Upstate News
e-newsletter of the Upstate History
Alliance
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Join Us
Becoming a member just got better! Your UHA membership allows you many benefits, such as significant
discounts on workshops and events, access to our extensive statewide network of member organizations and now you can receive a 10% discount on your purchases at Gaylord. If you are interested in becoming a member,
please visit the UHA website at www.upstatehistory.org for
more information. |
Grants for Museum Advancement
  
Planning ahead for 2009
We have received a record number of grant applications in the first two quarters of 2009 and wish to encourage you to apply early to take advantage of this year's funding. Applications and detailed information can be found at www.upstatehistory.org |
UHA is supported in part by
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A Note from the Director
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Summer has arrived and that means it's time for the UHA staff to hit the road. Each year we spend much of the month of June traveling across New York presenting at workshops, connecting with constituents and visiting your museums!
We enjoyed an Adirondack adventure as we traveled to Plattsburgh to present our Creating a Community History workshop at the Conference on New York State History. Then it was out to Buffalo for the Connecting to Collections "Stewardship of America's Legacy: Answering the Call to Action.
I truly value these opportunities to meet our friends from across the state, in person and on your own turf. In that vein, we are making preparations for a series of regional UHA meet-ups later this summer. Keep an eye on your inboxes for an invite.
Until then, best regards for a prosperous summer season!
~Catherine Gilbert
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Know Your Audience...
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Are you
thinking about new ways to connect to your community, seeking creative methods
to engage new audiences, evaluating innovative strategies to ensure that your efforts to attract new audiences don't drive away your traditional members? We have assembled a fantastic
group of presenters, all innovators in their own right who have taken to the
challenge of engaging audiences with museums and
historic sites (large and small). In an era where technology reigns supreme, how can we benefit from modern tools
and utilize the inherent wonder of interacting with our collections and experiencing our museums to draw
individuals out of the virtual world and into our museum community?
Perhaps this is the year to discover the Museum Institute at Sagamore.
The 2009 Museum Institute at Sagamore,
sponsored by the Upstate History Alliance, will focus on Understanding Audiences. The Institute is a
reflective, intensive, four day retreat at Great Camp Sagamore in the
Adirondacks that gives museum professionals the opportunity to
learn, reflect, and work with their colleagues throughout the
state.The 2009 institute will take place September 22 - 25. Information on the Institute, a list of presenters and their topics and our
application may be found online at: www.upstatehistory.org.
Now is the
time to act, the postmark deadline for
applications is July 17th - are you working on your application but
getting nervous about the deadline? Drop me a note to let me know it's on the
way director@upstatehistory.org
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Save the Date - Museums in Conversation 2010
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The 2010 Museums in Conversation conference will be held April 11-13, 2010 at the Albany Marriott, in Albany, NY.
The call for proposals will be out later this summer.
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An old friend returns to UHA
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We are very pleased to welcome Erin Andrews back to UHA this summer to serve as our Special Project intern. Erin has proven to be a valuable part of the UHA team and I'd be more than happy to recommend her to anyone looking for new talent. The following is a brief note of introduction from Erin. Happy Summer, everyone! My name is Erin Andrews and I am
serving as the Special Project intern through mid-August. You may recognize my
name from the Fall 2008 newsletter, as this is my second internship with the
Upstate History Alliance. Upon completing the Cooperstown Graduate Program in
May, I began working on a summer project with UHA, compiling years of data into
cohesive documents that will aid in future planning for the organization. I'm
pulling together every type of data imaginable-on the Museum Institute at
Sagamore, the annual conference with MANY, workshops, grants, online courses,
and membership-dating from UHA's start in 1971 up to the present. This project is
giving me a full understanding of the organization's past, the varying services
offered, and the wide network of institutions that have benefited from UHA's
assistance and expertise over the years. You may reach Erin at intern@upstatehistory.org
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Member Kudos - Historic Cherry Hill
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the 2009 Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections. This annual award is selected by a panel of distinguished
conservation experts from across the nation and is presented jointly by Heritage
Preservation and the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic
Works (AIC).
