Please add localhistorynews@mnhs.org to your address book to ensure delivery.
July 15, 2020
Heritage Preservation Grants
Spotlighted project: Security System Installation
Several items had been stolen from displays over the years and a general concern over the safety of staff and volunteers who are often alone, particularly in the winter months, had also been voiced. In 2019 a security assessment was performed which give them an overview of what needed to enhance the security of the museum. As a historical society and museum, there is an obligation of ensuring a high level of protection to the museum collection so it can continue to be shared with future generations. People donate pieces of their family’s history with the understanding these objects will be safely stored and shared with the community.
Having security procedures and installing the security system provides an added level of professionalism. The collection will be more secure both while the museum is open as well as when it is closed. Having 24/7 access via a mobile app provides another level of confidence to be able to keep an eye on the museum. Additionally, the collection will be protected from unexpected maintenance issues like a leaking pipe or an extreme drop in temperature.
By having a keycard swipe system on the entrances of the museum, they can track who enters the building and at what time. Cameras allow the director to monitor those coming and going remotely through the mobile app.
Recipient: Lake of the Woods County Historical Society
Amount awarded: $9,800
Grants Office Webinar: Using Grants Office Feedback
July 16 - Webinar: 2 to 2:30 p.m. The mission of the Grants Office is to fund as many good history and historic preservation projects as possible. To help that happen, we as staff reviewers send back written comments for any unfunded small application and for any large pre-application. These comments can help you write an application with a better chance of success. How can you use these comments to strengthen your proposal rewrite? Why do we send you the information we send? All four grant team members will be on this webinar to explain how to use our comments to help you refine your proposal. Learn more »
Job Opportunities
Minnesota Historical Society's Job Announcement, Internship, Fellowship, and Volunteer Opportunity pages.
MNHS
MNHS has paused hiring as we've turned our attention to responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. Thank you for your patience.
LOCAL
Visitor Services & Membership Director
Franconia Sculpture Park, Shafer, MN, seeks a Visitor Services & Membership Director.
Director of Marketing & Communications
Minnesota Children's Museum, St. Paul, MN, seeks a Director of Marketing & Communications.
Community Outreach Specialist - Cultural Center
Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, Prior Lake, MN, seeks a Community Outreach Specialist for their Cultural Center.
Entry-Level Cultural Resources Specialist
Mead and Hunt, Minneapolis, MN, seeks an Entry-Level Cultural Resources Specialist.
REGIONAL
Executive Director
Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque, IA, seeks an Executive Director.
Vice President for Education and Engagement
Chicago History Museum, Chicago, IL, seeks a Vice President for Education and Engagement.
Director of Facilities
Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, MO, seeks a Director of Facilities.
Archivist
Department of the Air Force - Air Combat Command, Offutt AFB, NE, seeks an Archivist.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
History Coordinator/Museum Manager II
Riversdale House Museum, Riverdale Park, MD, seeks a History Coordinator/Museum Manager II.
Associate or Full Curator
Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, Suitland, MD, seeks an Associate or Full Curator.
Museum Specialist (Collection Management)
Smithsonian Exhibits, Landover, MD, seeks a Museum Specialist (Collection Management).
Supervisory Librarian
Library of Congress - Legislative Branch, Washington DC, seeks a Supervisory Librarian.
Head, Digital Initiatives
Tisch Library - Tufts University, Medford, MA, seeks a Head of Digital Initiatives.
Curator of Collections
Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, Missoula, MT, seeks a Curator of Collections.
Executive Director
Tennessee Historical Society, Nashville, TN, seeks an Executive Director.
Main Street Manager
City of Reidsville, Reidsville, NC, seeks a Main Street Manager. Deadline: July 24, 2020.
Museum Technician
National Park Service-San Juan National Historic Site, San Juan, PR, seeks a Museum Technician.
Samvera Community Manager
Emory Library on behalf of Samvera, Telecommute, seeks a Samvera Community Manager.
Do History Here
Image used by permission from the Upper Midwest Jewish Archives, University of Minnesota Libraries.
