By Megan Anderson, Manager of Exhibits & Interpretive Planning As we approach the end of March and the sprint towards April, everyone in the museum or institutional field has hit their pandemic anniversary date—the moment when “business as usual” gave way to efforts to stanch …
Unfreezing 1923: How the Reopening of the Public Domain Opens Doors for Museums
This blog was originally posted in February 2019. Since then, works published in 1924 and 1925 have entered the public domain as well. After a 20-year freeze, a flood of new content is now available in the public domain: iconic films like Charlie Chaplin’s The …
Lean In and Let Go: Creative Team Building in Small Museums
By Dr. Stephanie Fuglaar Statz, Senior Historian My first day as director of a very small museum in a rural town was unlike any first day I had ever had. There was a quick human resources meeting, and I got the keys to the museum. …
Planning Successful Virtual Interpretive Workshops and Visioning Sessions
By Scott Vierick, Historian While the COVID-19 pandemic has sent shockwaves through the museum world, it has also offered an opportunity for sites to reevaluate programming, exhibits, and major interpretive themes. With many sites closed or operating at reduced capacity, leaders have time to connect …
Bringing History On Demand Services to Digital Consumers
By Laura Starr, Engagement Strategist, and Jen Giambrone, Historian A Historical Retrospective of On Demand Services Need a ride? Groceries? Beer? A meal from your favorite restaurant? Want to read a new book, watch the latest trending show, or listen to a new album? Looking …
How to Transform Your Digital Assets to Drive Online Engagement
Guest post by Chris Cummings, Pass It Down Turn history into your greatest storyteller! Our favorite tips for optimizing online engagement with your digital assets. In the first post of our partner series on “Turning History Into Your Greatest Storyteller,” History Associates Incorporated laid out …
Laying the Foundation for Storytelling: Tips for Digital Transformation & Sustainability
By Laura Starr, Certified Archivist, HAI Engagement Strategist & Account Manager This blog was created in conjunction with our friends at Pass It Down, a company with an award-winning digital exhibit builder platform that libraries, museums, universities, and brands have used to bring their history …
Reopenings: The Mob Museum
By Megan Anderson, Manager of Exhibits & Interpretive Planning Our friends at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada, reopened their doors to the public at the end of May when state and local authorities lifted restrictions. I chatted with their team about how the …
Reopenings: Whitesbog Historic Village
By Megan Anderson, Manager of Exhibits & Interpretive Planning Unlike most museums, the Whitesbog Historic Village in Browns Mills, New Jersey, is primarily an outdoor site, so hasn’t faced some of the same challenges as cultural institutions that welcome guests into confined indoor spaces. Even …