From: "Cross, Christine" <christinec@newlondonwi.org> Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 13:09:24 -0600 Subject: Call for Papers Message-ID: <E44A1829533E9F4AAD020A4F5B5D42EA15DAFE4702@svr-exch01.nlpdlocal.net>
Call for Session Proposals!
Session proposals are due May 2, 2011.
The Wisconsin Federation of Museums (WFM) will hold its 2011 Annual Meeting
Museums Matter in Kohler, Wisconsin, on Monday, November 14, 2011 at the J
ohn Michael Kohler Art Center.
The Program Committee seeks proposals that:
* Feature ideas, initiatives or ongoing responses that provide solutions
to problems or issues
* Provide information that sheds new light on key issues or potential so
lutions to challenges
* Introduce provocative ideas for discussion while illuminating reasons
for both success and/or the need to rethink and retool
Proposals can be for a 75-minute session (lecture, panel, debate, etc.) or
for our Hot Coffee: Hot Topics morning networking. See ideas from 2010 meet
ing below. Hot Coffee: Hot Topics is a less formal roundtable discussion ab
out a topic e.g. collection issues, museum retail, etc. It allows people a
chance to get advice about specific issues in their museums.
Proposals must be submitted on the session proposal form. If you wish to re
ceive a form please contact Christine Cross, program chair, at ceive a form please contact Christine Cross, program chair, at christinec@n
ewlondonwi.org<mailto:christinec@newlondonwi.org>
Session proposals are due May 2, 2011.
Sincerely,
Christine Cross Jennifer
Carlson
2011 Program Chair 2011 Progra
m Co-Chair
Director Dir
ector of Marketing & Development
New London Public Museum Wisconsin Veterans
Museum and Foundation
920-982-8520 608-264-6
086
At the 2010 WFM Annual Meeting we asked participants to tell us "What chall
enges are facing your museum?" Their answers are great starting points for
session topics:
Financial
* How are museums making money these days? Practical ways of earning
money for small museums
* Foundation pursuit and grant writing-how is this successfully done
?
* Funding problems-will it prevent using new technologies to present
programs and museum experiences
* Struggle with fundraising, would like ideas from what others have
done
* How to get board members to participate in fundraising events
* Shrinking budgets and getting sponsorships to underwrite programs
* Funding is a source of problems for our non-profit. What can a sma
ll non-profit do to increase its funding sources?
Mission and Strategic Planning
* Mission and Strategic Plans driving board development and allocati
on of resources
* Strategic Planning
* Board development and motivation. How to deal with the board's lac
k of leadership, lack of knowledge, board members that will not accept prof
essional help and refuse to go and visit other institutions or attend works
hops, conferences, etc.
Marketing/Audience
* How can small regional museums draw visitors from out of the area?
(Why would someone from IL, care about the history of Podunk County, WI an
d get off the interstate to visit?)
* Audience/Attendance- we have an increasingly difficult time attrac
ting people, yet through new marketing we are reaching more people than eve
r.
* Technology is making/creating challenges for a small historical so
ciety to keep pace with customer/patron demands and requirements. It would
be great to have discussions related to this.
* Engaging adults in innovative programming, outreach programs to no
n-school audiences
Exhibits
* Cheap, (but fun, didactic and durable) exhibit inter-actives for s
mall exhibit spaces.
* "So, What?" examples of exhibits that effectively tell a story the
audience wants to hear. Created by small history museums with limited reso
urces
Volunteers/Interns
* Engaging the community to build membership, grow volunteer base an
d increase local traffic
* Pursuit and use of University level interns
* Volunteer recruitment, core group of 10 people that are very dedic
ated but close to burn out or age out
Administration
* HR issues
* Handling undereducated micromanagers
* How to handle/treat professional part time staff
* How do you deal with the issue of staff sticking around well after
their expiration date, i.e. staff members who are behind the times and due
to retire
* Dealing with budget-induced reductions in programs and staff, doin
g less-better
* Lack of professionalism
* How do you re-boot a burnt-out, over-worked, staff
* Dealing with inept and mean-spirited board members
* How many museums of any type will survive into the future and what
purpose they will serve a new generation
* Dealing with a lack of technology training
* Staffing needs of small museums (museums with little or no existin
g professional staff)
* Recovering from museum disasters
* Secrets to a great museum store
Collections
* Dealing with art collections in non-art museums
* Handling hazardous objects/chemicals in your collection
* Addressing collections storage options when removing a museum
* Workshop for simple "in-house" conservation treatments on artifact
s
* Anything regarding archive collecting, preserving, researching and
storage
* Collections research
* Storage issues and solutions