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

  • Freeport Historical Society seeks Executive Director

    13 May 2014 7:40 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    The Freeport Historical Society located in Freeport, Maine , is seeking a full-time Executive Director to provide leadership during a period of continuing growth.  The Freeport Historical Society is a vital and much respected organization with a 45 year track record of successful stewardship of a significant collection including two major properties, the 140 acre Historic Pettengill Farm at  Freeport, Maine, situated in a unique saltwater environment, and Harrington House, the Society’s headquarters on Freeport ’s Main Street . 

    During recent years, the Society has achieved significant growth in both individual and business memberships and increased revenues through the implementation of a multi-year development campaign. The Society has also significantly increased its local and regional visibility with unique programming and events while successfully interacting with families, schools, and artisans often through hands-on, educational experiences. The Society has a longstanding, positive history of an active, engaged, and collaborative board of trustees. 

    The successful candidate for this position will help guide the Society to its next level of development through visionary leadership while serving as the conduit of increasing Society interaction with various groups including community and educational organizations, government planning and design review boards, businesses, grant providers, and financial benefactors. Experience with capital campaign development, grant writing, and website management are also desirable.

     Required skills include strategic planning, budget creation and management, and the ability to clearly communicate both internally and externally. Collaborative problem solving, delegation, and organizational skills are also desirable. Previous utilization of these skills in the context of historic preservation, management of historic properties, and museum operations would be favored. Experience as an Executive Director or an increasingly responsible supervisory position is desired. Salary will be commensurate with experience. 

    Please submit a cover letter and resume to FHS Executive Director Search Committee via email at FHSsearch@gmail.com. The deadline for applications is June 30, 2014. 

  • Call for Participants: Franco-American History Fair

    07 May 2014 7:41 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    The University of Southern Maine's Franco-American Collection is
    planning to hold a "Franco-American History Fair" the morning of
    Saturday June 21.  The event will feature informational booths and
    displays from Maine's historical societies, libraries, museums and
    genealogical groups with a Franco-American interest.  Organizations
    which are not exclusively Franco-American, but which have items or
    resources of interest to researchers of Franco-American history are very
    much welcome to participate.
     
    For more information consult the following call for participants:
     
    http://www.usm.maine.edu/franco/franco-american-history-fair-2014
     
    To register your interest or for more information, contact James Myall,
    Collection Coordinator, at jmyall@usm.maine.edu or 207-753-6545.  Feel
    free to forward this information to anyone who might be interested in
    participating but who isn't on the list.

  • NEDCC Offers Workshop on Digitization

    07 May 2014 7:36 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    NEDCC TRAINING REMINDER:

    DIGITIZATION ON A SHOESTRING
    May 22, 2014
    Workshop - 9:00am - 3:00pm
    At NEDCC, Andover, MA

    Working within a limited budget? This full-day workshop will teach you how to undertake digitization projects "on a shoestring" and produce very high quality images of collections of documents, books, scrapbooks, and even photographic media. Learn "how-to" through live demonstrations with an affordable camera station.

    This workshop will prepare you to create high-quality digital images and give you the knowledge you need to make informed decisions whether you choose to digitize in house or with a vendor.

    Who should attend?
    This program focuses on the concerns particular to small cultural heritage institutions.

    Cost:
    $145 / $125 early-bird registration (May 1, 2014)
    Registration deadline: May 15, 2014

    FOR COMPLETE DETAILS AND TO REGISTER: http://www.nedcc.org/preservation-training/training-currentlist

  • Freeport Historical Society Seeks Executive Director

    02 May 2014 3:37 PM | Anonymous member
    The Freeport Historical Society, located in Freeport Maine, is seeking a
    full-time Executive Director to provide leadership during a period of
    continuing growth.  The Freeport Historical Society is a vital and much
    respected organization with a 45 year track record of successful stewardship
    of a significant collection including two major properties, the 140 acre
    Historic Pettengill Farm at Freeport, Maine, situated in a unique saltwater
    environment, and Harrington House, the Society's headquarters on Freeport's
    Main Street.

