TABLE OF CONTENTS

• CAM CONFERENCE IS LESS THAN A MONTH AWAY!
• IMLS' NATIVE AMERICAN/NATIVE HAWAIIAN MUSEUM SERVICES GRANT PROGRAM
• WHAT'S NEW IN CALIFORNIA 2006 SUBMISSION DEADLINES
• NEW INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT WEBSITE
• OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
• MUSEUMS IN THE NEWS
• JOB OPPORTUNITIES
• GRANT DEADLINES
• BACK ISSUES OF CAM
• CONTACT CAM

There is less than a month until the 2006 CAM Conference in Monterey and we hope you will not miss this opportunity to enhance your professional knowledge while enjoying the rich cultural offerings on the Monterey Bay! The last day to register for the conference is February 15, 2006. The conference offers 20 sessions, two luncheons, and interesting speakers, with single day and full registration options. In addition, the following two pre-conference workshops are available:

• Surveying and Assessing Collection Needs - A workshop to provide guidance and resources to participants so they are equipped to assess the immediate and future preservation needs of their collections. $40 per person.
• The Science and Art of Effective Web Design - This workshop will cover what has been learned about web design over the last 8 years with an emphasis on user-centered analysis and conceptual design. $35 per person.

Besides the useful sessions and knowledgeable speakers, the following are some of the events and activities that also may whet your appetite:

• The Cradle of California History - LIMITED SPACES LEFT: Featuring a progressive evening event to Colton Hall (where California's first Constitution was drafted), the Monterey Museum of Art, and the Maritime Museum of Monterey. $40 per person.
• The Ocean's Edge - A strolling buffet amidst the new exhibits at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and a talk at the Pacific Biological Lab, the historic lab featured in Steinbeck's Cannery Row. $50 per person.
• Apples, Roller Coasters, Surfers, and Sea Stars: Exploring Santa Cruz County's Best - This full-day bus tour includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the 99-year old Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, including their 1924 wooden roller coaster; apple pie tasting at the Agricultural History Project; exhibit-viewing and lunch at the Museum of Art and History of Santa Cruz; a stop at the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum housed in an historic lighthouse; and a sunset reception at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. $65 per person.
• A Taste of the Valley at the National Steinbeck Center is currently SOLD OUT. If you would like to be placed on a waiting list, please call the CAM office at (831) 471-9970 and leave your name and phone number.

The conference schedule and registration details are all available online for Eyes on the Horizon: Envisioning and Realizing Our Future, February 21-24, 2006. Visit CAM CONFERENCE for additional information. To make it even easier, credit card payments for conference registrations and events may be made online. If you have any questions, please email admin@calmuseums.org or call (831) 471-9970. We hope to see you there!

The Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services program enables Native American tribes and organizations that primarily serve Native Hawaiians to benefit their communities and audiences through strengthened museum services in the areas of programming, professional development, and enhancement of museum services. Grants are intended to support activities in museums and museum-related organizations, such as cultural centers, however, eligible applicants are federally recognized tribes and groups that primarily service Native Hawaiians. Museums may partner with tribes or Native Hawaiian groups on these grants (this includes tribal museums), but they cannot be the primary applicant.

The Institute for Museum and Library Services first offered this program last year and funded forty-five projects supporting a variety of museum activities including collections care, staff training, exhibition development, public programming, website development, and self-studies (a link to 2005 awardees may be found at www.imls.gov/results.asp?keyword=&inst=&city=&state=&year=10&program=1065&description=on&sort=year). There are two major changes to the program this year: 1) the deadline has been moved to April 1st and 2) the award amount has been increased to $50,000 maximum. Peer reviewers are needed with a background in the subject matter and museum experience. For additional information, visit http://www.imls.gov/grants/museum/mus_ntams.htm or contact Sandra M. Narva, Senior Program Officer, at 202-653-4634 or snarva@imls.gov.

What's New in California, a quarterly round-up release, is generated by the California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC) and reaches 3,000 consumer and travel trade media worldwide and is posted on www.visitcalifornia.com. It is a popular source for the media for story ideas. The deadlines for 2006 submissions for What’s New In California are as follows: April 14, 2006 for the Summer 2006 edition, July 14, 2006 for the Fall 2006 edition, and October 13, 2006 for the Winter 2006/2007 edition.

