Reposted from HENTF

8th Safety and Cultural Heritage Summit
Preserving Our Heritage and Protecting Our Health

Start-22 Jan 2026
End-23 Jan 2026

Schedule-2 sessions

#1-22 Jan 2026, 1:00 PM 5:00 PM (EST)
#2-23 Jan 2026, 1:00 PM 5:00 PM (EST)

Location-Virtual

last call for registration is January 19^th

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Reposted from MAAM

Building Museums

Dates: March 11-13, 2026
Location: Baltimore, MD

Registration Now Open! Join museum professionals, architects, and planners for three days of inspiration, learning, and networking.

Why register now:

Early Bird Rates available for a limited time
Special discounts for museum professionals
Discounted hotel rooms available while supplies last
Past conferences have sold out—don’t wait to secure your spot! Act now to ensure your place at the premier museum design conference of 2026

Early-bird rates are available until February 2

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Reposted from Tim Richardson

Everybody Deserves a Good Boss. But not everyone has one. In a time when employee engagement is declining, turnover is rising, and trust in leadership feels increasingly fragile, some good leaders are searching for complex solutions. New strategies. New incentives. New systems. But what if the answer to being a good boss isn’t new at all? What if one of the most powerful leadership tools – one that builds loyalty, strengthens culture, and fuels engagement – is also one of the simplest? I was reminded of that truth last week during my daughter’s (Charlotte Richardson, MSW) graduate school commencement through an interaction with Union University president, Dub Oliver. Dub demonstrated, in the most human way possible, what authentic leadership looks like where people truly matter. A Leadership Moment I’ll Never Forget “Hi Tim! It’s been a long time!” In fact, it had been almost five years. Dr. Dub then asked about my son, who graduated in 2018, and his wife – who didn’t even attend the university – remembering both of their names. He greeted our youngest son, whom he had only met once or twice, by name. And when he met my daughter’s boyfriend for the first time, he asked him to share something interesting about himself. He also engaged him in a short conversation. I was struck by that moment.

Leadership Is Built in Small, Consistent Moments

Years earlier, when my daughter was a senior in high school, she and I visited the university to see if it was the right fit. She was hesitant to attend the same college as her older brother, wanting to carve her own path. During that visit, I scheduled a meeting with Dub to thank him for investing in our son during his undergraduate years. For two years, Dub and my son met regularly to read and discuss leadership books together. During our meeting that day, Dub asked my daughter about each of her four younger siblings. He asked thoughtful questions about her intended major and talked with her about her love of dance. He listened carefully to her and engaged her in meaningful dialogue. Dub joined us on a walk across campus, greeting nearly every student, professor, and staff member we passed by name – on a campus of 2,800 students, 500 full-time faculty and staff, and 300 adjunct professors. My daughter and I were both astonished. His interaction with her sealed the deal – Union University was a great fit.

Where People-Focused Leadership Begins

This week I interviewed Dub to learn about his leadership journey. He shared that it started in graduate school at Texas A&M University when he read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. One idea challenged him: What if you could do something that truly separates you from everyone else? Dub decided his differentiator would be the quality of his relationships – especially with students. While he was already a relational person, Covey’s book deepened his commitment. “The beginning of that,” Dub told me, “is learning people’s names, learning their stories and their history – taking a genuine interest in them and being able to recall those things later.”

He also referenced Dale Carnegie’s famous insight: “The sweetest sound to another person is the sound of their own name.” “As leaders,” Dub said, “these are the things we need to do. I began focusing intentionally on learning students’ names – not just that, but knowing about their families, where they’re from, what they’re studying, and what matters to them.”

Dub admits he has some natural ability with memory, but he doesn’t rely on that alone. He takes notes on his phone and carries index cards everywhere: in his office, his car, his notebook, and at home. He uses them to capture meaningful details about the people he meets and reviews his notes to help commit his observations to memory. Dub told me that nothing significant happens without working well with others.

