From the monthly archives: January 2010

Taglines create connections

by David Grabitske on January 28, 2010 · 1 Comment · in Marketing

Nancy Schwartz of Getting Attention!, which helps nonprofits with marketing issues, published the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Report. Although local history is not segmented by itself, it is included in the Arts & Culture heading where only 58% of organizations use a tagline and 61% of those taglines are ineffective. The winner of the best [...]

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Attracting Gen X Families

by David Grabitske on January 25, 2010 · No Comments · in Marketing, Nonprofit Issues, Visitation

The Pew Charitable Trust released a study on The New Economics of Marriage. The report shows an increase in educational attainment by wives, and a slight decrease for husbands. The report suggests then that women have more power within the household, and presumably over decisions on what the family will do. The report seems to [...]

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Finding eTime with Children

by David Grabitske on January 25, 2010 · 1 Comment · in Information Technology, Interpretation, Marketing, Visitation

USA Today carried the story Kids’ electronic media use jumps to 53 hours a week. If one goal of local historical organizations is to be where people are, and children spend 53 hours a week on average with electronic gadgets, what should local history museums be thinking about? One approach might be to embrace all [...]

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Handy Tools

by David Grabitske on January 13, 2010 · 1 Comment · in Information Technology, Marketing

In reading newsletters and e-blasts and other communications from local historical organizations, there seems to be a solid variety of electronic media tools that are used to further the missions of historical organizations. What are the top ten (or any number) e-sources of information do you consult to help you do your work? Please cite specific blogs, e-newsletters, [...]

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Cremated Public History

by David Grabitske on January 5, 2010 · 4 Comments · in Collections, Interpretation

Public historians have long commented that to know a cemetery is to know a community. A recent article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota leads Midwest in a hot trend: cremation, highlights a growing challenge to this statement. What might local historical organizations do to document disposition of the dead for future genealogists? Will [...]

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