Spanish Influenza
July 16 - Online: 4 p.m. (CDT). Blue Earth County Historical Society - How was Spanish Influenza similar to today? How did they recover from it? Learn more about this pandemic and the outcomes after! Cost: No cost members/$7 nonmembers. Learn more »
Washington Avenue Then & Now
July 27 - Online: 6 p.m. (CDT). Ramsey County Library - Take a virtual stroll along Washington Avenue, originally known as Railroad Avenue, to see images of the past and how the buildings look today. We will share stories of the businesses and proprietors who were located along this important stretch of White Bear’s business district. This program is presented by the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society. Cost: No cost. Register »
Genealogy Presentation: Researching Land Records & Maps
July 29 - Dakota County Historical Society - As a researcher, you have likely scoured archives and repositories looking for census records, newspapers and so much more. One often overlooked area for researchers is land records and maps. This presentation will explore how you can use these two helpful items in your own genealogy research. Cost: No cost.
Learn more »
Door & Window Repair Workshop at Weyerhaeuser Museum
August 22 - Little Falls: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Morrison County Historical Society - Learn to identify and manage rotted wood and how to fix cracks and drafts. In the process, you will learn how properly maintained old wood doors and windows can be made as energy-efficient as replacements. You will also get tips on the best methods for weatherization. Cost: $25 members/$30 nonmembers. Learn more »
Virtual Family History Conference - Growing for Generations
September 19 - Online: Stearns History Museum & St. Cloud Area Genealogists - Beyond records, there are educational opportunities within the FamilySearch website and offerings. Researchers often need to learn before they can find. Discover more about the FamilySearch Wiki, tutorials, webinars, help features, and their YouTube Channel, and how each can assist you in learning how to achieve your research goals. Keynote Presenter is Kim Ashford. Cost: $50 members/$60 nonmembers. Learn more »
To Boldly Go Where No History Center Has Gone Before...
Rochester's Star Trek Connection: Captain Jean Luc Picard was named after Dr. Jean Picard, a Minnesota scientist who conducted a stratosphere experiment by flying in a basket carried by balloons. He launched from Soldier's Field and shot the balloons one by one for an intended controlled descent that ended (unharmed) in a fiery crash in Iowa. View the video of their current display about Dr. Jean Picard's flight at the History Center of Olmsted County. Watch video »
Online Exhibit
The exhibit “A Campus Divided: Progressives, Anticommunists, Racism and Antisemitism at the University of Minnesota 1930-1942” lives online. There you can access archival documents detailing segregated housing, student surveillance, and antisemitism that occurred at the University of Minnesota during the interwar years. Visit online exhibit »
Child Labor Exhibit
Social Welfare History Archives - In case you missed it in person, the exhibit "Seeing Child Labor Through the Photography of David Parker" is available to view online. Many images from the exhibit are from the David Parker papers. You can explore the guide to this collection.
History Slyders Sliders
Check out this application using BECHS historic images and present images. Thanks to the Bend of the River Photography Club. View »
Summer History/Preservation Tours
Preserve Minneapolis popular tours of Minneapolis neighborhoods and architecture shed new light on the city’s history, culture, and urban design, from the biggest landmarks to little-known streets and districts. This year due to COVID-19 Preserve Minneapolis has virtualized its popular walking tours and opened up its programming to a wider audience of Minneapolitans and historic preservation supporters. Cost: $6.
July 16 - Milwaukee Avenue Historic District Virtual Tour
July 18 - Warehouse District Virtual Tour
July 23 - East Lake of the Isles Residential Home Virtual Tour
July 26 - Alphabet Streets: Discovering Prince’s Minneapolis through Place Virtual Tour
Continuing Education
Highlighted Museum: Red Lake County Historical Society Gallery, operated by the Red Lake County Historical Society, housed in Red Lake County Courthouse, Red Lake Falls, MN.
Photograph by Tim Kiser, distributed under a CC BY-SA 2.5 license.
Markers, Monuments, and Meaning: A National Conversation
July 16 - Zoom Webinar: 3 p.m. (CDT). Wisconsin Historical Society - While historical organizations have long grappled with how to interpret difficult history, recent events have added an increased sense of urgency for communities considering the meaning and message of historical markers, monuments, and statues that commemorate historical events and figures representing difficult topics and themes in history. Join us as we invite a panel of nationally renowned experts on monumental art to discuss the historical context of the current controversy and to consider the meaning of these markers, monuments, and statues in our built environment and national consciousness. Cost: No cost. Learn more »
Navigating Nomenclature: Using the New Online Resource for Museum Cataloging
July 16 - Webinar: AASLH - Did you know that Nomenclature is available online, in its entirety, for free? You can find the word you’re looking for (in English and French) in no time to categorize an item in your collection, thanks to the AASLH Nomenclature Task Force, the Canadian Heritage Information Network, and Parks Canada. Check out the online resource and attend the online webinar as two members of the AASLH Nomenclature Task Force as they give an overview of the Nomenclature system (for example, purpose, structure and cataloging conventions) and a demonstration of the key features of the online resource (including search, browse, download, and integration with museum software).
