Webinars and Online Courses

APRIL 2019

American Association for State and Local History 
Understanding Provenance
April 2, 2019 
3:00 PM Eastern 

This 90-minute webinar will review current professional standards for documenting provenance of acquisitions. What types of documentation are reasonable? What questions might you ask a donor? We will also discuss how to approach or interpret previous practices at our museums that don't necessarily meet today's standards for documentation. Lastly, we'll consider what we may want to think about for the future of museum collection documentation. Participants will have an opportunity to submit provenance problems in advance of the session.

Wisconsin Historical Society
Historic House Museums - Part 1
April 10, 2019
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Central 

Clear up the confusion about who does what in historic house museum organizations by participating in this two part webinar. During the first of two webinars on this topic, we will discuss the legal responsibilities of all nonprofit board members according to state nonprofit law, and how these duties apply to nonprofit historic house museum boards. We will discuss the three board responsibilities called the Duty of Care, Loyalty and Obedience to the Law and how your historic site can demonstrate your understanding of these duties and the organizational policies and practices you can implement to assure that you exceed these minimum requirements. We will share some true but shocking stories along the way (no names please!) about good boards gone bad, so that your organization won’t make the same mistakes! This training is derived from Ms. Harris’ chapter “The Essential Role of Boards in Reimagining Historic House Museums,” in Reimaging the Historic House Museum: Catalysts for Change, edited by Kenneth Turino and Max Van Balgooy for Rowman and Littlefield, Publishers, available in 2020. Ms. Harris will provide a resource packet with forms, letters, articles, a bibliography, and other information to help boost your historic sites’ board effectiveness.


Connecting to Collections Care 
Exploring Old Loans: A Quest for Resolution
April 16, 2019 
2:00-3:30pm Eastern 

Old loans are a challenge for most museums – whether large or small. And, with other competing priorities, it is easy to let them linger. Solving your old loans will give you a sense of accomplishment as well as lower the risk of insurance claims or even more unpleasant your museum’s potential involvement in a fight between a lender’s heirs.
There are many factors to consider when starting on this journey including staff time, whether the object is wanted as a part of the collection, how much storage space you will gain by returning old loans, and finally if your institution will support an old loan return program.
Whether you are in the middle of working through your old loans or you hope to begin your project in the future, we hope to give you practical advice including some success and failures to save you from becoming too weary of becoming free of old loans.

National Association for Interpretation

12:00 - 1:00 pm Central 

Join the Visitor Experience Group (VEX) in this fun and fast-paced session as we dive into three facets of Visitor Experience training: service, engagement and experience. Attendees will learn service guidelines, service recovery and how to engage front-line staff (often the non interpreters at our sites) to fully own each visitor’s experience.

Texas Historical Commission
Podcasting 101 for Museums and Historic Sites
April 24, 2019
10am- 11am Central 

How can history organizations and sites use podcasting to connect with audiences, educate, and build super fans? In this webinar, Hannah Hethmon, a consultant and producer specializing in podcasting for cultural nonprofits will cover the A-Z of podcasts. Participants in this webinar will learn how podcasting is being used by museums and historic sites, what it takes to produce their own podcast, how they can decide if podcasting is right for them, and how to get started making a quality podcast on a small budget.

There will be lots of practical information, like how to choose a microphone, what software to use for editing, how to find music, and how to publish your podcast online. Participants will also receive a Resource List with information on equipment, storytelling, editing, promotion, training opportunities, and more, as well as a Podcast Planning Worksheet for those inspired to start their own podcasts.

Hannah Hethmon is an independent consultant specializing in all things podcasting for cultural nonprofits. She is the creator and host of the AAM award-winning podcast, "Museums in Strange Places," and the author of "Your Museum Needs a Podcast: A Step-By-Step Guide to Podcasting on a Budget for Museums, History Organizations, and Cultural Nonprofits." Hannah has a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an M.A. in Viking and Medieval Norse Studies from the University of Iceland. She is a Fulbright alumnus


Wisconsin Historical Society
Historic House Museums - Part 2
April 24, 2019
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Central

In Part 2 of our webinar series on Best Practices for Board Service at Historic Sites, we will discuss what historic site board members do collectively and as individuals to support the organization, with their “time, talent and treasure.” During this webinar, we will talk about all volunteer historic sites, as well as those with staff, to differentiate what the board versus the staff does in both types of organizations. We will highlight the leadership qualities needed in an excellent Board President (whether you have staff or not), and how the Nominating and Executive Committees can shape the future of the organization. Finally, we’ll discuss the core documents that all house museums need, in order to be effective stewards of their collections and historic property. This training is derived from Ms. Harris’ chapter “The Essential Role of Boards in Reimagining Historic House Museums,” in Reimaging the Historic House Museum: Catalysts for Change, edited by Kenneth Turino and Max Van Balgooy for Rowman and Littlefield, Publishers, available in 2020. Ms. Harris will provide a resource packet with blank forms, letters, articles, a bibliography, and other information to help boost your historic sites’ board effectiveness