Editor's Note:
Please note that this issue was prepared prior to the global pandemic, but we wanted to still share the content. For the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 and the impact on the museum field, please see the NEMA website
Information for the Museum Field on the COVID-19/Coronavirus
Like all of you, the NEMA team is responding to the rapidly-changing situation regarding the coronavirus/COVID-19. We want you to know, first and foremost, that we sincerely hope that you and your institutions are staying safe and healthy. With that in mind, here are some things you may want to know that NEMA is doing to address the situation. We have a list of COVID-19 resources available here and will be updating the page regularly with news as it affects the museum community.
Since Friday March 13, the NEMA staff have been working remotely. Since our workplace culture for several years has embraced telecommuting, this should have minimal impact on the services we provide you. The best way to reach us is through email and we will respond to both your emails and voicemails in a timely manner.
2020 NEMA Membership Survey
Please take a few minutes to complete the 2020 NEMA Membership Survey. Your feedback helps guide how NEMA supports our members and the museum field. All survey data will be kept confidential. Complete the survey by Friday, May 1, to be eligible to win a complimentary NEMA workshop.
Professional Affinity Gathering Updates
For 2020, the PAGs have rebranded! In order to better reflect the PAGs’ event-centered focus (workshops, conference, and meetups), the Professional Affinity Groups are now Professional Affinity Gatherings. Our dedicated PAG chairs are still in charge of organizing workshops and meet-ups at conference and elsewhere. If you’re interested in helping to organize a Gathering at your organization or around your hometown, please contact our PAG chairs to offer your assistance!
Workshop planning is underway with the PAG Chairs. We are encouraging the PAG Chairs to consider online content offerings (webinars and virtual meetups), or to schedule their workshops much later in the year to allow time for greater understanding and updates around the coronavirus. June workshops that are already scheduled will be rescheduled or reformatted.
Three PAGs have Facebook groups! Join the Registrars & Collection Care Specialists (RACCS), Library & Archives, and the Development, Marketing, PR, Membership PAGs online. Don’t forget to follow the NEMA Young and Emerging Professionals page.
2020 NEMA Publication Awards
You’re passionate about your work and we’re passionate about it too. Submit your publications for a chance to get recognized in the New England museum field! Due to the novel coronavirus we have extended the deadline to June 12. Please don’t worry about mailing submissions while your museum is closed because currently the NEMA office is closed too! Enter your most creative, inventive, or polished museum publication, in print or digital form, to the 2020 NEMA Publication Awards and send it along with the publication and payment to the NEMA office. NEMA institutional members with an operating budget of under $500,000 can submit one entry for free.
Wrap up from Advocacy Day
On February 23-24, 2020, NEMA's Dan Yaeger and Meg Winikates, as well as board members Brooke DiGiovanni Evans and Doug Perkins, attended the twelfth Museums Advocacy Day in Washington DC. Approximately 350 advocates held meetings with their elected representatives and staff members on Capitol Hill, asking for robust funding for the Office of Museum Services, expansion of the charitable giving deduction for those who choose standard deduction on their taxes, and many other related issues on education and STEM topics. NEMA also hosted an informal dinner meetup on Monday after the training sessions, with 12 attendees.
Advocacy at Home: State House Days
This February, NEMA was pleased to collaborate with Maine Archives and Museums for the fifth consecutive Maine Museums Day. As an event partner, NEMA lead advocacy training sessions for the State House advocacy event in Augusta.
Rhode Island Museums Day will be rescheduled from its original date of April 23, due to coronavirus countermeasures. When available, updated schedule information will be sent to everyone who has already RSVP’d as well as be available on our website & social media.
2020 NEMA Annual Conference Update
In January, the NEMA staff along with museum professionals from the Newport, RI area met at the International Tennis Hall of Fame to begin planning for the 102nd NEMA conference. The group discussed preliminary plans for conference sessions and events.
We received a total of 140 session proposals for the 2020 Annual Conference, Who Do We Think We Are?, November 18-20 in Newport, RI. This surpasses the last two years and is now the highest amount we have ever received. The program committee met virtually the last week in March in deference to the coronavirus, and notifications will be sent out in mid April.
NEMA Stats: A Monthly Museum Attendance Report
In February, NEMA released the NEMA Stats: A Monthly Museum Attendance Report Annual Report to participants of the program. In 2019, overall attendance stayed steady compared to 2018 with a slight decrease of .45%. Out of the 123 sites participating in 2019, 61 (45.9%) saw an increase in attendance from 2018. Of the 122 sites with comparable data from 2019 to 2017, 45.9% saw an increase in attendance in 2019 compared to 2018. 52.5% saw an increase in attendance in 2017 compared to 2016.
Lunch with NEMA
We are currently planning our 2020 Lunch with NEMA webinar schedule. If you have an idea for a Lunch with NEMA topic or are interested in speaking, please contact Meg Winikates at meg.winikates@nemanet.org We are especially interested in topics which focus on practical tools and skill building across various roles in the museum field, but we’re interested in hearing anything you’ve got in mind!
NEMA 911
Museum leaders sometimes find themselves in uncharted territory, facing challenging situations for which they are unprepared or uncertain. These can include issues of finance, governance, ethics, facilities, collections, disaster management, personnel, and other concerns under the leadership umbrella. Unfortunately, resources to help them navigate these deep waters successfully can be scarce. Online guidance and books may be helpful, but they are no substitute for a trusted adviser who has the experience, judgment, and contacts to provide wise counsel.
NEMA 911 is a free, confidential service for members connecting museum leaders with helpful colleagues. Drawing upon a pool of volunteers who are senior-level professionals in or nearing retirement, NEMA 911 is a rapid-response resource that helps untangle problems, offer words of wisdom, and suggest pathways toward solutions. For more information on this free service, go to nemanet.org/nema-911.
Executive Director Community of Practice
Beginning last past March, a group of 12 first-time executive directors have met monthly via web conference to gain knowledge, inspiration, and support. Known as “EDCoP” (short for executive director community of practice), the program combines peer support and guest speakers to help them do their jobs better. Guest speakers so far have included HR expert Purvi Patwari, finance expert Becky Beaulieu, and strategic planning expert Laura Roberts, who have all provided great insights into important topics. If you’re interested in joining EDCoP or would like to create a NEMA-supported community of practice yourself, contact Dan Yaeger, dan.yaeger@nemanet.org.