Professional Development
Updated July 10, 2024
AAM PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CALENDAR
Hosted by the American Alliance of Museums and other museum service organizations, this calendar lists opportunities for museum professionals.
CALL FOR PEER REVIEWERS: NEH GRANT PROGRAM
All NEH applications are evaluated by a panel of peer reviewers with relevant professional expertise. As a reviewer not only will you provide essential assistance in identifying the highest quality applications, but your feedback will also play a role in helping to strengthen projects from across the field, whether they receive NEH funding or not. If you are considering applying for an NEH award in the future, serving as a reviewer is an excellent way to prepare for the process of developing your proposal. As a reviewer you will learn more about what makes applications competitive and get an inside look at the review process.
For the Public Impact Projects grant program reviewers will be given a 4- to 6-week period in July and August to read and provide written comments on approximately 15 of the applications. You may not serve as a reviewer for this program if your organization submits an application to the program.
If you would like to serve as a reviewer for this or other NEH grant programs, please email [email protected]. The subject line of the email should read “Call for Reviewers” and in the body of the message you should include your name, a brief biographical paragraph or resume, and your contact information.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: NATIONAL COUNCIL ON PUBLIC HISTORY 2025 ANNUAL MEETING – SUBMIT BY JULY 15
The call for proposals for NCPH’s 2025 annual meeting next March 26–29 in Montréal is now open. The theme, Solidarity/Solidarité, asks public historians to consider our shared responsibilities and mutual obligations to realize solidarity within our organizations, with the communities we serve, and with the wider world we live in.
FREE WEBINAR: PRESERVATION GRANT SEASON – JULY 16
Many applications for U.S. preservation grant opportunities are due in the Winter. Get a head start on the application process and join NEDCC for an overview of preservation grants, including eligible projects, important deadlines, and administrative steps, like creating a Grants.gov account. The presenter will also provide application tips that are useful for all programs, no matter the grant you plan to apply to.
WEBINAR: CALIFORNIA POLICY FORUM: 2024 BALLOT MEASURES – JULY 23
California is boasting a hefty slate of proposed ballot initiatives this year, with topics ranging from health and education to taxes and housing. This session will equip you with the knowledge to understand and engage with critical policy decisions, ensuring your organization is prepared to navigate the upcoming election landscape.
WEBINAR: METHODS OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH FOR MUSEUM EDUCATION PROGRAMMING – JULY 25
This webinar helps begin the process of historical research, focusing on the methods and resources needed to research, analyze, and interpret historical events and time periods. Museum educator, Mia Rook-Leeser, from Landmark Inn State Historic Site, demonstrates the tools to develop research, assess reliability, and work with primary and secondary sources.
WEBINAR: DIGITIZING PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS – AUGUST 8
This webinar provides an in-depth overview of photograph digitization. Digitizing photographic collections can foster research, engage users, and help preserve the original objects, but a one-size-fits-all approach to reformatting will not provide the best results given the variety of photographic formats and processes that exist.
WEBINAR: COLLECTIONS INSURANCE 101 – AUGUST 14
Led by industry experts, Noni Tompkins and Joy Simpson, this session will delve into the complexities of museum collections insurance, covering key topics such as evaluating your coverage needs, types of valuation, insurance for loans and exhibitions, and key factors that impact pricing. Whatever your role at your institution, this webinar offers essential knowledge to ensure the safeguarding of cultural treasures for future generations.
WEBINAR: EXHIBITING YOUR COLLECTIONS – AUGUST 22
Cultural heritage organizations often look to their collections to create public exhibitions, but putting the spotlight on rare books and documents is inherently at odds with preservation. Exhibits, though, provide a powerful avenue for outreach and also present opportunities for collection advocacy. Preparing collections for safe exhibition ensures that these materials remain accessible into the future. This webinar will help you understand the risks of exhibition so that you can develop policies and guidelines to mitigate those risks.
