Blog and Newsletter

The Association of Maine Archives and Museums publishes quarterly print newsletter that is sent out to members in February, May, August, and November. We also maintain the blog on this page for members to share their announcements more immediately.

Quarterly Print Newsletter

Submissions: If you are a member interested in submitting articles, dispatches, opportunities, and/or photos to the print newsletter, please review these guideline and deadlines.

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Read now: Click here to view the current and past issues of the print newsletter (members-only; log in first).

News Blog

Members and non-members of MAM may post news of interest to the field using the blog below. To post an event, see the event listings. To post a job or internship opportunity, see the job/internship board. MAM reserves the right to edit or reject postings as it deems appropriate. This service is free to members; non-members are charged $20.

Posts to this news blog are automatically shared to the MAM Facebook page to get even more exposure!

MEMBERS: Log in, then click "Add Post." If you have trouble logging in, email info@mainemuseums.org.

NON-MEMBERS: To submit your bulletin board post, please email info@mainemuseums.org.

  • 09 Jan 2013 3:14 PM | Anonymous member

    Museum Assistant

                The Margaret Chase Smith Library, a congressional research library located in Skowhegan, Maine, and dedicated to promoting Senator Smith’s legacy of service, civics, civility, and aspirations, seeks a full-time museum assistant.  The successful candidate will be responsible for visitor services, tour guiding, and museum exhibits.  The assistant will also expand the social media reach of the museum by using the archival collection to provide content on the Internet.

                Requirements:  Bachelor’s degree; Master’s with specialty in twentieth-century US History preferred; several years of museum experience; working knowledge of Microsoft Office and Outlook, PastPerfect database, and social media platforms.  For a full list of responsibilities and qualifications, please see jobs.umaine.edu.

                Salary range: $26,570 - 27,500 dependent upon skills, plus full University benefits.  This position is contingent on outside funding.

                Please send letter of interest, résumé, writing sample, and names and numbers of three references to: Job Search, c/o Lynnette G. King, Administrator, Margaret Chase Smith Library, 56 Norridgewock Avenue, Skowhegan, ME, 04976.  Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

                On January 1, 2011, UMaine became a tobacco-free campus. Information regarding UMaine’s tobacco-free policy is online at http://umaine.edu/tobaccofree/.

    The University of Maine is an

    Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

  • 07 Jan 2013 2:27 PM | Anonymous member

    Spotlight Award
    Purpose and Criteria for Selection:

    Established in 2005, this award recognizes the contributions of individuals who work for the good of the archives profession and of archival collections, and whose work would not typically receive public recognition. The nominee(s) should have achieved distinction in one or more of the following ways:

    * Participating in special projects.
    * Exhibiting tireless committee or advocacy work.
    * Responding effectively to an unforeseen or pressing need or emergency.
    * Contributing innovative or creative ideas to the profession.
    * Performing extraordinary volunteerism.
    * Quietly but effectively promoting the profession.

    Eligibility:

    Awarded to an individual archivist or a group of up to five archivists who have collaborated on a project. Preference is given to archivists working in smaller repositories, especially those without institutional support for professional activities.

    Nomination Requirements: A completed nomination form, downloadable at http://www2.archivists.org/sites/all/files/Spotlight-Award-Form.rtf.

    Sponsor and Funding: The Society of American Archivists Foundation.

    Prize: A certificate and complimentary registration (for up to five individuals) to the SAA Annual Meeting occurring in the year in which the award is presented.

    Submission Deadline and Nomination Form: Deadline: February 28, 2013. Please complete the nomination form (http://www2.archivists.org/sites/all/files/Spotlight-Award-Form.rtf) and email it along with any applicable supporting documentation to awards@archivists.org with the subject line “Spotlight Award.” Attachments should not exceed 5MB.

    Alternately, nominations may be mailed. Materials must be postmarked by February 28, 2013, and should be sent to:

    Spotlight Award Committee

    Society of American Archivists

    17 North State Street, Suite 1425

    Chicago, IL 60602-4061


    Questions should be directed to me as chair of the Spotlight Award Subcommittee, tzachar@lsu.edu or 225-578-6546.

    Please visit http://www2.archivists.org/recognition for a list and explanation of all of the awards offered by SAA. The above information and past awardees is available online, (http://www2.archivists.org/governance/handbook/section12-spotlight).  

  • 04 Jan 2013 7:41 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland Seeks Events & Volunteer Manager

    Company: Farnsworth Art Museum
    Location: Rockland, ME
    Type: Full-Time
    Start Date: immediately

    Job Description


    The Museum is seeking an Events and Volunteer Manager to provide leadership, professional expertise, and direction for all museum events, facilities rentals, and the museum volunteer program.

    Responsibilities:
    Manages all museum events including developing timelines, budgets, specifications, and logistics. Develops and aggressively markets a facilities use program. Administers the volunteer program and serves as point of contact for all groups that rent the museum facilities.

    Qualifications:
    Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to handle and prioritize multiple tasks. A minimum of five years project management experience necessary, with the ability to plan and produce events and meetings from concept to completion. Ability to lift 40 lbs. Strong computer skills including MS Office, Excel, and exposure to programs like Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge important. Candidate must be able to work flexible hours including occasional nights and weekends. B.A. preferred.


