From: "Cross, Christine" <christinec@newlondonwi.org> Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 10:26:35 -0600 Subject: FW: Call for Papers Message-ID: <E44A1829533E9F4AAD020A4F5B5D42EA15DAFE47FA@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 Sheboygan , Wisconsin, on Monday, November 14, 2011 at
the John 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