“Most of us have strong teams around us. We want to hire people we trust – people who fit, who ‘get it,’ and who help move the organization forward. Beneath senior leadership is a whole group of managers working incredibly hard every day. One of the most powerful ways to help them advance the mission is simple: know them.”

Speak to them. Encourage them. Remember their birthday. Learn about what moves them. You don’t have to do all of those things. But you do have to do some of them he told me.

Dub told me about a campus presentation by Alan Barnhart of Barnhart Crane & Rigging, when an audience member asked what happens when you have a boss that doesn’t treat people well. Barnhart answered with, “everybody deserves a good boss!” He stressed that sometimes there are people in leadership positions who are good at driving results but their team is worn out, burned out, and frustrated because of the way they are treated, we take that person out of leadership.

It’s true, everybody does deserve a good boss.

Good leaders take a moment to reflect on the people who helped advance the mission and they make sure to text them, send an email, or – most powerful of all – write a handwritten note. Oliver encourages his team to write at least three handwritten thank-you notes each week. Who helped move our mission forward? Then take five minutes to acknowledge them by name or engage them in meaningful conversation. Leadership doesn’t always require grand gestures. Often, it’s the small, consistent acts of recognition that leave the biggest impact.

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Reposted from Abigail Manning

Dear Thriver,

As we step into December, I invite you to check in with yourself. This season has a way of nudging us inward to look at who we’ve become and where we’re heading next. For those of us who are wired to push hard and show up strong, our courage often looks like nonstop drive.
This month, I encourage you to pair that drive with compassion for yourself to:

Think = Choose thoughts that fuel hope.
Say = Promise yourself rest and refuel.
Do = Empower yourself by giving to others.

This holiday season, give yourself permission to restore your energy, realign with what matters, and step into the new year with courage, strength, and confidence ... from the inside out.

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Reposted from NSCC

Northern States Conservation Center 

Collections Caretaker eNewsletter

2026 Course Schedule Update

Welcome to the Collections Caretaker e-Newsletter from Northern States Conservation Center. the newsletter is designed to bring you content that is pertinent to situations we all encounter in our museum and archives work. Feel free to let us know what topics you would like to see featured in Collections Caretaker or even contribute and article.

March

MS002: Collection Protection - Are you Prepared? March 9 to 13, 2026

MS101: Introduction to Museums March 16 to April 10, 2026

MS104: Introduction to Collections Preservation March 9 to April 10, 2026

July

MS204 Materials for Storage and Display July 6 to 31, 2026

MS 207: Collections Management: Cataloging Your Collection July 6 to 31, 2026

MS210: Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives July 6 to August 14, 2026

MS 267: Museum Ethics July 6 to 31, 2026 

MS253: Disaster Preparation and Recovery October 5 to 30, 2026

MS 262: Moving Collections October 5 to 30, 2026 

Buy-In: Getting All of the Staff to Support Preservation

Ever wonder how you can get the rest of your museum's staff to understand and support preservation of the collections? This short course is for you!

To get anything done in your museum, you often need to get other staff to support the idea. All too often, preservation is left to one or two staff members and others believe it doesn’t apply to them. For example, it is hard to successfully implement a pest management plan without full staff support. Everyone must buy into the notion of preservation. But how? Readings will introduce some ideas and participants in this course will brainstorm with your instructor about what works, what might work – and what doesn’t.

To find out more join Samantha Hunt-Duran for MS008 Buy-In: Getting All of the Staff to Support Preservation starting February 2, 2026.

Collection Protection - Are you Prepared?

Does your museum have an Emergency Operation (Disaster) Plan? This course will get you started making a plan for your museum.

Disaster planning is overwhelming. Where do you start? Talk to Amanda about how to get going. Use the checklist to determine your level of preparedness. What do you already have in place? Are you somewhat prepared? What can you do next? Help clarify your current state of readiness and develop future steps to improve it.

Join Amanda Benson for MS002 Collection Protection - Are you Prepared? starting March 9, 2026 to learn more and begin writing your Emergency Operation Plan.

An Early Bird Discount is available for anyone who signs up for a full-length course from museumclasses.org 30 days prior to the start of that course.