Justice Seminar 4: Connecting with the Inconsolable
July 20 - Online: 5 to 6 p.m. Rural Justice Network - How do we speak from the heart with folks committed to being confrontational with our ideologies? This can be incredibly difficult, but there are ways we can reach out to create meaningful connections with people who would previously think they're dedicated to disagreeing with us. Cost: No cost. Learn more »
Navigating Accounting and Financial Impacts on Nonprofits
July 23 - Online: 2 - 4 p.m. (CDT). Minnesota Council of Nonprofits - Maintaining the financial health of any nonprofit is a challenge even before you factor in the specific aspects of your organization at any time, but it is exceptionally challenging during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Cost: $35 members/$55 nonmembers. Learn more »
The Successes & Struggles of Reopening a Museum During the COVID-19 Pandemic
July 28 - Online: 1 p.m. (CDT). Luci Creative - Museums throughout the U.S. are slowly starting to reopen. What are staff doing to keep visitors safe? How are guests behaving? Please join as panelists share their experiences and observations about the realities of operating with new guidelines. Cost: No cost. Learn more/Register »
2020 Virtual Conference
August 5 to 7 - Online: Association of African American Museums - The 42nd Annual Association of African American Museums Conference will be virtual. Learn more/Register »
Community Reflection on Black Lives and Archives
(Recording) - Webinar: Society of American Archivists - Society of American Archivists’ statement on Black Lives and Archives. The vitality of American archives depends on the safety of archives workers and an explicit commitment to social responsibility, justice, and anti-racism in the work that we do and the organizations we work within. As part of this the SAA Council convened a forum of reflection to move toward healing and understanding, of which a recording of this event is now available. Listen in »
Tune in this week for the first episode of National Preservation Institute’s new Preservation Profiles free Podcast Series
Preservation Profiles gives us the chance to hear from some of the inspiring individuals who are shaping the field of preservation in the United States. Learn about their preservation philosophies, inspiration, and accomplishments. Episodes will touch on advocacy, laws and regulations, preservation planning, intangible aspects of historic preservation stewardship, and more. Listen in »
TIPS & TOOLS
Fund Your Mission
Inspire! Grants for Small Museums
November 16 - (Deadline): Institute of Museum and Library Services - A special initiative of the Museums for America program. It is designed to help small museums implement projects that address priorities identified in their strategic plans. Inspire! has three project categories: Lifelong Learning, Community Anchors & Catalysts, and Collections Stewardship & Public Access. Learn more »
Museums for America
November 16 - Institute of Museum and Library Services - This program supports projects that strengthen the ability of an individual museum to serve its public. Museums for America has three project categories: Lifelong Learning, Community Anchors & Catalysts, and Collections Stewardship & Public Access. Learn more »
Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MNOSHA) - Workplace Safety Consultation (WSC) Safety Grant Program
The Safety Grant Program awards funds up to $10,000 to qualifying employers for projects designed to reduce the risk of injury and illness to their workers. Learn more »
TIPS & TOOLS
Seeking Sustainability: How Can Nonprofits Survive the Pandemic?
News
UMJA works to digitize Jewish World archives
Upper Midwest Jewish Archives at the University of Minnesota is working to digitize Jewish World archives and ultimately wants to digitize its collection of Jewish World newspapers, 91 bound volumes dating from 1915 to 2007. The first three years of the Jewish World paper’s history, from 1915 to 1917, have been digitized thanks to a financial gift from a donor to kick off the rest of the digitizing campaign and are now available online. View archive »
Above sign is NOT from the MN Dept of Health (but it should be).
Downloadable PSAs
The Minnesota Department of Health has a number of video PSAs, print materials, and translated documents to help share information regarding COVID-19.
Learn more/Download materials »
Exhibits to Go
Preservation Specialists Directory
Unsubscribe | Forward | View in browser
Minnesota Historical Society
345 W. Kellogg Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55102
651-259-3000 • 1-800-657-3773
Premier partners
