How many scythes should a museum, located in the heart of farm country, have in its collection? Pope County Historical Society Collections Manager Ann Grandy pondered this question in a blog post entitled, "The Size of Our Scythes Makes Me Sigh."

There's the one on exhibit (photo at left):
"This strikingly beautiful tool was critical in the early years of Pope County when wheat was king. As the blade mowed the stalks of grain, the long fingers caught the stalks and laid them down in an orderly fashion. This made the threshing process much easier. It is an elegant and well balanced tool. Is it important for us to have a cradle scythe in our collection? ABSOLUTELY!" Grandy writes.

But PCHS has four more in storage, she noted: "We have 5. Yep 5. And that isn’t counting the plain scythes without the extra fingers to catch the stalks. These things are BIG. And dangerous with the long blade."

Museums do not have unlimited storage. PCHS is among several museums around the state that are completing collections inventories and reassessing how many scythes - or ox yokes, wedding dresses, carpenter planes and other commonly donated artifacts - are needed to tell a community's history.

Before getting rid of duplicates, however, what do museums need to consider? What are the legal implications? And what should be done with the deaccessioned items? Grandy and four collections colleagues  will answer those questions and more in a session at the 2017 MALHM Annual Meeting and Conference, titled "Deaccessioning: Considerations from the Field":

At some point or another, every historical society will have to engage in deaccessioning. With this in mind, five museum professionals are coming together to share their thoughts, experiences, and considerations on how to make deaccessioning collections easier for our colleagues and an easier practice in the field itself. The session will begin with the basics of deaccessioning – what it is, why we do it, and how we do it. Special attention will be given to how NAGPRA laws and culturally sensitive items affect local museums and what should be done at each museum with these collections. The discussion will also cover obsolete media formats in the collection and the importance of reappraisal of items. Real-life experiences will be shared regarding what can be done with items after they are removed from the collection from the perspective of what has worked and what has not worked at a local museum. And finally, the link between accession and deaccession will be considered as well as how collections practices have and will continue to change deaccessioning.

Presenters:

• Moderator Adam Smith, Curator - Stearns County History Museum
• Leah Bowe, Collections Associate – NAGPRA, MNHS
• Anjanette Schussler, Government Records Asst., MN State Archives
• Ann Grandy, Collections Manager, Pope County Historical Society,
• Cathy Osterman, Curator and Archives Manager, Northfield Historical Society

When MALHM staff traveled around the state this fall to regional history group meetings, many groups requested a conference session on this topic. Thanks to these presenters for coming through!

Register now!
Registration is now open for the MALHM Conference, set for April 26-27 in Walker, MN. Register through our new online store. Attendees may also pay with a registration form and check by mail. With either method, attendees can indicate dietary needs, such as vegetarian and gluten free.

Registration deadline is April 10. Chase on the Lake will offer a discount to MALHM attendees who book by phone by April 4. For more information, see our Annual Conference page. If you have additional questions, please contact MALHM Coordinator Marci Matson or Conference Chair Jill Wohnoutka. Look for a full conference schedule soon!

Your library is hopping with genealogists, with several researchers asking for materials to review as well as scans and copies. You're happy because your organization is reaching people who care about history and your collection.

On the other hand, you have a stack of research requests, piles of folders that need to be refiled and not enough time to get everything done. How do you help your customers without overburdening your work load?

Find out from someone who's been there, at our 2017 Annual Meeting and Conference, April 26-27, at Chase on the Lake in Walker, MN. Jennifer Rian, reference librarian at Gale Family Library, offers some tips in an aptly named session:
Help! I'm Drowning in Genealogists: Tips & Tricks to Effectively Assist Researchers Without Losing Your Mind
Genealogists can be the most enthusiastic and dedicated users of local history collections, conversely they can also be some of your most demanding researchers.  Learn tips & tricks for assessing information needs, leveraging pre-existing resources, developing your own reference tools, and managing workflow all so you don't lose your mind.  Formal presentation will conclude with an opportunity for participants to share their own institutional approaches for working with genealogists.

The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums (MALHM) is an professional organization dedicated to "Peers Helping Peers." Learn from your colleagues in the field, who will share their expertise at the conference.

 Register now!
Registration is now open for the MALHM Conference, set for April 26-27 in Walker, MN. Register through our new online store. Attendees may also pay with a registration form and check by mail. With either method, attendees can indicate dietary needs, such as vegetarian and gluten free.

