From the monthly archives: July 2010

Recession Toll on Museum Workers

by David Grabitske on July 28, 2010 · 5 Comments · in Local History Standards, Nonprofit Issues

American Association of Museums released last week the results of a study that show museums are understaffed during this economic downturn. According to the report, 53% of museums lack adequate staffing. Also, 34% of museums had layoffs, and 41% delayed hiring due to the economy. A professional training session from the Minnesota Council on Nonprofits [...]

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Museums Cost How Much?

by David Grabitske on July 28, 2010 · 4 Comments · in Fundraising, Nonprofit Issues

There are 137 museum building projects enumerated in Museum magazine from the American Association of Museums, 2003-2010. Of those 119 have both cost and square footage associated with the project. The total investment is in excess of $5.2 billion, and added more than 6.7 million square feet to help the public access cultural heritage. The [...]

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Favorite Children

by David Grabitske on July 14, 2010 · 2 Comments · in Collections

A reporter from the Pioneer Press called the other day to talk about listing on the National Register of Historic Places childhood homes of people who later became significant. There is some debate by historians as to whether or not where someone lived as a child shaped or even represents the significant thing a person might [...]

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Diversifying Burdens

by David Grabitske on July 7, 2010 · No Comments · in Local History Standards

Many local historical organizations are all-volunteer, have boards of a half dozen to perhaps fifteen members, memberships a few more than who serves on the board, total budgets (if they even create a budget) of about $12,000 per year, and offer a solid variety of programs. For organizations like these and countless others, some allege that [...]

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