Attend in your area:
*Freetown Historical Society Freetown, MA
*National Plastics Center and Museum Leominster, MA
*Plainfield Town Hall Plainfield, MA

Part 1: April 12, 9:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m.
Part 2: April 26, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Registration Deadline: March 21, 2008
Only $35 for two workshops, with lunch and a resources binder.
Register early; space is limited.

For organizations run by volunteers or with a small number of paid staff, this two-part Saturday program will cover the basics and help you build a stronger organization for the future. In addition, get to know people from other small museums and historical societies in your area.

“We’ve been open and giving tours for years…”
“We don’t have the money to buy new equipment…”
“…why should we attend?”

Thanks to their volunteers and members, small museums and historical societies manage to accomplish great things with little money. It is easy, though, to follow the same pattern, year after year, especially if you don’t know where to find new ideas. This “primer” will introduce you to new ways to care for your collections, meet the needs of teachers and students, operate efficiently, and generally strengthen your organization without spending a lot of money.

Part 1 - 1st Saturday, 9:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Topics will include:
* Simple ways to record and organize your collection
* Putting new life into old exhibits
* Attracting school groups in the era of MCAS
* Essential policies to preserve your collection

Part 2 - 2nd Saturday, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Topics will include:
* Increasing visitors and volunteers
* Raising money through activities, appeals and grants
* Massachusetts non-profit reporting requirements
* The Board’s basic responsibilities

In addition, each participating organization will receive a three-ring binder filled with:
* Articles for further reading
* Bibliographies of helpful articles, books and websites
* Sample forms for you to use in your organization

Presenters:
Freetown: Nancy Gedraitis, Curator, Middleborough Historical Society
Jane Hennedy, Director, Old Colony Historical Society

Leominster: Kristina Durocher, Curator, Fitchburg Art Museum
Marianne Zephir, Museum and Collections Director, National Plastics Museum

Plainfield: Patricia Lutz, Executive Director, Amherst Historical Museum
Jane Wald, Executive Director, Emily Dickinson Museum

Presented by the New England Museum Association in partnership with the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities.
Priority will be given to Massachusetts residents. Should space be available, non-Massachusetts residents will also be able to attend.

Download a .pdf registration form

.html registration form