Blog and Newsletter

Did you want to participate in the Cultural Emergency Resource Coalition's facilitated disaster planning program, but the timing just didn't work out for you? Consider applying for an NEH Preservation Assistance Grant for Smaller Institutions!

Deadline: May 3, 2016 (for projects starting no sooner than January 2017)

Amount: Up to $6,000 (no match required!)

For this round NEH is particularly interested in projects that address disaster planning. If your organization is interested in hiring a consultant to help walk you through CERC's process for writing your own disaster plan, we can help you determine your needs, identify a consultant and develop a budget for a grant application.

Eligibility: Applicants must 

• care for and have custody of the humanities collections that are the focus of the application;
• have at least one staff member or the full-time equivalent, whether paid or unpaid; and
• make their collections open and available for the purpose of education, research, and/or public programming, as evidenced by the number of days on which the institution is open to the public, the capacity to support access and use, and the availability of staff for this purpose.

For more information, see the program description:

http://www.neh.gov/files/grants/pres-assist-grants-may-3-2016.pdf

The Owls Head Transportation Museum is now accepting resumes for the position of Accounts Manager. The successful applicant will be an experienced professional with a strong knowledge of accounting principles. A strong knowledge of Quickbooks and Excel is required. Duties will include, though are not limited to, AP/AR, GL, payroll, applicable taxes and filings, financial recording, reporting and related controls.

The Accounts Manager is part of a team involved in Museum events, programs and services. He/she must be a detail-oriented self-starter with strong organizational skills. The ability to work under pressure and interact with volunteers and the public is a must. Experience in non-profit financial management is a plus. This is a perfect opportunity for someone wishing to work in a dynamic, people-oriented work environment that offers excellent compensation.

Please forward resume with cover letter to: nj@ohtm.org or the Owls Head Transportation Museum, ATTN: Niki Janczura, P.O. Box 277, Owls Head, Maine 04854.

Historic New England sends us this job opening announcement:

POSITION: Guide–House Museum(s)

CLASSIFICATION: Seasonal/Part-Time

LOCATION: Sarah Orne Jewett and Hamilton Houses in South Berwick, ME, Sayward-Wheeler House in York Harbor, ME

DESCRIPTION: Historic New England seeks seasonal part-time Guides to work at the Sarah Orne Jewett House (1774) and Hamilton House (1785) in South Berwick, Maine and the Sayward-Wheeler House (1718) in York Harbor, Maine, for the 2016 season.  Guides will conduct tours and assist with daily museum operations including tour admissions, museum shop sales, membership sales, housekeeping, and opening and closing the museum. Training is provided. 

QUALIFICATIONS:  Applicants should enjoy working with the public, have an interest in history and have basic computer skills. Experience in retail sales and customer service desirable.  Requires a high school diploma or equivalent education. A Bachelor’s degree is preferred.  Must be available weekends, have a flexible schedule and commit to employment through the end of the 2016 season (May- October).  Diversity candidates are encouraged to apply. Developing and sustaining a diverse staff furthers the institution’s goals and mission.

APPLICATIONS: Please e-mail resume and cover letter to JewettHouse@HistoricNewEngland.org. Note: If you are applying for a guide position at more than one property, please indicate this in your cover letter. EOE.

The Lincoln County Historical Association (LCHA), steward of three historic properties in Midcoast Maine – the 1754 Chapman-Hall House in Damariscotta, the 1761 Pownalborough Courthouse in Dresden, and the 1811 Old Jail in Wiscasset – seeks a part time Executive Director. Primary duties include strengthening the Association’s financial base; developing the membership program; and assisting in the daily business of LCHA.

The ideal candidate will be experienced in non-profit fund raising, donor development, grant writing, and financial management; skilled in both written and oral communication, and in working with individuals as well as groups such as trustees, volunteers, and members; competent with office computer processing and communications software; and passionate in support of historic preservation and public history.

This is an annual, part time contract position, at 20 to 30 hours per week, to begin on or about 1 June, 2016. The Executive Director reports to the President of the Board of Trustees.