Appropriate items for consideration include new exhibits, unusual tours, museums, major renovations, etc. All items submitted should be new or have a projected opening date. Press release format submissions are preferred, and both press and public contact information should always be provided. Please note: What’s New In California typically does NOT include events. Press releases should be submitted to Karen Lau, Marketing Communications Assistant, at klau@cttc1.com or fax them to 916-444-0410.

AAM OUTLINES LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR 2006 AND CALLS FOR MUSEUM ADVOCATES
The American Association of Museums (AAM) released an alert yesterday outlining the legislative priorities for 2006 and calling for involvement and advocacy from museum professionals. According to AAM, a variety of significant issues are set to garner a place on the Presidential and Congressional agenda during the 2nd session of the 109th Congress, including: the release of the President's FY 2007 Budget Proposal on February 6, and the subsequent appropriations cycle; congressional recognition of the Year of the Museum – H.Res.389; Tax Reconciliation, Nonprofit Accountability and Oversight, and Artist's Deduction Bills; the Reorganization of the United States Postal Service; and others. AAM will be sharing detailed information about these important topics in the following days, weeks and months as breaking news occurs. Over the next year AAM will be communicating with advocates via a new grassroots e-mail and data system that will allow for Congressional contact information for your elected officials that will be included in each e-mail alert or update you receive, an integrated Advocacy section of the AAM website that will include congressional vote-tracking and comprehensive advocacy information; and the ability for advocates to receive alerts targeted to issues based on who their elected officials are and their specific roles in Congress. For additional information about this call to action and to better understand how you can participate in AAM’s advocacy efforts, visit www.magnetmail.net/actions/email_web_version.cfm?recipient_id=15406937&message_id=152691&user_id=Museum.

SAN DIEGO STUDY SHOWS 70% OF NONPROFIT LEADERS PLAN TO RESIGN OR RETIRE
In an article in the San Diego Union Tribune published on January 30th, nearly 70 percent of the executives who run San Diego County's largest nonprofit organizations plan to resign or retire within the next five years, creating a daunting need for fresh leadership. The results, according to a report by the University of San Diego, mirror a national trend that has prompted researchers and nonprofit experts across the country to encourage donors and board directors to adopt succession plans for their executive ranks. In addition, only 12 percent of agencies have formal, defined transition plans in place and 63 percent said the level of board involvement in succession planning was minimal or completely absent. More than half of the executives who expect to leave (56 percent) said they would retire; 41 percent planned to become consultants. To read the entire article, see www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060129-9999-1m29nonprof.html.

ARTICLE IN CHRONICLE FOR PHILANTHROPY CALL FOR "A ROSY FORECAST" FOR 2006
Despite concerns that "donor fatigue" might spell trouble for fund raising, many charities, according to the Chronicle for Philanthropy, are predicting a strong 2006--especially after they did better than they expected in the last quarter of 2005. To read an article about predictions for fundraising in 2006, see http://philanthropy.com/free/articles/v18/i07/07001701.htm. Under the section titled "Changing Approaches," there is an anecdotal story about how the John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science in Houston, raised $1.5-million last year, 24 percent more than in 2004, because they merged their public relations and development departments.

CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF NONPROFITS POLICY DAYS 2006 WILL TAKE PLACE MARCH 21-22
The California Association of Nonprofits (CAN) will convene leaders from the state’s nonprofit, government, and philanthropic sectors to examine policy trends impacting nonprofits’ ability to deliver programs and services. Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill and officials from the Department of Finance have been invited to give a lunchtime briefing on the state budget. Themed Who’s On First – Government, Business or Nonprofits?, CAN Policy Days 2006 will be held Tuesday-Wednesday, March 21-22 at the Sacramento Community & Convention Center, 14th & J Streets, with a pre-conference Advocacy Boot Camp the afternoon of Monday, March 20. Registration is $89 for CAN Members and $129 for non-members until February 20, when rates go up. A full brochure and registration form are available at www.CAnonprofits.org/whosonfirst.