     During recent years, the Society has achieved significant growth in both
    individual and business memberships and increased revenues through the
    implementation of a multi-year development campaign. The Society has also
    significantly increased its local and regional visibility with unique
    programming and events while successfully interacting with families,
    schools, and artisans often through hands-on, educational experiences. The
    Society has a longstanding, positive history of an active, engaged, and
    collaborative board of trustees.

     The successful candidate for this position will help guide the Society to
    its next level of development through visionary leadership while serving as
    the conduit of increasing Society interaction with various groups including
    community and educational organizations, government planning and design
    review boards, businesses, grant providers, and financial benefactors.
    Experience with capital campaign development, grant writing, and website
    management are also desirable.

     Required skills include strategic planning, budget creation and management,
    and the ability to clearly communicate both internally and externally.
    Collaborative problem solving, delegation, and organizational skills are
    also desirable. Previous utilization of these skills in the context of
    historic preservation, management of historic properties, and museum
    operations would be favored. Experience as an Executive Director or an
    increasingly responsible supervisory position is desired. Salary will be
    commensurate with experience.

     Please submit a cover letter and resume to FHS Executive Director Search
    Committee via email at  <mailto:FHSsearch@gmail.com> FHSsearch@gmail.com.
    The deadline for applications is June 30, 2014.

  • Brick Store Museum Education/Special Events Internship

    01 May 2014 5:22 PM | Anonymous member

    Collections Internship

    Founded in 1936, the Brick Store Museum is a small museum of history and art in Kennebunk, Maine. It is open year-round, and produces 3-4 exhibitions per year, with programs and special events for all learning levels and ages. The Museum houses about 70,000 items in its collections, which range from documents and photos to chests of drawers and portraits. All staff members, as well as interns, are often called on to do any number of things such as assisting with public programs, basic office work, mailings and visitor services. 

    An internship with the Brick Store Museum is a great way to gain hands-on experience in museum practice. You will have access to areas of the Museum that most people do not get to see, and you will be entrusted with projects that are a valuable part of the work we do at the Museum. Through this commitment, an intern will gain a better understanding of museum work while contributing to the development of the Brick Store Museum as a whole.

    The Education/Special Events internship will provide opportunities to develop educational curriculum for programs and exhibitions.  Duties will vary according to availability of projects and student interests.  Projects will include preparing materials for classes; interacting with visitors and groups; developing educational programs and public programs for specific exhibits; and developing outreach programs for local schools.  The intern will report to the Collections and Archive Associate Manager.

    Experience in the following areas is preferred: experience supervising children; good written communication skills; background in educational theory and practice; understanding of Maine’s Common Core Standards; computer skills; word-processing; and basic office skills. Please inform your museum supervisor of any requirements if you are completing this internship for college credit. It is the responsibility of the student/intern to complete these requirements.

    The Museum offers a $350.00 stipend to ease cost of travel. Time required: 10 - 15 hours per week for eight weeks, beginning in June and ending in August.

    To apply: E-mail your resume and cover letter to info@brickstoremuseum.org with "Education Internship" in the subject line.

  • Brick Store Museum Collections Internship

    01 May 2014 5:18 PM | Anonymous member

    Collections Internship

    Founded in 1936, the Brick Store Museum is a small museum of history and art in Kennebunk, Maine. It is open year-round, and produces 3-4 exhibitions per year, with programs and special events for all learning levels and ages. The Museum houses about 70,000 items in its collections, which range from documents and photos to chests of drawers and portraits. All staff members, as well as interns, are often called on to do any number of things such as assisting with public programs, basic office work, mailings and visitor services. 

    An internship with the Brick Store Museum is a great way to gain hands-on experience in museum practice. You will have access to areas of the Museum that most people do not get to see, and you will be entrusted with projects that are a valuable part of the work we do at the Museum. Through this commitment, an intern will gain a better understanding of museum work while contributing to the development of the Brick Store Museum as a whole.