For a complete job description, please visit the LCHA website at www.lincolncountyhistory.org

Castine Historical Society (CHS) is offering one internship opportunity for a graduate student enrolled in a museum studies, public history, archival studies or related Master's degree or Ph.D. program.  The internship is full time (35 hours per week) for 10 weeks in the spring or summer of 2016 with a stipend of $2,800. CHS will work with the student to structure the internship to meet requirements for academic credit as needed.

The Castine area, a beautiful and historically interesting town on the coast of Maine, saw millennia of use by Native Americans before European contact and changed hands repeatedly from the outset of the colonial period through the War of 1812.  The peninsula’s development in the nineteenth and twentieth century’s represents a microcosm of American commercial and cultural history.  As its mission states, CHS “seeks to engage residents and visitors of all ages in the exploration and stewardship of Castine’s diverse historical resources.”

The intern will work as a member of a professional team on two projects central to the CHS mission and choose a public history project consistent with his/her interests.  One of the two ongoing projects includes gaining experience with PastPerfect museum software, and the other involves working with volunteers to provide historic walking tours.  The public history project could be producing audio podcasts for self-guided historic tours or a preservation or education project proposed by the intern.

Applications are due by Monday, March 21, 2016.  To view the full internship description and application instructions, visit http://castinehistoricalsociety.org/pages/news/castine-historical-society-2014-intern-job-description or contact Paige Lilly via email at curator@castinehistoricalsociety.org.

Nominations for American Association for State and Local History (AASLH)'s Leadership in History Awards are due March 1. It usually takes at least two-three weeks to put together a great nomination, so don't wait to get started! Nominations are reviewed by a national committee in the summer of 2016 with formal presentation of the awards made during the AASLH Annual Meeting, September 14-17, in Detroit, Michigan. 

The AASLH Leadership in History Awards Program recognizes exemplary work completed by state or federal historical societies, institutions, or agencies; regional, county, or local historical societies, institutions, or agencies; specialized subject societies in related fields such as oral history, genealogy, folklore, archaeology, etc.; junior historical societies; privately owned museums or foundations; individuals; and organizations outside the field of traditional historical agencies. Awards are given for exhibits, public and educational programming, special projects, publications, multimedia, and individual achievement. Nominees need not be members of AASLH to qualify. 

Nomination information may be obtained by visiting about.aaslh.org/awards, or by contacting the AASLH office by phone: 615-320-3203 or email: hawkins@aaslh.org. A list of state award representatives who can advise nominees can be found at the AASLH website. 

The Maine Historical Records Advisory Board is pleased to be able to support the efforts of Maine's nonprofit organizations as they preserve their original historical records. The following workshops are available in 2016 to assist these efforts:

May 16^th (Augusta) and May 23^rd (Bangor) - The full-day archival workshops will cover definitions, mission statement, collecting policy, appraisal and related issues, arrangement, description (and use) of collections.

March 29^th (Portland) - The full-day town clerk workshop covers topics of specific interest to clerks, such as preservation/restoration of old records, destruction of records, FOIA, indexing, vault requirements, digitizing records, disaster recovery, Rules for Disposition.

April 8^th (Augusta) - This workshop will focus on proposal requirements for the Historical Collections grant program (skills are applicable to any proposal). The workshop includes hands on practice with time to ask questions and get feedback on draft Historical Collections grant proposals.

For more details and contact information visit the Maine State Archives website (under What’s New), http://www.maine.gov/sos/arc/.

The Abbe Museum offers unique career opportunities that empower individuals to connect with our mission and our audience in a profound way.

As a Guest Services Associate, you will be making a significant contribution to Maine’s first and only Smithsonian Affiliate, a Museum beloved by visitors from around the world. The Smithsonian is the guardian of some of our nation’s most valuable scientific, historic, and artistic treasures and is a leader in research, innovation, and discovery. The Abbe Museum fits snugly within this realm, offering our visitors unique and inspiring experiences every single day. Guest Services Associates help the Museum to encourage a more tolerant and culturally-aware society by inspiring visitors to think more deeply about the history and contemporary lives of individuals from other cultures.