Sign up for a full-length course up to 30 days prior to its start and save 20%!

For our course list or to sign up: http://www.collectioncare.org/course-list

To take advantage of this discount, you must enter coupon code EARLYBIRD at checkout at collectioncare.org

Early Bird Discount for February Courses is January 3, 2026

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Reposted from AAM

Event Information

From Numbers to Narratives: Exploring the Annual Snapshot Survey       Date Thurs. December 18, 2025
Time- 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm Eastern Time

This year’s Snapshot Report sheds light on the challenging year the museum field has experienced, as well as the bright spots that offer opportunities for innovation and changing traditional models. Join us on December 18 for an engaging webinar exploring the findings with Carys Kunze, Research & Data Manager for AAM, Elizabeth Merritt, Vice President, Strategic Foresight & Founding Director, Center for the Future of Museums, AJ Goehle, CEO at Luci Creative and Jennifer Ortiz, Director at the Utah Historical Society. Together, they’ll dive into key findings and discuss what they mean for the museum field. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear expert perspectives and spark meaningful conversation about trends shaping our sector.

Its FREE to register

Login or create your profile at the Register button above.

Confirm your contact details and proceed through the check out process. You will not be charged.

After submitting your order, you will receive an order confirmation number – you are registered!

You will receive both an order confirmation email from AAM and an invite containing the event details to add to your calendar.

If you have not received your confirmation email or invite, please check your email’s spam folder before reaching out to AAM.

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Reposted from AAM

2026 AAM Annual meeting and MuseumExpo

Where: Philadelphia May 20-23, 2026

Registration is Now Open

Super Early Bird Registration is Now Open

Register early for the best rates and first pick of experiential workshops in Philadelphia’s museums. Don’t wait - these rates end January 16.

Party with Your People

The AAM Party @ The Franklin Institute

The AAM Party is the single biggest event of the conference, celebrating all the new connections, insights, and inspiration you’ve experienced thus far. This party is one you won’t want to miss!

Connect Event @ The Philadelphia Art Museum

Spend your evening at this unique party designed to help you celebrate with new friends and create even more connections through engaging activities at the museum.

Experiential Workshop Tickets On Sale

Experiential workshops take place at Philadelphia’s museums, making learning immersive. Get your first choice on tickets when you register early, including:

Time Travel with Collections: Join the Mutter Museum staff to explore different creative methods for imagining historical encounters from multiple perspectives and for cultivating historical thinking skills.

When Your House Museum Tries to Sink: Learn how Battleship New Jersey moved its entire museum 6 miles downriver and what the staff is doing next.

Ancient Alcohol Tour and Tasting: Explore how our ancestors partied like it was 5000 BCE with an unconventional (and boozy) journey back in time at the Penn Museum.

Know You’re In?

If you know you’re planning to attend AAM 2026 but aren’t ready to register yet, you can still plan ahead!

The schedule-at-a-glance is now available to help you plan your time in Philadelphia. Book your room in the official housing block! These hotels are providing exclusive discounted rates for our attendees, but space is limited so book early to get your preferred hotels and rates.

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Reposted from AMM

AMM 2026 Conference
Chicago,IL

What's with these new idea generation sessions?

For AMM 2026, we are inviting museum professionals and consultants in our network to help us facilitate idea generation sessions and speed-networking style idea gathering sessions.

Why? To help museum people connect around some common challenges and, through that process, walk away with lots of actionable ideas. If you have experience or expertise in any of these areas and/or simply love to lead brainstorming or networking activities, we encourage you to apply! Do you know a thing or two about motivating visitors, members, and social media followers to get more involved? Apply to lead Idea Generation Session: From Follower to Friend!

Have you had success with recruiting and developing volunteers? Apply to lead Idea Generation Session: Volunteer Engagement!

Have you found creative ways to reduce costs for any aspect of museum operations? Apply to lead Idea Gathering/Speed-Sharing: Mission Delivery on a Dime! Do you have experience in development, and making asks of individuals in particular? Apply to lead Idea Gathering/Speed-Sharing: Ambitious Asks That Worked!

