There is no “right answer”

SHA 2014

Well, here we are about half way through week one of SHA 2014 and oh, my!  I hope I speak for the rest of my classmates when I say that I have run the gamut from energized to overwhelmed and back to inspired.  We all survived the Sunday afternoon introductions, laughing, dancing and drawing our way through the lives of our quirky colleagues.  My big take-away?  We’ve got humor and talent, folks!

Some themes are starting to emerge as we move through this first week.  The big one is that no two history organizations are exactly alike and so there are no absolute solutions to the problems that face us.  However, there are approaches and philosophies that can be applied, so that is what I will attempt to summarize.  I hope that my classmates, our speakers, and SHA alums will pipe in with their own opinions.

Or perhaps get together over a beer or two to have a heated discussion about it!

Energy

The history field is not for spectators.  If you are going to be relevant in the 21st century you need to commit time for change.  Janet Gallimore (Executive Director, Idaho State Historical Society) showed us the path she used to take a fully irrelevant organization from nice to necessary.  It takes time (5 years to establish sustainable change) but the results are worth it.  So many of our speakers have presented pictures of success based on energy, both staff and community generated.  If we have power, strength, vitality and spirit vibrating from our very core, we can meet budget challenges, overcome disinterest and ennui, inspire future history professionals and, yes, change the world around us.

Serious study and exploration

Does anybody care?

We have all experienced empty public spaces during open hours.  Some public history staffs breathe a sigh of relief and think “now I can get some work done.”  Well not for this SHA class!  We worry, fret and downright panic at the very thought.  Providing relevant, inspiring and positive experiences for our users is as important as collecting and preserving the authentic, real stuff that makes up our collections.  Meeting our audiences where they are is part of our discovery process.  Perhaps we have to stop thinking of it as history programming and just view it as engagement activities.  How do our communities view us, what do they want from us and would they care if we disappeared?  There is no one right answer to these questions but we really need to be asking them.

Urgency

Technology is evolving so rapidly, the tech industry can barely keep up.  Small and large museums are facing serious financial

Inspired by professionals who share their experiences

challenges.  Federal, state and local agencies are making decisions about support  and inclusion for history organizations every day which threaten our organization’s futures.  A less stalwart group might think “there is no time to plan or prepare” but many in the history field are trying new things, taking risks and exploring new collaborations and partnerships.  Again there is no secret formula to cure all but the organization that wants to succeed needs to be looking around at what success looks like in all forms.  If  Target and Wegmans can offer inspiration for customer service and community expansion, then by all means, we need to be paying attention.

Leadership

One common thread running through it all is, regardless of your title, you are now part of the leadership in this field.  Each of us brings different skills to the table, but we all want to see our organizations succeed and thrive.  We hope to absorb as much as possible from each leader we speak with over the next three weeks and then go home to integrate all we have learned into our daily lives.  Today, we each wrote down a strategy we hope to implement over the next six months.  When that note comes to us in the mail next April, how many of us will have been empowered enough to follow through?

A huge shout out to all the folks at the Indiana Historical Society who are making us feel so welcome and smoothing our way where ever we go!  You guys rock!

Here we go! Class of 2014 is underway.

Today begins the 2014 Class of Developing History Leaders @SHA. Twenty-one public history practitioners from across the nation have gathered in Indianapolis to learn from leaders, and from one another, about changes that are occurring in our field. Increasingly history organizations are finding ways to be more relevant to the people in their communities, states, the nation and the world. Innovative and courageous leaders are addressing tough issues, as the world around us continues to change.

First up will be Jan Gallimore, Executive Director of the Idaho State Historical Society, who will discuss the challenges she has faced in getting her organization “to the table” at the state level, in helping state leaders to address issues of education and economic development. So often history is left out of discussions about the big issues confronting our communities. History is viewed as something nice to have, but not especially useful when it comes to improving the lives of people. This has to change.

Tomorrow David Young from Cliveden will engage the class in thinking about some of the critical and tough issues facing their communities, and how history can be part of the solution, using his own experience in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia.

But wait a minute, why do we have to change? Can’t we continue to operate our organizations as we always have, caring for the historic collections and buildings, sharing our expert knowledge through exhibitions and publications, and inviting the public to do research and enjoy events at our places? Tomorrow afternoon Susie Wilkening from Reach Advisors will discuss changes external to our field that compel us to change: demographic and economic trends, changing views of the value of museums, new philanthropic priorities, changing expectations of the public regarding leisure and education, and more. Institutions that don’t change will be left behind.

On Tuesday Tim Grove from the National Air and Space Museum and Jamie Glavic from the Ohio Historical Society will present changes in technology. In this case we have begun to embrace change as younger people have entered the field. Tim and Jamie will help us understand what is happening and what is coming in technology.

Stay tuned for more blog posts over the next three weeks.

Class of 2012 gets started

Guest blog post by Maureen Ward, Canadian Museum of Civilization

On Sunday, October 28th, 2012, twenty of us gather from fifteen states and four countries to begin the SHA experience.

Our gracious host, Erin welcomes us to our ‘classroom’ for the next three weeks – the Indiana Historical Society,

…and treats us to a behind-the-scenes tour where we follow the path of a paper based acquisition.

..who knows what story this one will eventually tell.

Bill Tramposch’s keywords from his keynote.

Guidance: Pass It On

The weather may be a bit off kilter, but believe it or not, it is officially springtime and that means it is time to prepare for AAM; this year’s annual meeting is in Minneapolis. AAM’s annual meeting is a great opportunity to reconnect with friends and former colleagues, maybe even with fellow classmates and alumni. It provides a chance to reconnect and reflect on how we got into the museum business and how we have managed to stay in this whirlwind field. By removing all those troublesome day to day activities, we can remember what we love about our jobs and our profession.

Attending AAM is a great opportunity and one to take advantage of when possible. One specific opportunity available at AAM is the Seminar for Historical Administration (SHA) Reception. It will be on Tuesday, May 1 at 5:30 pm. All SHA Alums are invited to attend as well as potential applicants.

If you are thinking about applying to SHA, or if you have applied to SHA and want to talk with alumni please attend the reception. In addition to encouraging you to attend the reception, I also encourage you to think about people you know who would be right for SHA.

Many people have had mentors, someone to look to for advice and guidance, supervisor or not, officially designated or not, who can help you to prepare for the path ahead. Are you a mentor to someone in our field? You can recommend the program without being a supervisor to that person, or even working at their institution. When one of my mentors told me to apply, I didn’t know much about SHA though I am very grateful for their suggestions and encouragement. It was the exact right program and the right time.

So I am asking members of our field, “Who should apply to this program? Who would be a good fit for Developing History Leaders at SHA?” You most likely know someone who should.

Be a mentor, encourage or recommend someone to apply, or look into the program on your own. Join me at AAM. See you there!

 

Kat Burkhart, Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County