    How To Apply


    Interested candidates should forward cover letter, resume and salary requirements to: employment@farnsworthmuseum.org
  • 28 Dec 2012 5:19 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    Invitation to Submit Papers

    Curator: The Museum Journal

    Special Issue on Museums and People with Disabilities

    In areas as varied as transportation, housing, food service, employment, and cultural institutions, our interactions with people with disabilities are changing in fundamental ways. These changes appear to be driven in part by the much-discussed proliferation and democratization of technology and in part by the less obvious shifts in the sensibilities and assumptions of people at the start of the twenty-first century society.

    How are museums and other cultural institutions adapting to-and helping shape-these cultural changes? The editors of Curator: The Museum Journal invite scholars and professionals within and outside of the museum community to submit articles and think-pieces that situate the theory and practice of informal settings in contemporary cultural modes. We seek fresh examples, research findings, and commentary that will illuminate what engagement with people with disabilities means today, how museums and other cultural organizations and programs are fostering a blurring of the lines between engagement with people with and without disabilities, and where current trends may take us.

    We're particularly interested in papers that explore the broad landscape of engagement and communication. While a robust and rigorous foundation for engagement and equality has been established in the last decade or so, a fresh look is called for that takes direct account of the contemporary characteristics of communication and participation. We invite holistic, appropriately skeptical appraisals of the ways engagement with people with disabilities may be embedded in a broader set of experiences and outcomes intended by museums and other cultural settings.

    We are also interested in book, media, and digital reviews relevant to these questions.

    Inquiries and submissions should be sent to guest editors Christine Reich (creich@mos.org<mailto:creich@mos.org>) and Anna Lindgren-Streicher (alstreicher@mos.org<mailto:alstreicher@mos.org>), with copies of Zahava Doering, Editor at editor@curatorjournal.org<mailto:editor@curatorjournal.org>. Submissions should follow Curator's standard guidelines, which can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)2151-6952/homepage/ForAuthors.html.

    Articles that do not require review will be due on February 15th, 2013. Research articles that will require review will be due on February 1st, 2013.

  • 28 Dec 2012 9:12 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Save the Date
    The Role of Libraries and Museums in Early Learning

    What: Interactive Discussion for Service Organizations Only

    Topic: Libraries, Museums, and Early Learning:
    How Libraries and Museums are Supporting Young Children’s Learning and Development

    When: January 16, 2013, 3:00-4:00 p.m. EST

    Format: Webinar (call-in details to follow in early 2013)

    IMLS and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading have joined forces to elevate the role that museums and libraries can and do play in supporting early learning and development. We want to hear from you as we develop a national report and dissemination strategy to help position museums and libraries as key contributors to a broad-based, multi-sector system of early learning services and supports. The goal is to assure that libraries and museums have a more prominent place at the policy- and decision-making table.

    Libraries and museums have a long, successful history of serving young children and their families. They are trusted and accessible institutions in the communityundefinedand are often one of the only sources of services and programs for children and families with the greatest needs. Yet their contributions are often disconnected from state and community strategies to improve children’s school readiness and performance.

    The report, which will be released in 2013, will serve as a catalyst for states and communities to consider the vital role that libraries and museums play when building comprehensive early learning systems.

    Please join us to learn more about these efforts and contribute to the discussion with IMLS and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading project staff.

    Elements of the webinar:

    • •· A brief overview of the history and goals of the IMLS/Campaign partnership and a description of the planned national report.
    • •· A discussion to gather feedback from service organizations for developing and disseminating the report.

    Please save the dateundefineda link to the webinar and call-in details will follow early in the new year.

  • 21 Dec 2012 9:02 AM | Anonymous member
    The state of Maine holds a special place in the history of the American
    Civil War. To recognize and celebrate the role of Mainers on the
    battlefield and the home front, Maine Historical Society (MHS) and Maine
    Humanities Council (MHC) are offering 10 Maine communities the opportunity
    to explore their local Civil War history through a new joint program,
    “Local & Legendary: Maine and the Civil War.” This project, which is meant
    to bring communities together around their stories, has received major
    support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

    Each community involved in “Local & Legendary” will form a team consisting
    of a local historical institution, a library, and an education
    institution. The team will work collaboratively on a variety of activities
    including digitizing local historical collections, creating online
    exhibits on Maine Memory Network (www.mainememory.net), and hosting a
    series of “One Story, One Community” programs. Each participating
    community will receive a $2,000 grant and substantial training and
    resources to support their work. A
    one-day public symposium on April 27, 2013 at USM’s Hannaford Hall,
    featuring national and state-based speakers, formally kicks off the
    project.

