Blog and Newsletter

The New England Regional Genealogical Conference (NERGC) is held every two years and in 2013 the conference will be held from April 17-21 in Manchester, NH. It draws more than seven hundred attendees from all over the U. S. and from other countries. Library Day and Tech Day will be held on Wednesday, April 17th. This year's conference theme is “Woven in History: The Fabric of New England” and will offer over eighty sessions and six workshops with both regionally and nationally recognized speakers, as well as the Society Fair, Poster Sessions, Special Interest Groups and Ancestors' Road Show. The Exhibit Hall will be open to the public. More information about NERGC can be found on their website www.nergc.org. From that site click on “Program Brochure” and under the yellow brochure cover you will be able to view the sixteen page 2013 brochure by selecting “Download Program Here”.

Important news for all MAM members, especially those who have recently joined or renewed mid-year.  MAM will soon be moving to a “rolling” membership renewal process rather than one based on the calendar year.  That means that instead of having all memberships become active in January and come up for renewal in December, each member will have a unique renewal date based upon when they joined or last renewed.  In other words, if you renew your membership in June 2013, we won’t ask you for your renewal again until June 2014. Whatever time of year you join or renew, you can be confident that you’ll receive twelve full months of MAM’s great membership benefits.  The new renewal process will be in place by November 1.  For more about MAM membership, visit www.mainemuseums.org/MAMmembership or contact us directly at (207) 400-6965 or info@mainemuseums.org.

The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) is seeking an
experienced preservation professional to lead and manage its
nationally-recognized education programs and consulting services.

For the complete job description: http://bit.ly/PrsSvcsJ

For the latest NEDCC Staff News Update:
http://www.nedcc.org/eblasts/2012StaffUpdate.html


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NORTHEAST DOCUMENT CONSERVATION CENTER
Andover, MA
Preserving Cultural Heritage Collections Since 1973

Join NEDCC's E-List for all the latest news: www.nedcc.org

Do you have archival materials that need to be re-housed in appropriate folders and boxes? Oversized materials that really should be in map cases? An archival collection that needs to be catalogued? Are you a non-profit organization? If yes, apply for a Historical Records Collections grant this year! For small projects (up to $1000), there are quarterly deadlines. For projects between $1000 and $2500, the postmark deadline is Monday, OCTOBER 1.

The application forms are available on our Web page:

http://www.state.me.us/sos/arc/mhrab/grants.html

The categories include
1) Basic Projects: Up to $1,000; rolling deadline through Sept. 30. After that, deadlines are Nov. 1, Feb. 1, May 1, August 1.
2) Major Projects: $1,000 to $2,500; deadline October 1, 2012
3) Odiorne Fund for Archeological/ Archival Projects

Questions?  Contact Janet Roberts, Maine State Archives: 207-287-5791 / janet.roberts@maine.gov

The Owls Head Transportation Museum seeks an inspiring, bold, innovative and collaborative leader with a passion for people, technology, arts and education to serve as its next Executive Director. The successful candidate will exhibit experience in areas of development, cultivation, human resource management, public relations and marketing, fiscal management, event and program design and implementation, community relations and a strong comprehension of the power and opportunities afforded by education, collaboration and community participation and interaction. The successful candidate is likely to have studied non-profit management, though the museum is open to any area of education which, when combined with relevant work experience, has prepared the candidate for this role. Knowledge of transportation technology is a plus. A complete job description may be viewed at www.owlshead.org. Cover letters and resumes may be forwarded to: Chandra Robert, Administrative Assistant to the Search Committee, PO Box 277, Owls Head, Maine 04854 or email cr@ohtm.org. Please put Executive Director in subject line. The Owls Head Transportation Museum is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

NOTE: The following action alert, recently e-mailed to like-minded organizations nationwide by a group representing the Georgia Archives, is posted by MAM as an information service to its members. The recommendations below do not necessarily reflect MAM's viewpoint. MAM members may follow up or respond on an individual basis as they see fit.

ACTION ALERT: SAVE THE GEORGIA ARCHIVES!

