Notes from the Board

EdCom
Chair, Jim S. H. Hakala

• Update on EdCom's Interpretive Planning Task Force: As reported in the last Network, EdCom has established a task force to explore and develop a document on best practices in developing an interpretive plan (Linda Stevens [Immediate Past Chair of MER] and Tim Merriman [Executive Director of the National Association of Interpretation] co-chair the task force). A draft document was circulated to the task force earlier this fall for review and comment. The task force will be holding a conference call later this month to discuss the document and plan next steps. AAM, EdCom, and the Indianapolis Children’s Museum are hosting a one day National Interpretive Planning Colloquium on May 5, 2005 during the AAM Annual Meeting in Indianapolis.
  
  
• AAM Annual Meeting 2005 Update: Based on the resounding success at the 2004 AAM Annual Meeting in New Orleans, EdCom and MER will be partnering again this year for the kickoff evening event/awards ceremony and the Marketplace of Ideas at the 2005 AAM Annual Meeting in Indianapolis.
  
  Kickoff evening event/awards ceremony – Scott Kratz (EdCom) is organizing this event again this year to be held at the Indiana State Museum, located in White River State Park in the heart of Indianapolis.
  
  The Marketplace of Ideas: EdCom, MER, and CARE will co-host the Marketplace of Ideas again for 2005. Last year, MER had a total of 6 participants present, including a table to “Meet the Board of Directors”. For 2005, we hope MER will have an even bigger showing. Application materials will be released soon. I will serve as Chair for MER at the Marketplace again this year.

Membership
Chair, Susan Bass Marcus

• Co-sponsoring of Regional Events
  The Membership Task Force looks forward to encouraging more people to see the professional value of belonging to MER by co-sponsoring regional events. Oct.20, 2004 is the date for such a meeting in Chicago. Co-hosted by the Chicago Cultural Coalition for Literacy, MER and Spertus Museum, the event will focus on two articles in the current Journal, “ The Continuing Conversation: A Model for Sustaining Relationships with Schools” by Mark Larson, director of education at Lincoln Park Zoo and “Book Arts and Literacy,” by Valerie Bang-Jensen professor of education at St. Michael’s College, Colchester, VT. The lead presenter will be educator Andrew White, principal member of Lookingglass Theatre Ensemble. Following White, the participants will break into roundtable discussion groups focusing on the two articles. CCCL and MER members will facilitate the discussions. A report of highlights will go to the MER board following the event. A similar spring event is scheduled in the Los Angeles area, co-hosted by MER and the group Museum Educators of Southern California.
  
  
• Membership Survey Results
  The 2004  MER membership and publications survey elicited quite an outpouring of MER members’ concerns. A sense of frustration with MER’s D.C.-centricity was tempered by enthusiasm for the Journal of Museum Education (JME)  and Network. Suggestions for more regional links such as roundtables supported MER’s current plans to experiment with regional meetings/seminars in partnership with local organizations. The first one of these partnerships was in Chicago in October (see the programs page for details).

  MER membership apparently includes quite a number of seasoned educators or others in related fields (61 of those responding out of 111). Eighty-one survey respondents are educators and more than 25% of them describe themselves as professionals as well. Nevertheless, one respondent flatly stated that she perceived MER as an “exclusive club for a select group of museum educators” who work in large institutions with huge budgets. How do we disabuse this person of that unfounded assumption (especially, the “huge budgets” bit)? Quite a number of suggestions for improvement assumed MER had a professional full-time staff and a budget big enough for lots of mailings. Some members expressed surprise that MER is a volunteer-run organization; while others (a list of 28 – 29 people) indicated that they would like to serve on the board or committees and task forces. If everyone on the board will contact 1-2 of those people in September, the calls might result in at least 10 new committee or task force members as well as a list of possible new board members for next year!

  Because we all bear increasingly heavy loads at work (let’s not even start with our private lives!) it’s amazing that the MER board accomplishes as much as it does. Finances drive some of the board’s choices and force MER to seem more DC-based than it is. I am not unusual in that I live in another region and fly to AAM and to D.C. for MER board meetings; and I’m lucky my museum supports the expense and days away, but many museums don’t see it that way. Also, as membership chair, I have to e-mail and phone the MER office to know about membership activity instead of visiting in person. Fortunately, because I am actively on the board I feel involved and close to the organization. More members’ input could be a key to their increased participation and a stronger sense of connection.

  Two-thirds of those responding pay for their memberships, which reflects a worsening economic picture, in my opinion. Fewer institutions (to their detriment) apparently are willing or able to compensate for professional development (PD) tools such as memberships, publications, and conference fees, or their PD budgets provide a negligible amount. For members who live in the DC area, travel expenses might be lower making it easier for them to attend the annual roundtable and for local board members to go to quarterly meetings as well as manage office issues. Hence, the perception that in effect MER mostly serves those in the DC area.

  Professional development and insights into research and best practices remain the perceived or desired benefits of MER membership. One respondent indicated how MER involvement helped this person to found two separate local roundtable organizations, which suggests another way that MER can serve. Seminars led by board members in local areas which coach strategies to establish and maintain effective local roundtables in partnership with MER could be a resourceful way to build a broader, committed membership.

