team which includes the President/CEO,

Director of Finance and Administration, and the Curator of Collections. In addition, the Curator serves on the

Exhibits Team, the Education Team and Advisory Committee, and other teams, task forces, and work groups as

assigned. The Curator of Education manages education volunteers and staff.

Skills: The Curator of Education has a natural social aplomb in working with audiences and constituents and

maintains the highest professional standards of discretion. Independent judgment, decision-making authority

and common sense are essential prerequisites of the job. This individual must also have the highest standards

of integrity, be outgoing, self-starting, well-organized, tactful, detail-oriented, innovative, and capable of

working under pressure and meeting deadlines.

Institutional Expectations:

Every employee participates as a team member.

Every employee is cognizant of our fundraising needs and is involved in the process.

Requirements: An advanced degree in museum work or related field and a background in Native American

studies, anthropology, and/or archaeology, plus three to five years experience in a museum setting. Thorough

familiarity with classroom and museum-based learning, museum best practices, and Native concerns is a must.

Computer proficiency required.

Interested candidates should mail a resume or CV, cover letter, and salary history to: Cinnamon Catlin-

Legutko - Abbe Museum - PO Box 286 - Bar Harbor, ME 04609. Or, email the package in pdf format to

cinnamon@abbemuseum.org. No phone calls, please.

The Old Berwick Historical Society and MSAD 35 were recently recognized for "organizational excellence" for their joint educational program, the Hike through History.  In a ceremony in Falmouth on November 14, Greg Paxton, director of Maine Preservation, presented the award to Vicki Stewart, representing the school district, and Nina Maurer and Nicole St. Pierre representing the historical society.

Maine Preservation promotes and preserves historic places, buildings, downtowns and neighborhoods, strengthening the cultural and economic vitality of Maine communities. The Hike through History route travels through a district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

According to the winning award nomination, "The South Berwick Hike through History, a unique local history program led by the Marshwood school system in collaboration with the Old Berwick Historical Society, has galvanized awareness of and public support for South Berwick's historic village over the past two decades, helping to stabilize a fragile corner of Maine's architectural heritage."

For almost 20 years, the South Berwick Hike through History has been an annual event for South Berwick Central School.  For each stop on the Hike, the Old Berwick Historical Society has researched stories of real South Berwick citizens who lived or worked there. In recent years, younger children on the Hike have "met" local residents from the past, portrayed by older students, including eighth graders from Marshwood Middle School.

In a recent joint project, the Old Berwick Historical Society and teachers of the two schools have incorporated improvements to the Hike, including better integration of curriculum goals; use of historic documents and artifacts from the society's Counting House Museum; development of teacher workshops and an eighth-grade training program; and creation of companion museum programs and a website of student resources, www.hikethroughhistory.org .

Donors to the special planning project include the Marshwood Education Foundation, Kennebunk Savings, People's United Bank, Central School PTO, Maine Community Foundation, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and Davis Family Foundation.

"We think the Hike through History is unique in New England," said Nina Maurer, project coordinator for the Old Berwick Historical Society. "Each year we are astonished by the remarkable achievements of students interpreters and the extraordinary outcomes of a hard-won collaboration between three schools, two museums, 60 teachers, dozens of business and property owners, town officials, and a phalanx of presenters and volunteers."

"Both the eighth grade and third grade interpreters do a fantastic job, first conducting their own historical research, and then communicating what they learn to a younger audience," added Nicole St. Pierre, the historical society's project curriculum coordinator.

Last spring, when the Hike's theme was "Journeys," children investigated a Native American bark canoe at a place on the river where Wabanaki Indians paddled 300 years ago.  They cared for a horse at the house of Sarah Orne Jewett, where the author learned to ride as a child in the 1850s.  At a building that was once a stagecoach tavern where Gen. Lafayette stopped on his visit to Maine in 1825, pupils staged a re-enactment of that event.

Old Berwick Historical Society members have already begun "Adopt-a-Prop" fundraising for historic replicas students will use during "Trades," the theme of next year's Hike.  Over $1000 was raised for props at the society's recent fundraising event, the Lighting Up Fall.

Manager of School & Interpretive Programs

The Maine Historical Society (MHS) seeks an innovative and energetic manager to provide leadership in the development of K-16 programs and interpretive strategies that promote engagement with Maine history. We are seeking a rising professional with vision, a keen interest in the future direction of museum education, and a desire to help define and build our 21st century museum program.