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp has announced that the Georgia Archives will be CLOSED to all public access beginning November 1, 2012.  He cites as reason the requirement for a 3 % budget reduction for all state agencies.   Secretary Kemp has chosen to take the required cut of $750,000 entirely and only from the State Archives.   In addition to the elimination of public access, staff reductions concerning the ten remaining staff are planned and will also be announced soon.

This action further cripples an institution that was among the first state archives established (1918), has won many awards for its programs and state-of-the-art archival facility, and has been a respected leader in archives, government records programs, and research use.  Over the past decade, however, the Georgia Archives has been eviscerated by regular budget cuts, reductions in staff and reductions in public hours to 2 days a week.   Now Secretary Kemp wants to eliminate even those few hours of access for Georgia’s citizens, making Georgia Archives the only state archives without public access hours.

Tell the Governor, the Secretary of State and the Georgia Legislature to reverse this devastating decision.  Write, call or visit and ask them to:

Restore a minimum of $1 million to the Georgia Archives budget to return its operations to 5 days a week of public access hours and eliminate projected staff reductions.  

Reverse the Secretary of State’s proposed budget cuts to the Archives by November 1 to ensure uninterrupted service to the public.

When you write/call or visit, focus on a few of the points below.   Put this in your own words, and use your own examples, particularly if you are a citizen of Georgia:

Points to make in letters/phone calls or visits: 

• 1.       The Secretary of State was directed to reduce his budget expenditures by 3%.  The entire sum needed to accomplish that has been taken from the Archives budget alone and will result in the termination of all public hours.   The proposed “access by appointment…limited based on the schedule of the remaining employees” effectively denies access based on “reasonable time and place” for inspection of public records as required by Georgia law.
• 2.       Points to make regarding the importance of access to government records for accountability and legal purposes:
• ·         This deprives citizens of regular and predictable access, as mandated in the Georgia Records Act , Title 50, Chapter 18, Article 4, section 70(b) of the Georgia Annotated Code that all public records “shall be open for a personal inspection by any citizen of this state at a reasonable time and place, and those in charge of such records shall not refuse this privilege to any citizen.”
• ·         It is contrary to the practice of government transparency by depriving citizens of predictable and ready access to the records that are essential to providing evidence of government accountability.
• ·         It deprives citizens, as well as Georgia’s own government, of access to records needed to support due process of law.   The Georgia Archives holdings have been used for a range of court cases including land claims, boundary disputes, utility right-of-way, and claims against state agencies.
• ·         Access to records is essential to avoid costly litigation that will result if records cannot be located or accessed.

• 3.       Points to make regarding the importance of access to government records for research
• purposes:
• ·         As the Civil War Sesquicentennial begins, researchers need access to the historical record in the Georgia Archives to provide accurate, factual evidence of that experience.  Many of Georgia’s governmental records were destroyed during Sherman’s March;  closing the Archives similarly deprives Georgians of access to their heritageundefinedbut this time the fault does not lie with an invading army, but with Georgia officials themselves.
• ·         The Georgia Archives holds records actively sought by genealogists and family historians; in particular, they provide essential evidence for African-American history and genealogical research not available in many private historical collections.
• ·         The Georgia Archives has been an essential resource for environmental research and activities including efforts to reintroduce the American chestnut tree in the state and issues relating to pollution.
• ·         The Georgia Archives has been the site of research for television and films, including the popular NBC series “Who Do You Think You Are” segments with Paula Deen and Spike Lee, as well as Emmy award-winner Ben Loeterman’s documentary “People v. Leo Frank.”
•  
•  
• Governor Nathan Deal
• Address for mail:
  206 Washington Street
  Suite 203, State Capitol
  Atlanta, GA 30334
• Phone:404-656-1776
• Fax:404-657-7332
• Email – “contact us”  form
• http://gov.georgia.gov/contact-us-0
•  
• Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle
• Address for mail:
• 240 State Capitol 
  Atlanta, GA 30334 
  TEL: (404) 656-5030 
  FAX: (404) 656-6739
• http://ltgov.georgia.gov/contact-lt-governor
•  
• Secretary of State Brian Kemp
• Executive Offices:
  214 State Capitol
  Atlanta, GA 30334
  Phone: 404-656-2881
  Fax: 404-656-0513
•  
• ·         Individual Georgia legislators:   find specific legislators via Society of Georgia Archivists site:    http://soga.org/involvement/legislative

If you’ve signed an online petition, that’s helpful, but direct contact is even more effective.   For Georgians, a visit to your local legislator will have even more impact.   There has been a great deal of attention on radio, newspapers, television and the Internet.    In a democracy, however, nothing speaks to the governor or elected officials like direct contact from individuals.   Speak up for the Georgia Archives.    Write, call or plan a visit today!

