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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: [Name and Phone Number of staff person who will respond to inquiries]

The [Museum Name] is pleased to announce that [Staff member name(s) and titles] [will attend/will present a session at/received a scholarship to attend] the New England Museum Association 2007 Annual Conference, to be held November 7–9 in Portland, Maine.

[Last name] will join more than 750 museum colleagues from throughout the region at this three-day program.  Representatives of history museums and historical societies, art, science and youth museums with gather to share their knowledge and experience of all facets of museum work.  Participating museums range from all-volunteer community organizations to the largest museums in New England.

Harold and Susan Skramstad, co-authors of A Handbook for Museum Trustees, will present the keynote address.  Harold Skramstad is President Emeritus of the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village and was awarded the Charles Frankel Prize by President George H. W. Bush for his efforts in bringing humanities to a wide public audience. Other presenters include Barbara Silberman, Senior Advisor of the PEW Charitable Trust, and Donna Ann Harris, author of New Solutions for House Museums, and representatives of the Museum Trustee Association.

Portland’s lively cultural scene, stunning architecture and award-winning museums make it an ideal city in which to host NEMA’s annual event. As part of the conference, area museums including the Portland Museum of Art, Maine Historical Society, Children’s Museum of Maine, Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum, Victoria Mansion, Bowdoin College Museum of Art and Museum L-A will host events.

The theme of the conference is “What Makes the Museum.” Deborah Staber, Director of the L.C. Bates Museum in Hinckley, observed, “These conferences have provided a wonderful opportunity to gain pertinent knowledge and inspiration and to network with museum peers who generously share useful ideas and experiences. I have never left a NEMA conference without new information and ideas that have supported our museum management and programs.”