    The Collections Intern will learn how collections are stored, managed, cataloged and cared for in a museum setting.   Duties will vary according to availability of projects and student interest. Projects will include any combination of cataloguing into our PastPerfect database; assisting with the storage and organization of collections; and researching artifacts.  The intern will report to the Collections and Archive Associate Manager.

    Experience in the following areas is preferred: computer skills, background in art history, history, decorative arts or museum studies. Please inform your museum supervisor of any requirements if you are completing this internship for college credit. It is the responsibility of the student/intern to complete these requirements.

    The Museum offers a $350.00 stipend to ease cost of travel. Time required: 10 - 15 hours per week for eight weeks, beginning in June and ending in August.

    To apply: E-mail your resume and cover letter to info@brickstoremuseum.org with "Collections Internship" in the subject line.

  • APRIL 30 UPDATE on LD1664: Maine Tax Incentives for Charitable Giving

    30 Apr 2014 10:03 AM | Anonymous member
    April 30 update: Hurrah!  LD1664 became law today, which means that charitable donations in Maine will be fully deductible in the future. Click here for the full update from Maine Association of Nonprofits.  MAM was very proud to play a role in this advocacy initiative. 

    Early this year, MAM  signed onto the Community Nonprofit Letter in support of LD1664, proposed legislation to restore incentives for donations to charitable organizations like archives and museums. We also expressed our support of the bill individually to members of the Taxation Committee.

    The community letter was drafted by the Maine Association of Non-profits and was presented at a public hearing on January 22. The bill has been in committee since then and various compromise efforts have been considered.  Late last week, Brenda Peluso, Director of Public Policy and Operations at the Maine Association of Non-Profits, sent this update, thanking the signors of the letters: 

    "Just a quick note to let you all know that the taxation committee voted out a compromise bill today unanimously.  While it is not ideal, we do feel like it is the best we could have gotten this year.  I have heard from more than one legislator that if it were not for all of your good advocacy on this issue, this bill would have died in committee two months ago - if it had even made it out of Legislative Council to be considered.

    The compromise looks like this:
    • for tax year 2014 - no relief from the cap
    • for tax year 2015 - tax payers will be able to deduct an additional $10K in charitable donations above the itemized cap
    • for tax year 2016 - tax payers will be able to deduct and additional $18K in charitable donations above the itemized cap
    • for tax year 2017 and beyond - all charitable deductions will be exempt from the cap

    Because this passed unanimously out of committee, it should go under the gavel in both the House and Senate with no issues and the Governor has indicated he will sign the bill.

    We look forward to taking another run at this next year and encourage you to ask candidates for public office during this upcoming election season how they feel about restoring full deductibility for charitable contributions."

    MAM was proud to be a part of this advocacy effort on behalf of all nonprofits in Maine.  Please visit our Advocacy page for more about our recent and ongoing initiatives.

    UPDATE: On April 8, 2014, MAM followed up with the following message to the Appropriations Committee: 

    Dear Senator/Congressman/Congresswoman,

    We're contacting you today to ask you to support the compromise version of LD 1664, An Act to Encourage Charitable Contributions, fund it, and exempt it from the Appropriations Table.  As the taxation committee unanimously intended, this hard fought, negotiated compromise bill was designed to be revenue neutral when coupled with the Governor’s bill on medical expense deductions, LD 1795.

     

    The Association of Maine Archives and Museums is the state's only membership organization dedicated to "supporting and promoting Maine's collecting institutions." From the Portland Museum of Art and the Maine Maritime Museum to the smallest local historical societies, our members act as vital economic drivers for the state and their communities, provide essential public educational services, and, of course, do the important work of preserving and publicly presenting a shared cultural heritage in which we can all take pride as we anticipate Maine's bicentennial in 2020. We urge you to review our new, statewide Economic Impact Statement (MaineMuseums.org/About) and see how the data demonstrate that our member institutions employ hundreds, raise millions of dollars in revenue, and attract millions of visitors to the state. To achieve all this, they depend upon the generosity of private donors in fulfilling their missions that benefit all citizens of the state. Membership fees, fundraising events, and capital gifts (in the form of endowed investments)--not government or other grant funds--comprise the majority of our members' regular operating income each year.

