Notes from the Chair

At the AAM’s EdCom lunch in Chicago last May, Lisa Roberts challenged us to “get out of the traditional modes of communication and genres of identity.”  This is exactly what your MER board has been grappling with.  It is an exciting time for us. Over the last year we have developed a strong relationship with Left Coast Press, which publishes the Journal of Museum Education, established a new look and format for the Journal, and hammered out a cooperative, mutually supportive relationship with EdCom so that our different efforts each provide benefits for the field, for Museum Educators and beyond.

While we recognize and respect our DC roots, the board believes, and we hope you agree, that we have national—and even international—reach.  As the first MER president to not live in the District, I personify that belief.

We welcomed five new MER board members (please read about them elsewhere in this issue), and we regretfully said goodbye to those stepping off the board. Gretchen Adams, Mychalene Giampaoli, Susan Bass Marcus, and Georganne Sisco contributed time and expertise to MER, and we will miss them.

We also are sorry to say goodbye to Monica Smith, Managing Editor of the Journal of Museum Education for the past three years. In that time, Monica produced nine issues of JME and managed its transition to Left Coast Press. Mari Shopsis, editor of Network has stepped down as well. Thanks to both for their excellent work.

The board is currently grappling with a vision that will lead us for the next few years. We are investigating creative ways to provide virtual roundtables using Blog technology.  We would like your input both intellectually and physically to become involved as committee members, local organizers of roundtable discussions in your area, and with submissions of articles for Network.

Each member of the board, like each of you, makes hard decisions concerning time management. But imagine if a network of over 400 Museum Educators could benefit from some action you take.  Now image you have more than 400 museum educators working on your behalf.  WOW! Could we have impact! That is my vision for the Museum Education Roundtable.

~Erik Holland