From the H-Public Listserv:

I am doing some thinking about the role of permanent/long-term exhibits at small history museums, particularly local history museums. I have observed that most local history museums feel they need a permanent/long-term overview exhibit that tries to tell the story of their locality. Many of us working in these museums, attempting to re-invent invent our institutions and break out of our reputations as “old-dusty-boring,” often do so by investing in new “permanent” exhibits. These exhibits cost much more than anything else has ever cost in the museum’s history and give us a new centerpiece with which to draw in visitors.

My question: Do these investments pay off? Are “permanent” exhibits an important framework for establishing a local story and an initial contact point for a museum and its visitors? Or do “permanent” exhibits drain resources and inhibit a museum’s ability to remain flexible, relevant and responsive to community needs? I would be interested in hearing about any of your experiences with the role of long-term/permanent exhibits at history museums.

Liora J. Cobin (Brooklyn, NY)

As Mary noted, some of the hot-linked names send users right back to the Blog, rather than to an intended destination. Many of those were me. The staff of the IT Department at MHS has discovered the trouble. The program does not recognize URLs without the “http://” code in front of the URL. So, to get your URL to work correctly, you should copy your URL and paste it into the dialog box when replying to postings on this Blog. IT staff fixed all of the links today for us.

Thanks for your patience, and thanks for alerting us to this issue.

David Grabitske

From the National Committee on Planned Giving website: In August, H.R. 4, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 became law. This bill contains a two-year IRA Charitable Rollover provision that will allow people age 70 1/2 or older to exclude up to $100,000 from their gross income for a taxable year for cash gifts directly to a qualified charity. The bill also contains several other charitable provisions. The Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) provides a detailed explanation of the bill’s charity provisions. What will its implications be for fundraising at local historical organizations in Minnesota? As the baby boomers age, fundraising that targets seniors may rise. Have you seen any examples of this at your organization?

Sole staff people often face steep morale challenges. How do those of you who are alone in your museums do it all? Id especially appreciate some tips on gaining perspective on work when the work is overwhelming, work-life balance, and scoring excellent volunteers. Good thing I like my job!

Thanks,
Claudia