Please send copies of your letter, information on contacts, or any questions to:

Kaye Lanning Minchew:   kaye@trouparchives.org

The Maine Forest and Logging Museum in Bradley, Maine was incorporated in 1960 to educate the public about the Maine forest and its many products, both past and present.  It is the mission of this outdoor museum to show the importance of the forest to the economic viability of the State of Maine. Maine’s logging past and its connection to the present and future are shown through educational programming in many different formats.

 Job Description for Executive Director

Description

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director is charged with carrying out all Maine Forest and Logging Museum (MFLM) mission and programs and will oversee its operation. The Executive Director must be a pragmatic leader committed to a high level of excellence. The Executive Director must be a results-oriented individual, able to carry projects through from inception to completion.  He/She must be able to build financial and leadership support, develop long-range strategies and vision, and develop programs which promote the MFLM and Leonard’s Mills to ensure its lasting success.

 

Responsibilities

Fundraising (Estimated time 40%): A majority of the Executive Director’s time will be spent on securing financial support for the organization and its programs and projects.  Working with the Board and other volunteers, the Executive Director will participate in the cultivation and solicitation of individual, corporate, and foundation support as well as seek out grant opportunities as they arise to support MFLM.  This effort must include finding new sources of capital in order to further the museum’s mission.

 

Program Management (Estimated time 30%): Develop short-term and long-term strategic plans for the MFLM that support the Mission and objectives of the organization. Oversee and engage in the planning, organizing, and operation of events – both onsite and offsite as appropriate.  With the assistance of key volunteers, ensure that each event fits the mission of the MFLM and that each is run smoothly and is promoted adequately. Work with existing Board and volunteers to recruit more volunteers to support programs at site and throughout the year.

Operate as the lead contact on potential additions to the MFLM Collections to ensure donations fit the mission and there is a clear use, potential use, or display/storage capacity to ensure the value to the MFLM will not be diminished over time.

Oversee and engage in the daily needs of the organization so that it runs smoothly and encourages continued donor and member support

 

Communications and Public Relations (Estimated time 15%):  The Executive Director will serve as the “public face” of the organization at events, with donors, and with the media in order to promote the MFLM and its programs. In addition He/She will oversee and engage in the creation of promotional materials including MFLM newsletters, press releases, and enhancing MFLM’s web presence.  In addition, the Executive Director will directly oversee and manage all MFLM employees, including the Site Manager and Caretakers, and serve as a conduit to the Board for those employees.

 

Budget and Finance (Estimated time 15%): The Executive Director will work closely with the Board President, Treasurer, and Budget and Finance Committee to develop organizational and program-specific budgets and ensure the organization operates prudently within those budgets.

 

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, résumé and two letters of recommendations to the following email address by October 8, 2012: 

sdrobinson@prentissandcarlisle.com

 

Maine Historical Society and Maine State Library, in partnership with Maine Archives and Museums, are offering three 21st Century Skills Workshops for library and historical society personnel during the month of October:

Tuesday, October 16 at Gray Public Library
Wednesday, October 17 at Pittsfield Public Library
Thursday, October 18 at Carabbassett Valley Public Library

These FREE half-day workshops introduce attendees to the opportunities that local history, technology, and Maine Memory Network provide to develop professional skills, increase the capacity of their institutions, engage their communities, and deepen collaboration with historical societies, local schools, and other community organizations. The workshop includes an in-depth, interactive demonstration of Maine Memory Network and its many search tools and content offerings.

Registration is required. For more details and downloadable registration forms, visit www.mainememory.net/training or call Larissa Vigue Picard, MHS Community Partnership Coordinator, at 774-1822 x215. Registration deadline is three business days prior to the workshop.