April 2018 Updates

CollectiveAccess

There are now 289,554 artifacts documented with 165,704 associated images, which means that 221 new records and 2,489 new images have been added to CollectiveAccess this month - Congratulations to the Central region for adding the most images, with the Northeast region coming in a close second - great work everyone!

Here's what the numbers look like at the regional level:

Southwest - 127155 artifacts, 62110 images

Central -  99717 artifacts, 46181 images

Northeast -  33142 artifacts, 42486 images

Cape Breton -  29540 artifacts, 14927 images

When your summer students and volunteers join you, please reach out to me by email: advisory@ansm.ns.ca and I will set up accounts for them in CollectiveAccess. It is important that everyone uses separate accounts so that changes can be monitored by senior staff. Also, please share our YouTube tutorials and CollectiveAccess manual with your team. 

In preparation for summer months, we invite you to utilize the Collections Seasonal Work Calendar available to download on our website - click here. I urge you to share this during upcoming meetings and training sessions so that there is a clear plan in place for collections work this summer. This document will help you start off on the right foot!

Site Visits

It is hard to believe that summer is right around the corner! We are preparing for upcoming site visits and will circulate an email shortly with details. This year, we will include a link for a survey so that Advisory Service members have the opportunity to provide insight/comments on what they would like to gain from the experience, etc. Think about specific questions about database work and digitization that you would like answered. Also, please check in with your team to see if there are any blackout dates. We will be as accommodating as possible with the schedule but please remember that there are many stops to make so the more flexible you can be, the better. Please keep a close eye on your email for the survey! It will be released in the next few weeks.

Fleming College Partnership Update - the data cleaning reports have been circulated to this year's partnering museums. Thanks to everyone who took part! The students expressed great thanks for being given the opportunity to gain such valuable experience working with CollectiveAccess and the Nova Scotia museum community.

myNovaMuse - Contributor Galleries

We have a fantastic new feature on NovaMuse! Be sure to check out the Galleries page to view our newest addition - images from the Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival over the years! Is this feature new to you? No problem! Learn how to create your own galleries by watching our YouTube tutorial - click here. Advisory Service members - please check your email for login information so you can join in! We would be thrilled to see more content from our partnering museums. This is a fantastic way to showcase special items in your collections and build your online presence all at once! Do you have summer students starting? Why not assign this as a special project? A perfect way to fill downtime in between visitors. Have fun celebrating local connections and stories found in your collections!

Museum Studies Program

Registration for Interpretation I: Public Programming is now full, which means our waitlist is now open. If you would like to be placed on the waitlist for this course to be held at the Cape Breton Miners Museum in Glace Bay on May 24-25, please contact Jennifer at admin@ansm.ns.ca
Museums 101 - October 2018, Central, Exact location TBD, facilitated by Karin Kierstead

Click here to learn more!


Museum Evaluation Program - planning for evaluations is in full swing! To learn more about the process click here.

AGM 2018

This year the ANSM Annual General Meeting and Conference will be taking place September 26-28, 2018 in Annapolis Royal.

More details will be released as they are confirmed!

March 2018 Updates

Hello everyone and happy Spring! We've had another busy month here at ANSM.

CollectiveAccess

There are now 289,333 artifacts documented with 163,215 associated images, which means that 119 new records and 2,512 new images have been added to CollectiveAccess this month - Congratulations to the Northeast region for adding the most images - great work!

Here's what the numbers look like at the regional level:

Southwest - 127088 artifacts, 61992 images
Central - 99603 artifacts, 44943 images
Northeast - 33133 artifacts, 41410 images
Cape Breton - 29509 artifacts, 14870 images

Fleming College Partnership Update - the students have finished their data cleaning and enrichment projects. It was wonderful to work with them on this project! They are now working on their final reports. This partnership is always such an awarding experience for both the students and our team at ANSM. The participating sites will receive their final reports soon - watch your email!

NovaMuse 

Did you know that 38% of visitors find out about NovaMuse through social media? And an additional 22% find out while visiting your museums. It's important that museums embrace both online and in-house promotion so that visitors are made aware of this valuable resource. Worried about time and resources? With the help of technology, there are now free programs that allow users to schedule posts ahead of time. Why not start planning posts for the summer now? Look for artifacts that celebrate local history and connections. Share these stories in the body of your posts and do not forget to include the link to the artifact on NovaMuse! 

Last summer, I visited a site that encouraged their employees to incorporate information that they found on NovaMuse in their tours. This not only enhances a visitor's learning experience, it also provides an opportunity for staff to share the website with guests. Don't have a computer and/or public wi-fi onsite? No problem! Simply share the web address and invite them to explore the site after their departure. This is a great way to generate an ongoing interest in your collection. It is also a way to keep summer staff busy in between tasks. Learn more by reviewing the report titled, Improving how Nova Scotia’s museums are represented online through the collections website NovaMuse - click here.

myNovaMuse - Contributor Galleries

We have had a few new additions! For those of you who haven't joined in on the fun yet, this is a great way to build your online presence. (Check your email for exciting news!) Show off the hard work you have been doing behind the scenes. Recently added a temporary exhibit? Why not group together the chosen artifacts and share with your online audience? Is there a holiday coming up? Why not create a custom gallery to share with visitors? 

Do you want to make your own galleries and not sure where to start? click here to watch our YouTube tutorial.

Photo Kit - did you know that ANSM's member institutions can borrow the photography kit? This includes two backdrops (white and grey), lighting, tripod, and manual (camera not included). It is available for a three week period. Spots are filling up! Please contact me as soon as possible to reserve a spot. Pick-up and drop off at the ANSM office (Halifax).

Tip of the Month: When photographing headwear, such as hats it is important to use a head form to give it shape. This also shows us how the headwear would have been worn (see photo above). This provides a better indication of its size and details than if it were lying flat. Do you have a scarf in your collection? Why not use a bust form. Think of ways to give the item dimension.

Museum Evaluation Program prep is in full swing! Click here to view the Evaluation Timeline for 2018 and to learn more.

Museum Studies Program

Collections Management & Curatorship scheduled to take place Thursday, April 5-April 6 at the Joggins Fossil Institute is now full! Please contact Jennifer at admin@ansm.ns.ca if you'd like to be added to the waitlist.

Mark your calendars! Other upcoming courses in the Museum Studies Program include:

Interpretation I: Public Programming - May 24-25, 2018 at Cape Breton Miners Museum, facilitated by Virginia Stephen.

Museums 101 - October 2018, Central, Exact location TBD, facilitated by Karin Kierstead

Click here to learn more!

Save the Date! This year the ANSM Annual General Meeting and Conference will be taking place September 26-28, 2018 in Annapolis Royal - more information to follow.