Part of my job this week included a number of 'other duties as assigned' tasks. One of such tasks included assisting with cleanup of the Residential School cemetery which is on site where I work. Since I like gardening this was actually a nice afternoon break one day. This particular cemetery was in use from … Continue reading Other Duties as Assigned: Cemetery Maintenance
Conceptualizing Rural History
Last week a co-worker who is currently reading up on the history of her city asked me if I had ever been interested in the town history of where I grew up. This simple question had me stumped. The majority of my life I have lived outside of town, and didn't readily identify with a … Continue reading Conceptualizing Rural History
Architecture and Heritage Institutions
Resnick PavilionArchitecture and design can have a huge impact on how a space is used. This is true in family homes, libraries, art galleries, museums, and buildings of all shapes and sizes. How space is configured, materials used, the amount of natural light, and numerous other factors impact how visitors perceive a heritage institution. Architectural … Continue reading Architecture and Heritage Institutions
December #builtheritage chat
This month's #builtheritage twitter chat focused on preservation and the holidays. There was an abundance of good festive promotion ideas, examples of seasonal events, and First portion of the chat focused on the question, How can you use the holidays to promote your historic site? Some of the proposed activities included:Displaying old holiday photos on … Continue reading December #builtheritage chat
Heritage Gift Giving
Tree of booksIt's that time of year where many of us are scrambling to find the perfect gift for a loved one. Recently, a number of blogs and organizations have been posting gift suggestions for the heritage lovers in your life. Some of my favourite posted so far, include: National Trust for Historic Preservation holiday … Continue reading Heritage Gift Giving
Making Oral History Relevant: The Legacy Project
The Legacy Project began in 2004 with Karl Pillemer Professor at Cornell University. Pillemer began by collecting 'practical' advice from elderly people in America by having them answer "What are the most important lessons you have learned over the course of your life?" This initiative resulted in over 1500 people over 70 years old describing … Continue reading Making Oral History Relevant: The Legacy Project
Seasonal Exhibits: Holiday Heritage
It's that time of year, Christmas merchandise has already started to fill the malls, and the beginning of the commercial holiday season is looming ever closer. In the heritage field a lot of organizations are beginning to plan and develop exhibits and activities that coincide with the upcoming holidays. As a child, one of my … Continue reading Seasonal Exhibits: Holiday Heritage
Avoiding Chaos: Conference and Workshop Planning
My most recent post can be see over at the Active History group blog. The post focuses on conference and workshop planning strategies for heritage organizations.
Museum of Online Museums
I recently came across the Museum of Online Museums (MoOM) site. The site is one of the initiatives undertaken by Coudal Partners, a company focused on design, web publishing, advertising, and commerce. Sadly the site isn't useful as a searchable database of museum exhibits and it is a bit awkward to navigate. However, it does … Continue reading Museum of Online Museums
Linguistic Heritage
Language is one of the most commonly used means of expression. A language speaks volumes about the culture that developed it. Despite the value society places on language, there are a number of Aboriginal languages in Canada which are in risk of dying off within a generation. The impact of the residential school system and … Continue reading Linguistic Heritage