To view the full press release, please visit www.heritagepreservation.org
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| NYS Cultural Data Project
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I'm sure this information has come your way by now, but I wanted to include a reminder to please be sure to check out this opportunity.
On June 1, 2009 Pew Charitable Trust launched the New York State Cultural Data Project. To date 12 grantmakers have agreed to accept data from the
New York State CDP as one part of their grant application processes,
with more funders joining the project every month.
About CDP
CDP is an online system for reporting historical organizational and
financial data available to all New York State cultural organizations
and entities. Once an organization's data has been entered into the
online system, the organization will be able to streamline grant
applications to participating funders, generate one of 77 on-demand
reports from annual reports to trend and comparison reports, and ensure
that the organization is included in major cultural sector research
efforts.
Get Involved
The Cultural Data Project Taskforce is hosting a series of
demonstration and discussion sessions around New York State. To view a
complete schedule, or to register for a demonstration and discussion
session, visit www.nysculturaldata.org.
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 DHP Highlight - Be Prepared |
 This
continually soggy summer reminds us of the need to keep vigilant against natural and man-made disasters.
Please keep your eyes and ears open to any areas near you that
experience flooding. For information concerning disaster preparedness and disaster
recovery please visit the New York State Archives Disaster Assistance resources page at: www.archives.nysed.gov
This is a great resource from the State Archives
with links to resources for disaster planning and disaster recovery.
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Member Spotlight - North Tonawanda History Museum
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 The North Tonawanda History Museum, established in 2004, has grown into a
4,500+ member organization, with Donna Zellner Neal continuing as its full-time
volunteer Executive Director, and John Zellner Neal, her 28 year old son as the
first full-time paid employee since August 2007, serving as Assistant Executive
Director. The History Museum took title to a 40,184 square foot building with
three floors of space in the Downtown Historic District of North Tonawanda on
March 18, 2009. The location is in the heart of the City's historical shopping
district, adjacent to the Erie Canal and the juncture of the Niagara River.
The community's location on these two waterways and the arrival of
railroads in 1836 to the community led to its becoming the Lumber Capital of the
World in the 1880s. The North Tonawanda History Museum, in addition to numerous
smaller publications, produced a 428-page book, "North Tonawanda: The Lumber
City" in 2007 and a 166-page guide book, "The Niagara Historic Trail" in 2008.
The North Tonawanda History Museum Online ( www.nthistorymuseum.org) has carried
the work of the museum around the world since its steering committee days in
2003.
Their new address is:
North Tonawanda History Museum
Lumber City History Center
54-60 Webster Street
North Tonawanda, NY 14120
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Save $50 - Traveling Exhibit Discount
Summer
Savings - receive a $50 discount on an 8-week loan on either "Respect
for Diversity: Valuing our Museums, Libraries and the Communities they
Create" or "Why Archives Matter" traveling exhibition. Visit the UHA website www.upstatehistory.org for details on both exhibitions. Contact Stephanie Lehner, Program Coordinator at 800-895-1648 or Stephanie@upstatehistory.org for more information. |
Mention this advertisement to take advantage of this offer
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UHA awarded IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf
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The Upstate History Alliance has been awarded to receive the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, in the third and final installment of the Bookshelf program. This award will add nearly 20 publications - to our Lending Library. The materials address such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues.
These publications will be a welcome addition to our Lending Library. UHA members and South Central DHP constituents have access to our Lending Library, with the ability to borrow up to 3 titles for a 3-week period. We anticipate receipt of the bookshelf within the next week; we will send a note to announce when the publications are available for loan.
Congratulations to the other recipients from New York State, especially UHA members:
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Enroll Today - UHA Online Courses
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Registration is now open for our fall season of online courses. Collections Management 101 and our slate of Collections Care and Preservation mini-courses will kick-off on August 3rd.
Mini-course topics include Introduction to Reformatting, Climate Control for Small Institutions, Conservation & Preservation of Photographs and Albums and Basic Preservation, Care & Handling of Paper Based Materials.
If you are seeking affordable, practical training in Collections Care and Preservation, consider participating in one of our online courses. Please visit our website for more information www.upstatehistory.org
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Catherine Gilbert, Executive Director
Upstate History Alliance
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