The Manager of School & Interpretive Programs is responsible for the development and implementation of curriculum and interpretive strategies that utilize MHS collections, exhibits, and historical resources across Maine to help students, families, and members of the public develop knowledge, skills, and connections with their communities. Specific responsibilities include development and implementation of on- and off-site school and family programs; interpretation of museum exhibits and the Wadsworth-Longfellow House; training guides and docents; developing programs and resources that nurture dynamic school participation in and use of our nationally-recognized Maine Memory Network; and building and maintaining relationships with Maine teachers, schools, and community partners through outreach, collaboration, special projects, and social media.

The Manager of School & Interpretive Programs will play a key role in the continued growth and evolution of a progressive statewide cultural organization known for its innovation and leadership. This position provides the opportunity to grow professionally and to be a major contributor to a collaborative team that includes staff, trustees, volunteers, supporters, and community members in one of the country's most beautiful, vibrant, and up-and-coming cities.

Minimum qualifications: Masters degree in history, education, or museum studies; two years teaching experience in museum and classroom settings; knowledge of museum and K-12 programs, practices, and standards. Strong leadership and management skills.

See full job description

Please send cover letter, resume, and a list of three references to: Manager of School & Interpretive Programs Search, Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101. EOE. Electronic submissions are encouraged and should be sent to lwebb@mainehistory.org. Rolling review; closing date: November 21, 2013. No phone calls accepted.

That’s what the Cultural Emergency Resource Coalition would like to help
you answer.

The Maine State Museum was recently awarded a one year grant from the Maine
Emergency Management Agency, through Homeland Security, to form the
Cultural Emergency Resource Coalition (CERC: Maine). A partnership of key
cultural organizations, conservators and emergency management personnel,
and based on the COSTEP <http://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/costep>program
developed in Massachusetts, its mission is to create awareness among
Maine’s cultural institutions of the importance of disaster planning and to
help connect those institutions with the resources and people they need to
best respond to and recover from a disaster. See the end of this message
for the full CERC: Maine Steering Committee.

Here’s what CERC: Maine would like you to help them answer:

What would be the most useful support to you and your organization in
developing a disaster plan? As part of this project, CERC: Maine expects to
develop online resources, workshops, and contact and vendor lists. Your
feedback will play an invaluable role in shaping these products, to ensure
that they are answering the needs of Maine’s cultural community.

If you are affiliated with a cultural institution, please take a few
minutes and complete the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/625Q2B3.

If you are not affiliated with a cultural institution but would like to
provide feedback, please email CERC.Maine@gmail.com.

Thank you for adding your voice to the conversation!

--
Ellen Dyer
CERC: Maine Coordinator
Maine State Museum
83 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
CERC.Maine@gmail.com

*CERC: Maine Steering Committee*

Jon Brandon, East Point Conservation
Jeff Cabral, McArthur Public Library
Molly Carlson, Head Tide Archaeological   Conservation Laboratory
Dave Cheever, Maine State Archives
Nancy Crowell, Scarborough Public Library
Bernard Fishman, Maine State Museum
Dwane Hubert, Maine Emergency Management Agency
Aedan Jordan, Maine State Museum
Linda Lord, Maine State Library
Kate McBrien, Maine State Museum
Jessica Routhier, Maine Archives and Museums

Dana Baldwin, the PMA’s Peggy L. Osher Director of Learning and Interpretation, has accepted a position as Program and Communications Director at the Maine Philanthropy Center (MPC) in Portland. MPC is a regional association of grantmakers working to promote philanthropy and to increase its impact in Maine.  Dana’s last day at the museum will be Wednesday, November 27, 2013.

Reflecting on her accomplishments, PMA’s Director Mark Bessire said, "Dana's ability to be a local and national leader of the arts has placed the Portland Museum of Art in a position of leadership and reverence within the museum and educational communities. We congratulate her on her exciting new position and we will miss her greatly." 

Dana Baldwin has been Director of Learning and Interpretation at the PMA since 1992. In 2003, she was named the Eastern Division’s Outstanding Museum Educator of the Year by the National Art Education Association, and in 2005 she was named Art Advocate of the Year by the Maine Art Education Association. In 2011, she was named the National Arts Educator of the Year by the National Arts Education Association. During Dana’s tenure at the museum, she has led the effort to establish the Bernard A. Osher Lecture series as one of the major annual cultural events in Portland and to launch the annual Nelson Social Justice Fund Lecture as a keystone of the PMA’s programs. She has been Project Director of 11 National Endowment for the Arts projects at the Portland Museum of Art, including a project to digitize more than 250 wood engravings by Winslow Homer for the museum’s website in 2009. Dana has increased collaborations with area social service agencies, interactive exhibitions imbedded in the Museum’s galleries, cell phone tours of special exhibitions, and a series of Regional Docent Symposia with attendance by volunteers from six states. In 2005 Baldwin was invited by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles to serve as a Guest Scholar of the Getty Research Institute where she studied philosophies of interpretation.