Maine Cultural Institutions Outreach Project (MCIOP)

MAM's Maine Cultural Institutions Outreach Project (MCIOP) was a grant-funded initiative supported by the Davis Family Foundation to identify local collecting institutions in all of Maine’s towns, gather data on their holdings and institutional needs, and connect these keepers of Maine’s local heritage with a larger network of like-minded colleagues.  Over 1,100 collecting institutions were identified over the course of the project which began in May 2012. One outcome of this project is the database, linked below.

If you have any updates for the database, please email us at info@mainemuseums.org.

The Goal of MCIOP:  To slow and prevent the further loss of Maine’s cultural heritage by identifying these organizations and connecting them to a larger community of collecting institutions in Maine.

The Project

Presently, vital information about preservation, funding, and promotional opportunities is not reaching many organizations, especially smaller historical societies. Numerous all-volunteer, less-tech-savvy institutions are being overlooked by national and regional organizations whose outreach has “gone paperless.” Many of these local organizations - predominantly created and run by volunteers - rise and fall based on the strength of their membership. When volunteers leave, they often take their institutional memory and knowledge of statewide support systems with them. The next generation of leadership must often start anew without the knowledge that help exists.

The first phase of the project included compiling lists of cultural organizations gleaned from many different museum, library and state associations; proactively contacting every municipality in Maine to gather information about local cultural organizations; and reaching out to members of the community of Maine collecting institutions to provide new and updated information about their organization of others. The first phase of the project dovetailed with current efforts by the Institute of Museum and Library Services to complete a national museum census, with the assistance of professional membership organizations like MAM.

MCIOP surveyed these organization via a 24-question survey and connected these organizations with information about the services available to them.  Finally, the grant allowed for a successful series of low-cost much-needed workshops in the more rural parts of the state. 

By connecting with these organizations and providing them with essential knowledge about how to sustain themselves in today’s world, MAM strengthens local collecting institutions, retain and disseminate firm knowledge about them and the collections they manage, and position itself to target resources to support Maine’s cultural heritage. This project also lays the groundwork for such future projects as providing technical assistance, providing support for collections in crisis, connecting small organizations with interns who can provide much-needed assistance, and better targeting ongoing efforts in education, visibility, and advocacy.