Are you interested in or have personal experience with how museums are responding to attempts to censor or defund their work? Apply to lead Idea Gathering/Speed-Sharing: Fight or Flight!

Facilitators will have all the perks of a presenter (i.e. discounted registration rate) and collaborate with AMM on their assigned brainstorming or speed-sharing sessions.

Learn more about all of this year's presentation opportunities, find proposal tips, and review instructions in the Call for Proposals. Submit your idea by January 23.

About the Theme - We Hold These Truths

This year's theme is a nod to America's 250th, of course, but it's also an exploration of the "truths" that we hold steadfast in the work of museums or that we are challenging in order to advance. Proposals with connections to the theme are ideal, but not required. All ideas are welcomed!

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Reposted from Majestic Collaborations

New Skill Development Opportunity Webinar: From Day-to-Day to Disaster: Venues Shaping Local Preparedness

When: December 18, 2025

3:30pm EST

This webinar equips indie venue professionals, operators, and staff with practical tools and knowledge to advance from routine operations to disaster readiness, positioning their venues as leaders in local preparedness efforts. Attendees will discover actionable strategies for empowering teams, activating venues as community hubs, and strengthening readiness for emergencies of all sizes. Explore industry-leading resources—including site-specific assessment tools, funding strategies, and professional development opportunities—while connecting with a network dedicated to building resilient arts communities.

Participants will leave with checklists and a clear roadmap for integrating preparedness and well-being into their venue’s core operations. We will be sharing a condensed toolkit from the forthcoming

ReadyWhen Foundations in Events and Emergency Operations 10 hour Certificate

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The Grave Robber-The Biggest Stolen Artifacts Case in FBI History and the Bureau’s Quest to Set Things Right
by Tim Carpenter

The unbelievable true story of how one man stole tens of thousands of priceless artifacts and human remains from around the world---and the FBI’s massive undertaking to set things right.
The Grave Robber-About the Book

The unbelievable true story of how one man stole tens of thousands of priceless artifacts and human remains from around the world—and the FBI’s massive undertaking to set things right. In The Grave Robber, Tim Carpenter, former FBI Lead Investigator on the Art Crime Team, recounts one of the most extraordinary and unsettling cases in the history of art theft. Over the course of five decades, a lone graverobber accumulated an illicit trove of over 42,000 artifacts from cultures across the globe, including Native American, Haitian, Chinese, and others. The stolen items included nearly 500 ancestral remains, carefully looted from sacred burial sites and cultural heritage locations. Carpenter’s team, driven by an unwavering commitment to justice, embarks on a harrowing journey to track down this elusive criminal and uncover the full scope of the theft. What they find is nothing short of staggering: an illegal collection of immense historical and cultural significance, hidden away in a Midwestern home.

Part true crime narrative, part procedural, The Grave Robber offers a gripping, behind-the-scenes look at the meticulous work involved in tracking down one of the most prolific art thieves in history. Carpenter takes readers inside the FBI’s groundbreaking investigation, detailing the complex challenges of recovering stolen cultural artifacts and the legal and moral dilemmas of repatriating them to their rightful communities. Along the way, the Bureau’s efforts to confront these crimes evolve, as they come to terms with the deep historical wounds caused by such looting—especially the desecration of Native American graves and ancestral sites. With rare access to both the investigation and the impacted communities, Carpenter’s narrative sheds light on the lengths the FBI and tribal representatives go to in their pursuit of justice.

As the case progresses, the narrative expands from a tense pursuit of a criminal to a larger reckoning with history and cultural heritage. The repatriation of these sacred objects and remains to their rightful owners becomes an act of restoration—not just of physical artifacts, but of dignity and respect for the communities whose ancestors were so violently wronged. The story of The Grave Robber is one of redemption and transformation: for the FBI, which redefined its approach to cultural crimes, and for the tribes and cultures who finally see justice done. This riveting account of a stolen past and the quest to make it right reads like a thriller, but it is ultimately a story of healing, responsibility, and the importance of preserving history for future generations.

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