    The community application process for the first five communities opens on
    January 2, 2013, with a deadline of March 1, 2013. Five additional
    communities will be selected in 2014. Visit www.mainehumanities.org or
    www.mainememory.net/cwgrants for program details and application
    materials, or contact Anne Schlitt at MHC at annes@mainehumanities.org) or
    Larissa Vigue Picard at MHS (lvpicard@mainehistory.org) for more
    information.
  • 19 Dec 2012 9:07 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    Newport, Rhode Island
    November 13-15, 2013
    Who Cares? Why Museums Are Needed Now More Than Ever

     Behind the question "Who cares?" lies the fundamental struggle challenging today's museums to stay relevant in an evolving, revolving, revolutionary world. How do we deliver the "authentic" experiences the public craves as an alternative to the virtual, electronic worlds of mass entertainment? Who is our audience in an increasingly diverse community? What do we have to do understand and connect to those audiences? Where are communities headed if they don't have vibrant museums in their midst? Most important, why do museums have value at all?

    These are the important questions we'll be raising at the 95th Annual NEMA Conference in Newport, Rhode Island. Fueled by the theme "Who Cares? Why Museums Are Needed Now More Than Ever" (which you and your colleagues crowdsourced at the 2012 conference), the museum field will descend on Newport with more ideas, interactivity, and inspiration than ever before. It's your chance to add your voice to the debate about who cares about museums and the roles we play in society. So put on your thinking cap and make plans for a dynamic conference session that helps us find the answer to "Who cares?"

     In addition to theme-related sessions, we also welcome sessions exploring issues of technology, future leadership, and public accountability in museums. Sessions on professional development topics for individuals such as networking, personal growth, and public speaking are also welcome. NEMA strives to offer sessions on topics including museum governance, administration, visitor services, volunteer management, human resources, education, exhibitions, curatorial and conservation, registration, membership, development, and marketing. In content and in format, all sessions should stimulate discussion, raise new ideas, debate solutions, and spark imagination. Join us and share your experience!


    A great conference begins with great NEMA members! Consider joining us in Newport as a session chair or presenter. To submit a proposal click here. Proposals must be received by February 1, 2013.
  • 18 Dec 2012 10:09 AM | Anonymous member

    MAM is pleased to announce a new membership collaboration with the New England Museum Association (NEMA), active right now. Any all-volunteer organization that is a member of MAM is entitled to a one-year complimentary membership at NEMA. The complimentary membership (a $25 value) is good for one full year after the sign-up date, and members at this level will receive all the benefits every other NEMA member receives, plus a free copy of “NEMA’s 25 Top Tips for Small Museums.”

    This membership benefit is available to any all-volunteer organization--meaning that the organization retains absolutely no paid staff--that is a member of MAM or joins in 2013. MAM membership for all-volunteer organizations is only $25 for twelve full months of benefits. Registration is simple and can be done through MAM’s website: www.mainemuseums.org. Simply select Institutional--All-volunteer as your membership category, and instructions for redeeming your NEMA membership will be provided as part of the registration process. If you have recently renewed your membership without redeeming this information, simply contact MAM for help: info@mainemuseums.orgor (207) 400-6965.  Remember: this benefit is for all-volunteer organizations ONLY. 


    More information HERE.
  • 10 Dec 2012 1:40 PM | Anonymous member

    The Philip M. Hamer and Elizabeth Hamer Kegan Award Subcommittee of the Society of American Archivists seeks nominations for the 2013 award.

    This award recognizes an archivist, editor, group of individuals, or institution that has increased public awareness of a specific body of documents through compilation, transcription, exhibition, or public presentation of archives or manuscript materials for educational, instructional, or other public purpose. Archives may include photographs, films, and visual archives. Publication may be in hard copy, microfilm, digital, or other circulating medium.

    Recent winners include:

    • 2012: Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota
    • 2011: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries March On Milwaukee Civil Rights History Project Team
    • 2010: The Giza Archives Project at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
    • 2009: Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections of the University of Toledo’s “From Institution to Independence”
    • 2008: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the CBC Digital Archives (Les Archives de Radio-Canada)

    Eligibility:

    Individual archivists and editors, groups of individuals, organizations.

    Application Deadline:

    All nominations shall be submitted to the Awards Committee by February 28, 2013.

    For more information on SAA awards and the nominations process, please go to http://www.archivists.org/recognition/index.asp .

  • 06 Dec 2012 1:19 PM | Anonymous member

    Portland Creative Conference Seeks Presenters

    The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) is preparing to present their third Creative Communities Exchange (CCX), and this one is going to be in Portland on June 6 and 7, 2013.

    This event brings together creative and cultural community leaders who work on creative economy projects in various sectors and types of organizations including cultural nonprofits, creative businesses, economic development, city planning, funders, researchers, and government. They share successes, challenges, and lessons learned to gain actionable tools they can use to strengthen their own communities.

    NEFA is looking for about 30 workshops that highlight successful and innovative community projects that deploy arts, culture, and creativity in support of local economic development goals. They are particularly interested in presenting a balance that represents the New England region fully - considering geography, community size, ethnic representation, and age of target audiences.

    Presenters at past events have been able to promote their communities, be considered for regional awards, and connect with their peers. If this appeals to you and if you have a project that fits the description - or know someone who might be interested – then you should apply online.You may wish to click the link to see what exactly NEFA are looking for, and if you have questions then help is at hand: You can contact Marc Goldring atmgoldring@nefa.org.

    Please visit the Creative Communities Exchange website for additional information.

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