Question from a Newbie...

If anyone can address this question, please reply to the contact information below, in addition to commenting on the blog post! Thanks in advance!

- Heather

I am new here in the museum world. I need some inside help. We have audio-visual technology that is broken and needs replacement.
· Specifically, we have a NEC projector VT676 that has burned out and I’d like to see similar technology, but one that is activated when someone is in the gallery.
· Previously, the projector we had ran from morning to closing non-stop. We have burned out two at enormous cost.

Can you suggest any techno-museum savvy company in the Hampton Roads-Richmond area that can give us the scoop on making our museum dazzle on a shoestring budget?

Thanks,
Gaynell Drummond,
Operations Manager
Hampton History Museum
757.727.6436

A New Donor Metric?

Should the effectiveness of a nonprofit be measured in terms of whether or not it is merging or collaborating with other nonprofits? An interesting concept for discussion...

- Heather

Check it Out: The Uncataloged Museum

Jennifer came across this blog, the Uncataloged Museum, and thought it would be of interest to our members! Enjoy!

Heather

More Data from the AASLH Online conference

There is a session going on right now about a consumer survey done in the state of Connecticut. Those surveyed were core visitors to museums in that state, making up almost 5,000 respondents. There is a lot of good information that can perhaps be broadened to the larger museum audience across the country, and some of it is good news. One bit of data that stood out for me, though, is very bad news. When asked, only 12% of respondents said that museum staff were "helpful."

What does this mean for museum staff? What exactly are museum visitors expecting of museum staff when they come to a museum? Are they looking for something they shouldn't be, or are we as museum professionals falling flat in serving our visitors?

Fun Idea for Online Community Access

Is anyone in Virginia doing a project like this?

http://hold.cstx.gov

This community in Texas decided to start a program to help local folks preserve community history. They invite people to bring in photos and documents that relate to the history of the town. The program then scans the photos/documents, post them online for the community to be able to access, and then return the originals to the owners, along with archival storage folders to keep the items in.

AASLH Online Conference

I'm sitting in my living room, listening with fascination to the first AASLH online conference. The very first session introduced an interesting question that I would like to throw out there: When and why did opening a museum become the default solution for local groups looking to preserve local history?

In an era when museums that already exist are having a hard time staying open, what other ways might exist for a local history organization to preserve local history without opening a museum?

VAM Survey on Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement

Take a moment to respond to this VAM Survey. Data will be used for an upcoming VAM Voice Newsmagazine article, and all responses are strictly anonymous!

Thanks,
Heather