Association Of Midwest Museums

THE ASSOCIATION OF MIDWEST MUSEUMS (AMM) WILL FACILITATE A PILOT PROJECT THAT WILL ENGAGE SIX REGIONAL MUSEUM ASSOCIATIONS AND A TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANT AS COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS TO PROVIDE TECHNOLOGICAL TRAINING FOR SMALL MUSEUMS ACROSS THE NATION. AS MANY MUSEUMS INCREASE THEIR ONLINE PRESENCE IN PLACE OF IN-PERSON EXPERIENCES IN THE WAKE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE ACCESS TO BEST PRACTICES TO BUILD CAPACITY FOR DIGITAL MEDIA AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. AMM WILL PRESENT 10 LIVE MODULES THAT INCLUDE HANDS-ON, STEP-BY-STEP TRAINING BY MUSEUM TECHNOLOGY EXPERTS AND FELLOWS. MODULE TOPICS WILL ADDRESS COLLECTIONS DIGITIZATION LEARNING INITIATIVES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT/AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT AND DISCOVERABILITY/ONLINE PRESENCE. A DEDICATED WEBSITE WILL FEATURE A RESOURCE HUB INCLUDING THE SESSION RECORDINGS AND SUPPLEMENTARY TOOLKITS.

THE ASSOCIATION OF MIDWEST MUSEUMS WILL BUILD THE CAPACITY OF MUSEUM FRONTLINE STAFF AND MIDDLE MANAGERS TO SERVE AS SUPERVISORS AND TEAM LEADERS AND TO ADDRESS THEIR SPECIFIC COMMUNITIES' NEEDS USING INCLUSIVE PRACTICES. BY PROVIDING FREE PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES THAT CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO A MUSEUM’S ONBOARDING OR TRAINING STRATEGIES, THE PROGRAM WILL REMOVE BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION AND ALLOWS FOR MORE REPRESENTATIONAL MUSEUM STAFF INVOLVEMENT. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL COLLABORATE WITH SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AND INSTRUCTORS TO CONDUCT TWENTY-FOUR TRAINING WORKSHOPS AND TO PRODUCE SIX ONLINE TRAINING MODULES AND SIX TOOLKITS. BY SHARING THESE RESOURCES WITH MUSEUMS, THE PROJECT WILL HELP TRANSFORM MUSEUM WORK CULTURES AND ENVIRONMENTS TO BE MORE EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE, WHICH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THOSE INSTITUTIONS.