Some thoughtful reading for you going into the weekend. Blue Avocado is a very thoughtful newsletter/magazine/blog dedicated to solving issues in nonprofits. They tend to focus on “community organizations” but their advice is practical, timely, and spot-on for museums as well. Enjoy, and hopefully you …
Shannon Foley is finishing up her Museum Studies certificate with this terrific internship way out on the left coast: My internship at the San Diego History Center starts next week. A large bulk of my internship will consist of me helping the museum create accessible …
I’m sure many of you have heard about the Month at a Museum program that the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago does. Last year was a big success, and they’re going ahead with a second program this year. I don’t know about the rest of you, but this hits all the museum-loving buttons of mine that were first tweaked by From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. The recent Night at the Museum franchise plays those sentiments up even more.
All of that is by way of saying that museum spaces themselves – even absent overt interpretation – can be amazing sources of wonder, and more and more museums are doing interesting things to explore and access that quality. One Tufts student in class once described it as exploring the most amazing grandparents’ attic ever – that quality of discovery, of secrecy, all lends itself to creating special experiences.
Tintagel Castle in Cornwall is sponsoring a similar program: go to their Facebook page, tell them what you and a friend would do with the chance to spend the night in the beautiful, crumbling structure, and if your suggestion gets the most votes – you get to follow through.
Anyone have any other ways in which museums and historic sites are using their physical space to inspire interaction in that way?
I know you’re all keeping busy this summer with internships, summer jobs, and beating the heat, but surely we all have some time for edifying reading, right? The Stanford Social Innovation Review is a really great magazine with a great deal of application for museums. …
Kristin Powers is finishing up her Museum Studies certificate with this fantastic internship: Kristin Powers is the Public Relations/Marketing and Exhibits intern at the Cambridge Historical Society. A graphic designer by trade, Kristin is working with the staff of CHS, housed in the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House, …
From a NEMA bulletin; this one looks like a really interesting take on an issue (social media) that’s getting a lot of press lately.
Campus Connection: Social Media as a Tool for Academic Engagement
Thursday, August 11, 2011
9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA
Registration Deadline: August 4, 2011Register OnlineWithin a culture that has a thirst for social networking and desire for instantly updated information, the college audience especially seems to be plugged in 24/7. Social media can transform your relationship with the college aged audience, so how do we as institutions dedicated to education take advantage of these tools to engage our core audience: the student body?
Session Topics:
The Psychology of Social Media Networks
Deb Biggar, User Experience Designer
Biggar will break out the social psychology influences that make social media networks popular. She will focus on usage broken down by demographics and many of the internal motivators that all humans share. Deb holds a MS in Human Factors in Information Design from Bentley University and has designed human-computer experiences for 11 years.The Museum On-campus and On-line
Kate Rettstadt, Graduate student, Harvard University Extension School
Rettstadt’s thesis is focused on Academic Museums and Galleries and their use of social media to engage their inherent audience.The Rising Dependence on Social Media at Museums in the U.S
Jane M. Mason, Director of Marketing and Communications, Ohio Historical Society
Mason co-authored a case study with Sara Schultz, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN. The study is featured in Sustainable Museums of the 21st Century and discusses engaging museum visitors through social media in an experimental program at the Walker called “Open Field.”Social Media Strategy and Management
Michael Byrnes, Senior Account Executive, Matter Communications
Social media can transform your relationship with college-aged audience if it is used correctly. Learn how to create and maintain a social media strategy for your institution from a marketing professional.Personal or Institutional? Finding your ‘Facebook voice’
Maggie Cavallo, Outreach Coordinator, Montserrat College of Art Galleries
Most academic museums and galleries have an institutional facebook page. But who is it for and what language should you use to communicate? Likewise, twitter is a rich source of instantly updated information, but what should you tweet about and who is listening?Open to all NEMA members and non-members alike. Register today!