     

    Passage of LD1664 will let Maine's collecting institutions--and so many other worthy non-profits in the state--continue to operate in an independent and financially sustainable way as we serve the state and its citizens. The compromise bill sends a message that charitable giving is broadly valued by our state, and that we are all committed to nurturing a culture of giving here.

     

    Very truly yours,

     

    Jessica Skwire Routhier, President

    Erin I. Bishop, Ph.D., Director

    Maine Archives and Museums

  • Maine Humanities Council seeks Program Assistant

    25 Apr 2014 12:49 PM | Anonymous member

    The MHC is seeking a full-time Program Assistant to provide support for the programming efforts of the organization. In that capacity, this individual assists Program Officers in every phase of planning, promoting, organizing, and evaluating our programs. The Program Assistant’s primary duties include:

    • undefinedOrganizing program details: coordinate and disseminate paperwork and program materials, communicate with program partners, order and manage books, assist with PR and marketing, other jobs as needed;
    • undefinedOrganizing event details and assisting at events;
    • undefinedRecording and tracking evaluations;
    • undefinedOrganizing and reporting on program data;
    • undefinedCoordinating the Letters About Literature program; and
    • undefinedProviding additional program and event support as needed.

    EXPERIENCE

    Strong verbal and written communications skills, organization, background in humanities, must be able to clearly communicate to a variety of audiences. Strong interpersonal skills, exceptional organizational skills, flexibility, and the ability to multitask, and a background and interest in the humanities are required.

    EDUCATION

    Bachelors degree required.

    REQUIREMENTS

    The ideal candidate will have:

    • undefinedExcellent writing, editing, and communication skills
    • undefinedExceptional attention to detail
    • undefinedProven ability to multi-task, juggle priorities, and meet deadlines
    • undefinedFlexibility and a creative approach to problem-solving
    • undefinedProficiency in Word, Excel, and database software
    • undefinedAbility to work independently as well as collaboratively
    • undefinedA commitment to the humanities

    The salary for this position is $25,000 with a benefit package.

    To apply, please send a résumé, cover letter, and three references to trudy@mainehumanities.org.

    Applications will be accepted through May 9.

    Public humanities scholars

    The Council is always interested in expanding its roster of public humanities scholars who are available on a project-by-project contractual basis to advise council projects or facilitate group humanities discussions in locations around Maine. If you are an experienced humanities teacher or scholar who is interested in working with the public and you would like more information, please e-mail your resume and contact information to info@mainehumanities.org and we will be in touch with you.

  • Ryan budget bad for museums, bad for the economy

    25 Apr 2014 10:25 AM | Anonymous member
    Below is the text of a letter that Maine Archives and Museums sent to Senators Collins (R-ME) and King (I-ME) and Representatives Michaud (D-ME) and Pingree (D-ME) on April 25, 2014, encouraging them to reject the budget proposed by Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI), which would defund and effectively eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services as well as defund the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Public Broadcasting Service.

    MAM has also added its signature to a statement prepared by the American Alliance of Museums on behalf of state and regional museum associations, directed at Representatives Ryan and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who are heading up the budget committee.  When that letter is made public, we will share it with our membership.

    April 25, 2014

    The Association of Maine Archives and Museums, the state’s only membership organization dedicated to supporting and promoting Maine’s collecting institutions, rejects the new budget from Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI), in which he disregards the critical role that the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) plays in supporting civic engagement, literacy and lifelong learning in more than 17,500 museums and 123,000 libraries nationwide. This budget plan seeks to eliminate federal funding for multiple programs dedicated to the public good that directly benefit Maine libraries, museums, and their patrons. Ryan’s budget resolution effectively calls for the dissolution of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a federal agency that administers grants to libraries and museums.