NOMINATIONS WELCOME FOR NATIONAL PRESERVATION AWARD
Each year the National Trust celebrates the best of preservation by presenting National Preservation Awards to individuals and organizations whose contributions demonstrate excellence in historic preservation. Nominations for individual, organization, agency, or project are welcomed for a National Preservation Award. The deadline for the Trustees, ACHP and HUD Awards is March 1, 2006, while the deadline for the National Preservation Honor Awards is May 1, 2006. Those nominations not selected to receive a Trustees, ACHP or HUD Award are automatically considered for an Honor Award. Download the nomination form from the National Trust’s website at www.nationaltrust.org/preservation_awards/. If you have questions or need additional information contact Sarah Hopson at sarah_hopson@nthp.org or 202.588.6236

SENATE RESOLUTION FOR ARTS EDUCATION MONTH INTRODUCED
Arts Education advocates and others have declared March as Arts Education Month, and Senator Jack Scott has introduced language on the annual event. SCR 64 was introduced by Sen. Scott on January 4, 2006. Reasons to declare the month of March as Arts Education Month include that the arts introduce core subjects in creative ways, they are mandated under law in public schools grades 1-12 with standards for instruction, they foster cross-cultural understanding, and that young artists should be recognized for the work they do. For information on this legislation, go to http://info.sen.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=scr_64&sess=CUR&house=B&site=sen. (Excerpted from CAC update, California Arts Council, January 19, 2006.)

CALIFORNIA TOURISM MARKETING EXCELLENCE AWARDS
The California Travel and Tourism Commission is presenting the California Tourism Marketing Excellence Awards to honor excellence in travel and tourism. An Awards Committee comprised of marketing professionals with tourism experience will select the winners from sixteen different categories. The top two winners in each of the categories will be displayed on March 28, 2006 at the California Conference on Tourism. If you would like additional information about this awards program, the brochure is available to download at www.visitcalifornia.com/tourism/pdfs/Awards_Brochure_2006_2.pdf

CALIFORNIA STORY FUND - SMALL GRANTS FOR STORY PROJECTS ABOUT CALIFORNIA
The California Story Fund is a small grants program from the California Council for the Humanities, giving individual Californians the chance to contribute their tales to the evolving story of our state. Film, video, radio, television, theater, literature, visual arts, and other arts forms have been funded in the past. The next round of grant applications for the California Story Fund will be due on March 1, with the application available on February 1 at www.calhum.org/programs/story_intro.htm. (Excerpted from CAC update, California Arts Council, January 19, 2006.)

HAWKINS FOUNDATION FUNDING FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTS AND CULTURE
The Edler G. Hawkins Foundation, Inc. makes unrestricted program and project funding available to nonprofit organizations working to preserve African American arts and culture. The Foundation is especially interested in proposals which include youth education and community outreach components as part of the organizations overall program plan. Although emphasis is placed on New York City and Atlanta metropolitan areas, all nonprofit organizations are eligible. Grant amounts range from $1,500 to $10,000. The grant deadline is February 17, 2006. See www.eghf.org/grantapp2006.htm for additional information.

BAY AREA: CALL FOR ARTS AND ARTS EDUCATION PROJECTS FOR SPARK
SPARK, the Bay Area's arts project at KQED, recently announced a new outreach initiative for the arts and arts education communities. SPARK Arts Education Community Sponsorship Program is open to any Bay Area arts, arts education, community, and youth development organizations and schools whose purpose, mission and/or work can be further realized by incorporating SPARK media resources and educational content in its educational programs and/or projects. This scholarship offers $500-$2,000 for project expenses, plus other SPARK program content and materials. See the website for more information at http://www.kqed.org/spark. (Excerpted from CAC update, California Arts Council, January 19, 2006.)

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS ANNOUNCES ACCREDITATION OF 21 MUSEUMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
The American Association of Museums (AAM) recently announced that 21 U.S. museums have been awarded accreditation, however, none of them were in California. Of the nation's nearly 17,500 museums, nearly 775 are currently accredited. To learn more about AAM's accreditation process, visit http://www.aam-us.org/museumresources/accred/about.cfm. While the time to complete the process varies by museum, it generally takes as much as three years and all accredited museums must undergo a subsequent accreditation review within ten years of their last accreditation award.

HUMANITIES COUNCIL FUNDS CALIFORNIA DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS
The California Council for the Humanities recently announced the winners of its current California Documentary Project program, which encourages documentarians to capture the enduring images and sounds of contemporary California life. The Council awarded $400,000 to eight projects that will use film, radio and photography to document and share the real stories of Californians and our state. The projects explore the lives of urban girls, Chinese actors, Latino rock bands, a Cambodian rapper and other California subjects. For a full description of funded projects for 2006, go to www.calhum..org/press/press_doc_realstories.htm. The next deadline for applications will be November 1, 2006. Guidelines will be posted on May 1.

INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR CULTURAL PROPERTY PROTECTION REGIONAL CIPM CERTIFICATION WORKSHOPS
The International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection is conducting its management-level certification workshop on May 1, 2006 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel in conduction with the American Association of Museums annual conference. This full-day workshop will allow qualified applicants to attend course work and test for the Certified Institutional Protection Manager (CIPM) designation. CIPM certification designates those professionals working in, or directly responsible for the protection of a cultural facility or public institution. Workshop program content includes the latest information on emergency preparedness, crisis management, violence prevention, fire protection, business continuity planning, screening/hiring/firing/training, protection of valuable collections, public relations and more. Contact IFCPP at 800/257-6717 for registration or additional information.

TWO NEW JOURNALS FROM LEFT COAST PRESS INC.
Left Coast Press Inc. announced the addition of two new journals specific to the museum field. First, the Journal of Museum Education, published in partnership with the Museum Education Roundtable, is a publication promoting and reporting on theory, training and practice in the museum education field. The journal editor-in-chief is Monica M. Smith of the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. Manuscript ideas and submissions should be sent via email to: smithmo@si.edu. In addition, Museums & Social Issues, a new entry into the field, will provide an important forum for the consideration of social issues and their engagement with museums. The journal is edited by Kris Morrissey of the Michigan State University Museum. Manuscript ideas and submissions should be sent via email to: Morriss8@msu.edu. Accessibility and relevance to the growing needs of the museum community are among the key considerations in both publications. For information on subscribing and additional details, go to: www.LCoastPress.com, email: Journals@LCoastPress.com, or call (925) 935-3380

OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCH RELATED TO THE PRACTICE OF MUSEUM EDUCATION OR INTERPRETATION
The Museum Education Monitor (MEM) is currently compiling a list of research projects undertaken by both practitioners and academics for the February 2006 issue. If you would like yours to be included, please send an e-mail to mem@mccastle.com with: name of project; research question(s) in 50 words or less; principal researchers; site(s) where research is being conducted; time span; contact information; and 4 or 5 key words to describe the project. Deadline for submissions is Friday, February 10, 2005. For more information or to discuss your research, contact M. Christine Castle, Ph.D. Editor, Museum Education Monitor at mem@mccastle.com or for more information about Museum Education Monitor please go to http://www.mccastle.com/subscribe.asp

VIRTUAL REFERENCE DESK PUT UP CONFERENCE INFORMATION ONLINE
The Virtual Reference Desk (VRD) has put materials from the VRD 2005 online at WebJunction, an online community of libraries and other agencies sharing knowledge and experience to provide broad public access to information technology. The 2005 e-proceedings offer presentations, papers, bibliographies, handouts, and other resources from the 7th annual VRD Conference held in Burlingame, CA on November 14-15, 2005. They can be found at: http://www.webjunction.org/do/Navigation?category=11842. Online proceedings from 2002, 2003 and 2004 VRD Conferences can be found at: http://www.webjunction.org/do/Navigation?category=11822. Materials from the 1999, 2000, and 2001 VRD Conferences will be available on WebJunction in the future. Other papers from the conference are to be published later this year by Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc. in a print proceedings tentatively entitled "Recognizing the Success of Reference."

34TH MUSEUM COMPUTER NETWORK (MCN) CONFERENCE IS CALLING FOR PROPOSALS
The MCN Conference will be held November 8-11, 2006 in Pasadena. Proposals will be accepted in one of the following formats: panels, workshops, or roundtables. Each session must have a chairperson responsible for finding other speakers and coordinating logistics. Topics for the sessions should fall into at least one of the categories listed on the proposal form. All proposals for sessions and/or workshops must be submitted on the Call for Proposals form. Proposal Deadline is February 16, 2006. Proposal submission forms can be found at: www.mcn.edu/mcn2006/proposals/ or for more information visit: www.mcn.edu.

Get the Word Out in CAM e-News!
Please email the CAM office at cam@calmuseums.org to list any announcements pertaining to professional development programs, grant opportunities, or related opportunities in future editions of CAM e-News and on the CAM web site. Since it is not possible to include all the details of an announcement, please include a phone number, web site address, or email address so interested parties can get additional information. Please do not exceed a limit of 150 words per listing. All announcements are subject to editing by CAM personnel.