2014 Webinar Archives

Dealing with Digital Assets - November 20, 2014

In this webinar, Lynda Schmitz Fuhrig provides a high-level overview about digital assets from word-processing to images to audio and video and the various components that need to be considered including media type and formats, storage, metadata, preservation, and accessibility. Discussion included file format detection, file transfer, and obsolescence issues to be aware of when dealing with digital files. Lynda Schmitz Fuhrig is the electronic records archivist at the Smithsonian Institution Archives who works with born-digital records from across the institution.

Collection Assessment and Preservation - November 5, 2014

Working with unique objects means being faced with the management of diverse materials and formats, ranging from parchment to digital videotape. Preservation assessments are a key element of good collection stewardship as they allow collections managers and curators to become more familiar with the health of their collections and derive accurate metrics about collections.  These metrics help managers both to determine preservation needs and to better articulate and document the needs of their collections in grant applications.

Stressed About Pests? Treating Infestations - September 3, 2014

The goal of Integrated Pest Management programs is to reduce the need for toxic chemicals to prevent and combat pest infestations.  Despite efforts in prevention, monitoring, and identification discussed in the first Stressed about Pests? Webinar, sometimes remedial action is necessary. This webinar discussed how to recognize an active infestation, what actions you can take, and how to productively work with a pest management professional.

Stressed About Pests? Prevention, Monitoring, & Identification - August 28, 2014

Insect and rodent pests inflict irreparable damage to museum objects every single day. This webinar covered the history and concepts of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and how one can incorporate IPM within museum environments to prevent pest damage. A few of the many topics that were covered were monitoring, exclusion of pests, and pest identification.

Caring for Books - July 17, 2014

This 60-minute webinar covered the basic storage and handling concerns for any institution holding books, whether special collections, circulating, or strictly reference. The appropriate storage furniture, considerations for storage areas, as well as the do’s and don’ts of storage were covered.

Storage Solutions - June 10, 2014

With the vast majority of our nation’s cultural heritage in storage, how art and artifacts are housed is one of the most important factors for their long-term preservation. Upgrading storage conditions certainly isn’t rocket science, but it does take time and resources. Small and incremental steps, though, can make striking improvements to the way we store our collections. This hour-long webinar focused on storeroom and storage mount solutions that can be reasonably constructed by museum personnel and introduced online resources that can help.

The Supercharged Management System - April 17, 2014

Every cultural repository needs two management structures: the day-to-day, business-as-usual hierarchy, and a “supercharged” management structure that takes over temporarily during a crisis or whenever events threaten to overwhelm normal business routines. Emergency responders have used just such a supercharged structure for years: the Incident Command System (ICS). Whether you are preparing for fires and floods—or planning a major public event—the Incident Command System is a proven management tool that safeguards lives, property, and priceless collections.

Featured Member: Ben Gessner from the Minnesota Historical Society

The rotating Featured Members series calls upon you, the member, to share your own story as a collections professional or enthusiast. First up in this rotating series is Ben Gessner from Minnesota Historical Society.

Digital Collections: A Future for Small Museums - March 25, 2014

On Tuesday, March 25 at 1:00 p.m. (Eastern) we discussed digital collections and a few ways to create them. If you were unable to attend the Small Museum Association Conference in Ocean City, Maryland this year, this webinar is a great opportunity to catch one of the Conference’s workshops. Amanda Shepp reviewed the process of digital museum creation and ideas for small organizations.

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