    Rep. Ryan recommends that the federal government not have a role in these vital and essential educational resources and that Congress shift the federal agency’s responsibilities to the private sector in his 2015 fiscal year budget resolution. The proposed House Budget says, "The Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent agency that makes grants to museums and libraries. This is not a core federal responsibility." In addition, Ryan would like to make similar cuts in federal funding to agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts, Public Broadcasting Service, and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), a move that would result in the loss of cultural heritage on an epic scale.

    It is the view of Maine Archives and Museums that having an informed and literate citizenry and protecting cultural heritage are priorities for the administration. Providing funding for institutions such as IMLS, NEH, and NEA that contribute to this work is indeed a core federal responsibility and should continue unimpeded.

    Maine has received nearly $6 million over the last four years from IMLS, which funded vital programs such as: the Maine Regional Library System, special services (books-by-mail, video services, talking books and large print books), school library/ media services, Maine InfoNet, and electronic database licensing. In the last year, more than $775,000 grants were awarded to Maine museums.
    The NEH supports museums as institutions of learning and exploration, and as keepers of our cultural, historical, and scientific heritages. These programs teach essential skillsundefinedsuch as creativity, critical thinking, and effective communicationundefinedthat are increasingly being sought by employers. NEH also funds humanities councils in every state and U.S. territory, which sponsor family literacy programs, speakers' bureaus, cultural heritage tourism, exhibitions, and live performances.

    The nonprofit arts industry generates $135.2 billion annually in economic activity, supports 4.1 million full-time equivalent jobs in the arts and related industries, and returns $9.6 billion in federal income taxes. We encourage you to find out more about the economic impact of such organizations in Maine by looking at MAM’s statewide Economic Impact Statement at www.mainemuseums.org/About. In partnership with the NEA, state arts agencies annually award 22,000 grants to organizations, schools, and artists in 5,000 communities across the United States. On average, each NEA grant leverages at least nine dollars from other state, local, and private sources. Private support cannot match the leveraging role of government cultural funding.

    Library and cultural heritage funding support from the Institute for Museum and Library Services wields large returns in the form of literate and civically engaged communities. We hope that our members of Congress will support the important roles that the IMLS, NEA, and NEH play in supporting educated communities by rejecting the House Budget resolution.

    About Maine Archives & Museums:
    Maine Archives and Museums actively stimulates the flow of knowledge and support among organizations and individuals in Maine who identify, collect, interpret, and/or provide access to materials relating to history, living collections, and culture, in order to strengthen and promote all collecting institutions in Maine. For more information, visit www.mainemuseums.org.

    Very truly yours,

    Jessica Skwire Routhier, President
    Erin I. Bishop, Ph.D., Director
    Heather Moran, Advocacy Committee
    David O. Smith, Advocacy Committee

  • Local and Legendary: Belfast During the Civil War, The Home Front

    21 Apr 2014 1:21 PM | Anonymous member
    The Belfast Historical Society is pleased to announce that the exhibit, "Belfast During the Civil War , The Home Front" is now live and online at the Maine Memory Network.

    The Belfast Historical Society and Museum, in cooperation with the Belfast Free Library, Senior College and the Game Loft, has posted a permanent exhibit on the Maine Memory Network website (civilwar.mainememory.net) telling the story of the Belfast home front during the Civil War. The exhibit features information about the role of the Belfast ladies, letters from soldiers, photographs and the story of the 1864 Belfast Civil War quilt.

    The exhibit is part of the Local and Legendary project recounting Maine in the Civil War, made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Ten Maine communities are participating during 2013 to 2015. The Maine Humanities Council and the Maine Historical Society are acting in an advisory capacity and are providing technical support.