The Abbe Museum experience is inclusive and welcoming to all. We foster a strong staff culture of collaboration and teamwork, in a service-focused environment. Staff in public-facing departments must always present a welcoming and inclusive museum visitor experience. Do you enjoy interacting with people? Do you believe that customer service is an important part of a positive experience? We hope you'll consider joining the Abbe’s growing Guest Services team.

Reporting to the Associate Manager of Guest Experience, Guest Services Associates act as an integral source of patron knowledge about the Museum, its history and current strategic direction, and its exhibitions and programs. 

Ideal candidates have a heart for service, are driven, self-sufficient, and committed to promoting the Abbe's new Customer Service Pledge and to finding surprising and welcoming ways to interact with patrons of all types. Check out A Day in the Life of an Abbe Museum Guest Services Associate for a peek into what the job entails. Incentives will be given to exemplary job performers.

This is a seasonal position, from May 1st through October 31st, 20-40 hours per week at $10 per hour. For more details about daily tasks and how to apply, please contact the Associate Manager of Guest Experience, Debbie Miles, at debbie@abbemuseum.org or 207-288-3519.

The Brick Store Museum is a small history and art museum located in Kennebunk. All staff members, as well as interns, are often called on to do any number of things such as assisting with public programs, basic office work, and visitor services.  All internships provide an introduction to standard museum practice and hands-on experience in museum/archive work.

Interns will receive a $300 stipend at the completion of the internship.

Archival Internship

The Archives Intern will learn how collections are stored, managed, cataloged and cared for in an archival setting.   Duties will vary according to availability of projects and student interest. Projects will include any combination of processing—arrangement description, and re-housing materials—as well as cataloging archival collections into our PastPerfect database; and researching collections for visitor requests.  The intern will report to the Collections Manager.

Qualifications preferred: Degree or expected degree in history, archive and library science and/or museum studies.  Archival experience, word processing, and database skills useful.

Education/Special Events Internship

The Education/ Special Events internship will provide opportunities to develop educational curriculum for programs and exhibitions.  Duties will vary according to availability of projects and student interests.  Projects will include preparing materials for fall school field trips, conducting summer walking tours, developing educational programs and public programs for specific exhibits and developing outreach programs for local schools.  The intern will report to the Collections Manager

Qualifications preferred: experience supervising children; good written communication skills background in educational theory and practice; understanding of Maine’s Common Core Standards, computer skills, and basic office skills.

The Museum generally requires at least 10 hours of service per week, and would be happy to work with your schedule. Should you be interested in an internship at the Brick Store Museum, please contact us via phone (207-985-4802) or via email (info@brickstoremuseum.org).

DATE:          Saturday, January 23, 2016

TIME:           9:00 a.m. to 12 noon

(Please arrive at 8:30 to sign in)

LOCATION: Houlton Higher Education Center

                     18 Military Street

                     Houlton, Maine

COST:          $49 per person

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED.  To register, send check payable to Presque Isle Historical Society in the amount of $49 for each registrant with their name and contact information to:

                PO Box 285

                Presque Isle, ME 04769

About the Instructor:

Kimberly Smith is the grant writer for the City of Presque Isle and Presque Isle Historical Society.  She is a member of the American Grant Writers’ Association and has been writing grants for almost 20 years. Kim has served as an adjunct instructor for Northern Maine Community College, Husson University’s Graduate Program, and the University of Maine at Presque Isle.  Smith holds a Master’s Degree in Business from Husson University and has served as the Executive Director of three non-profits, one of which was a grant-making organization. 

SPONSORED BY:  Houlton Higher Education Center and Adult Education Houlton/Hodgdon

PROCEEDS BENEFIT: Presque Isle Historical Society

For more information, please contact Presque Isle Historical Society at (207) 762-1151 or by e-mail at pihistoricalsocety@hotmail.com.