  Currently, according to our respondents, local museum education organizations do address local issues, but in other ways do not satisfy members’ need for professional development, with the exception perhaps of NYCMER. Please note that these comments probably do not reflect the actual situation “on the ground.” We’d have to survey every local group across the country to determine their actual effectiveness. Nevertheless, MER members are ambivalent about their groups and have a hard time sustaining them—which, some say, accounts for their need for and interest in JME and Network.

  The greatest future challenges that museum educators face are linked to relationships—with their organizations and with the community. As in every marriage, money is a big issue. How many educators have had to cut back on staff, programs, and publications because of budget problems or institutional re-prioritizing? How many are concerned with job security and benefits? How many could use a raise (in our dreams!)? Close on the heels of finances are public education issues and initiatives as well as guaranteeing best practices and reaching out to the community more effectively.  Of concern is the scant professional respect that some educators feel their directors and administrators give them, a problem that a few feel could be addressed with improved evaluation plans.

  Suggestions for improvements in MER services and communications included a call for regional outreach, as well as critiques—and kudos—for JME and Network. Members recommended expanding MER online services including monthly e-mails about news and hot topics. More than one respondent felt that JME publication and delivery could be more regular/reliable. Others hoped to see more articles or an annual list of published research, especially studies coming out of academe (theses, student research pieces, etc.). One reply proposed setting up a MER listserve and apparently did not know about Museum-Ed.org  (let’s not re-invent an excellent wheel).

  The survey left me with two objectives: given what I know now, I would have phrased the survey a bit differently and made it easier to answer; and, as Membership Chair, I now would like the board to implement a number of strategies suggested by respondents which I believe would energize the membership and encourage all of us to be more actively involved in the organization.  These initiatives include the ongoing plan to work with local organizations outside of the DC area, as well as the development of meaningful guidelines and sessions about creating and sustaining local roundtables in partnership with MER; timely notices about publication opportunities; bringing more members onto committees and task forces; and resources for professionals in the field for fewer than 10 years.  Although MER membership has grown since December of 2003, that growth must continue in order to ensure MER’s viability.

  The good news is that, as of June 2004, individual memberships are up to 304 from 283 last December. Student memberships have risen to 59 from 48 in September of 2003; but our totals for senior and sustaining members have dropped from 10 – 50 %. While MER’s overall total membership, including subscribers, has not changed dramatically in the last nine months (up to 527 from 516), the organization is making slow gains. The rise in student memberships is encouraging; I think this change represents students’ increased interest in well-regarded publications about museum education and a highly professional association of practitioners.

Publications
Chair, Carol Brown

• Better Coordination between our Programs and our Publications
  To help museum educators more fully understand and use concepts and research in our publications, we have collaborated with the Program Committee to support workshops and discussions related to current Journal of Museum Education material.  This partnership will continue to pilot programs around the country.
  
  As a means to more closely connect the themes of JME and the workings of the MER Board, both the Publications Chair (Carol Brown) and the Programs Chair (Marcia Britton) have become members of JME editorial review.
  
  
• New Editor for JME
  We will soon be saying goodbye to our outstanding editor Wendy Pollock as she continues her important and time consuming work at ASTC.  Taking her place is Monica Smith, Project Historian/Exhibits Specialist at the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian Institution.  Monica will initially work with Wendy as a mentor.
  
  We offer many thanks to Wendy Pollock for the accomplishments of Journal of Museum Education under her administration, including the awarding of Honorable Mention from the American Association of Museums EdCom Publications Competition in 2003.

• Panel Entitled "Creative Approaches to Attracting Hidden Audiences"
  Board members Jill Sanderson and Erik Holland participated in a panel chaired by member, Leslie Goddard, Manager of Programs and Education, Evanston Historical Society at the Charles Gates Dawes House, at American Association for State and Local History annual meeting in St. Louis, October 2nd. Goddard introduced the roundtable format and each presenter offered a short case study related to the session, which was entitled "Creative Approaches to Attracting Hidden Audiences."  The forth panelist was Julia Saylor, Education Outreach Coordinator, Montana Historical Society. Following the case studies, each of which introduced a different "Hidden Audience" and investigated some of the drawbacks, issues, concerns, and institutional resistance, the panel opened the floor for a rousing discussion. This wide-ranging discussion investigated many hidden audiences, those anticipated, hoped for and brainstormed. Notes from this session, can be obtained from Erik Holland.
  
  
• Outreach to Regional Museum Roundtables
  Plans for the year include reaching out to the MER national membership with the concept of regional roundtables. In partnership with the Membership Committee in 2004-2005 MER will sponsor two prototype regional roundtables, in Chicago and Los Angeles. Susan Marcus in Chicago provided leadership for the first regional roundtable on October 20, on the topic of literacies. Scott Winterrowd in Los Angeles is planning the second regional roundtable for Spring 2005. Regional roundtables will focus on themes from the Journal of Museum Education and will include not only speakers, but breakout roundtable discussions. MER memberships and current issues of the Journal of Museum Education will be sold. The Program Committee is also discussing ways to reach out to the national membership by posting museum education roundtable meetings on its website. If you have ideas, please contact Marcia Britton.