Originally posted 1/15/2015

I left this year’s American Alliance of Museums (AAM) conference with its theme, “Innovation Edge,” rumbling through my brain. My old Webster’s Dictionary defines innovation as:

1) the introduction of something new
2) a new idea, method, or device: novelty

My own definition is simpler: a new or better way of reaching a goal.

My old Webster’s Dictionary defines innovation as:
1)  the introduction of something new
2)  a new idea, method, or device: novelty

My own definition is simpler: a new or better way of reaching a goal.

When I think of innovation in a museum context, I think about the new and exciting ways that museums are reaching out to the community. Certainly the traditional still works: public programs continue to inspire repeat visits to the museum, and the work that museum educators do with schools continues to make new museum visitors out of children who, without these programs, may never be taken to a museum.

Originally posted 10/27/2014 on Argus.net blogger

People love to uncover “hidden gems” and in the past, the Kalamazoo Valley Museum definitely fell into that category…it was “hidden.” Historically a hands-on family friendly place focused on educating and entertaining the local community, KVM’s new strategy includes showcasing their collection to virtual visitors around the world. Museums are knowledge repositories, and knowledge is most powerful when it’s shared. Aware of this, the founder of the Smithsonian Institution, James Smithson, stated he wanted to establish an institution "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge,” and today’s visionary museum leaders who continue in his footsteps are recognizing that technology is the key to that diffusion.

Originally posted on Argus.net blogger 3/13/2014

The role of collections management software has changed over the years. Originally, registrars used software to describe objects and collections. As software feature sets became more robust, and as other staff members began to use them, the role of collections management solutions changed, too. The products that are in use today continue to support the museum’s descriptive needs, and they also offer documentation capabilities that save time and resources with regard to the collections and the processes that are vital to maintaining them. All good! But what are museums doing with other critical content: the detailed conservation reports, the correspondence from donors, the documents related to provenance, and other vital documents that relate to the collection and museum operations as a whole?