WEBINAR: STARTING AN ARCHIVE: PRESERVATION BASICS – AUGUST 27
Starting a new archive or archival program can be overwhelming. This webinar is designed to identify foundational preservation principles and activities that can serve as guideposts when setting up or developing an archive. We will wrap up with time for collective problem solving, so bring your preservation problems and prepare to leave empowered to take your next steps.
WEBINAR: STRATEGIES FOR BORN DIGITAL COLLECTIONS – SEPTEMBER 19
This webinar is for anyone interested in developing or refining their organization’s collecting and preservation practices for content originating in a digital form. Emails, websites, and files stored on computers and removable media all require unique approaches for their acquisition and care. The instructor will guide participants through software, hardware, and practices designed to meet the challenges of various types of born-digital content.
ONLINE COURSE: FUNDAMENTALS OF AV PRESERVATION – STARTS SEPTEMBER 26
The online course gives participants the foundation needed to be effective collections stewards for audiovisual materials. Over 6 sessions, this course covers risks to audiovisual materials; care and handling; inventory and assessment; planning, preparing, and implementing reformatting projects; managing digital audiovisual collections; and disaster preparedness and response.
RESOURCE: THE INCLUSIVE HISTORIAN'S HANDBOOK
This reference source supports inclusive and equity-focused historical work in public settings by sharing a knowledge base that invites more people to engage in history projects. This handbook provides concrete examples of how to make history work more relevant. It centers on equity, inclusivity, diversity, and public service while offering accessible windows into the many ways public historians work.
FREE DOWNLOAD: TRANSGENDER INCLUSION TOOLKIT FROM AAM LGBTQ ALLIANCE TASK FORCE
The AAM LGBTQ Alliance’s Task Force for Transgender Inclusion recently released the Gender Transition and Transgender Inclusion in the Museum Workplace: A Toolkit for Trans Individuals, Institutions, and Coworkers. This expansive set of guides approaches trans inclusion from various perspectives in an approachable and easy-to-understand format.
BECOME A PEER REVIEWER FOR THE AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS
Peer reviewers are museum professionals who volunteer their time to support AAM's Accreditation and Museum Assessment Programs (MAP). They review museum self-assessment materials, conduct site visits and facilitate the institutional planning process. Their service is the critical backbone to the success of both programs. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis.
POLARIS MUSEUM MENTOR NETWORK
Serve as an online mentor or to reach out for support as a mentee during this time of physical distancing by joining POLARIS: The Museum Mentor Network (free to all museum professionals).
DOWNLOAD THE AAM RACIAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION PLAN PRIMER
Advancing racial and ethnic diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion on boards can be a daunting task for any institution. No matter where you are in the process of creating a racial equity and inclusion plan for your museum, learn more from this new resource, including questions to help guide you and links to additional resources.
CULTURE TRACK INTERACTIVE TOOL NOW LIVE
This interactive dashboard provides compiles data from over 120,000 respondents who completed the Culture & Community in a Time of Crisis survey this spring. The comparisons included in the tool currently highlight members or subscribers to any arts or culture organization. In the coming weeks, it will be further enhanced to include splits by genre of cultural attendance as well as race and ethnicity to further aid cultural organizations in planning and implementation towards increased relevance, equity and sustainability.
MUSEUMS FOR DIGITAL LEARNING
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is pleased to announce the launch of an online resource center featuring dynamic digital museum content for K-12 educators searchable by subject and grade. Teachers across the country can now find resources that feature engaging activities from a growing number of museums all aligned with national education standards.
RECORDED WEBINAR: JUNETEENTH & CELEBRATING FREEDOM AT HISTORIC SITES
Continue learning about the history and significance of Juneteenth in this recorded webinar presented by The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). Amber Mitchell, Director of Education at the Whitney Plantation, will discuss how your organization can join in the celebration in ways that are appropriate and respectful to the history of African Americans from slavery to modern interpretations, and elevating to the communities you are trying to reach all year-round.