Registration deadline is April 10. Chase on the Lake will offer a discount to MALHM attendees who book by phone by April 4. For more information, see our Annual Conference page. If you have additional questions, please contact MALHM Coordinator Marci Matson or Conference Chair Jill Wohnoutka. Look for a full conference schedule soon!

The next big thing in social media might not be Snapchat or Google Hangouts or some app that you haven't heard of yet. It might just be the old familiar Facebook, a platform that most local history organizations already use -- but not to its fullest potential.

For example, have you tried Facebook Live yet?

Here are a couple of Facebook Live events from historic Glensheen mansion in Duluth, featuring Director Dan Hartman and Marketing Manager Jane Pederson. The one above is from inside the historic home; the one below was filmed outdoors, featuring Dan snowboarding down a hill to promote a new combo package with Spirit Mountain. Take note of the comments, shares and number of views on both. (Check out Glensheen's Facebook page for more examples - and if you want to find out if Dan manages to stay upright on his snowboard adventure.)

Explore the power of the new tools of Facebook, at our 2017 Annual Meeting and Conference when Dan presents a session on the topic:

The New Facebook: Your New Newsletter, Your Best Educational Platform and Your Best Way to Bring In New Visitors
Learn some some strategies to adapt to the new era of Social Media. Even though some of us are bored with it, Facebook is still the number 1 social platform that all of our audiences engage in. Whether we like to admit it or not, it has become our newsletter to many of our loyal fans. Also, with the creation of Facebook Live it has become easily one of the best educational tools in our arsenal, especially for reaching into the classroom. Of course, it also has become the number 1 marketing platform for reaching visitors in almost all geographic and demographic areas. During the presentation Dan will advise strategies that are mostly free and things that can be adapted immediately if desired. Also, during the presentation Dan will go live on Facebook to have the audience interact and watch first hand how it is not as scary as folks think.

The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums (MALHM) is an professional organization dedicated to "Peers Helping Peers." Learn from your colleagues in the field, who will share their expertise at the conference. With this session, you'll see why Glensheen's social media helped it win "Attraction of the Year" at the 2017 Explore Minnesota Tourism Conference held earlier this month in St. Paul.

Register now!
Registration is now open for the MALHM Conference, set for April 26-27 in Walker, MN. Register through our new online store. Attendees may also pay with a registration form and check by mail. With either method, attendees can indicate dietary needs, such as vegetarian and gluten free.

Registration deadline is April 10. Chase on the Lake will offer a discount to MALHM attendees who book by phone by April 4. For more information, see our Annual Conference page. If you have additional questions, please contact MALHM Coordinator Marci Matson or Conference Chair Jill Wohnoutka. Look for a full conference schedule soon!

For more than a decade, Minnesota history organizations have joined forces at the state Capitol to help their legislators understand that “History Matters.”

Join the movement this year  for  the 12th annual “History Matters Day” on Monday, Feb. 23.

Of particular interest to local history organizations, this year the legislature will appropriate the next two years of the Legacy Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (ACHF).

“While we are several years into this funding, with many new members of the legislature, it is critical that we show that ACHF funding for history is delivering results and is still needed,” said David Kelliher, Director of Government Relations at the Minnesota Historical Society.

The day will start at 9 a.m. with an orientation followed by a history fair in the Capitol rotunda. Individual meetings with your state legislators will be scheduled in the early afternoon (or as they fit into legislators’ schedules) along with special tours of the newly restored Capitol. Attendees can park free at the Minnesota History Center and visit the museum. Please sign up here to attend.

Those who can't attend the Capitol event can still weigh in with a new online tool on the Minnesota Historical Society website. By filling in the website form with contact information, the app will identify the state legislators for your area and send your email to them. The form has space available for a customized message to say "how history matters to you."

Whenever you speak up for history, you're making a difference. Other effective ways to speak up include:

• Send a message to your State Representative and Senator and the Governor
  
• Visit your representative in person
• Invite your legislator to visit your historic site or museum, particularly for special events
• Write a personal letter to your representative
• Call your representative
  
• Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper
• Tell your friends and colleagues
• Use social media to spread the word about the importance of history
  
• Tell MALHM how your organization has made a difference in your community. Part of our mission is to advocate for the more than 500 local history organizations in Minnesota, so help us tell the stories of how history matters. Contact MALHM Coordinator Marci Matson to help promote your accomplishments.