July Update 2023

ANSM Staffing

The past two weeks at ANSM have been very exciting! Karin took a much-needed vacation and came back to two new staff members. Alyssa has joined us as our new Museum Services Coordinator, and Daniel is our new Communications & Admin Coordinator. Both have hit the ground running in these new roles (you might notice that we have a new blog url), and we are feeling so great about our newly expanded ANSM team. Unfortunately we also said goodbye this month to Jacob. He impressed us so much during his internship that we kept him around to help us get through the hiring process. We are so grateful for everything he did, and yes of course we had cake delivered to him in Toronto. 

TRACK

Meetings with pilot museums continue, and we are getting some great feedback, ideas, and suggestions. Maggie and Karin will be rolling these suggestions into the assessment document over the coming month, and everyone is feeling good about a Fall launch of this new program. 

Meanwhile, Tuesdays on TRACK webinars continue. Remember that if your museum receives funding from CMAP (community museums assistance program), you need to participate in at least four webinars this year. We are now at the halfway point, so if your museum isn't on TRACK to meet this requirement, Karin will be in touch very soon. To request recordings or register for upcoming webinars, click here.

Unlocking Collections

We are very happy to announce that our MAP grant application was successful, and we are hitting the ground running on an av (audiovisual) inventory of Advisory Service museums. Thanks to everyone who completed the survey this Spring! It was incredibly helpful to begin to understand what is out there. Now we are preparing for hub training sessions on the assessment, management and care of av materials, and actively scheduling site visits to do a province-wide inventory. This is a huge undertaking, partially because we've never explored av materials before. But it came up time and again during last year's Unlocking sessions, so we know it will be worthwhile, and wonderful to report back to community partners that we acted on their request. If your museum hasn't yet signed up for a hub training session, please do so asap! The first one is this Friday. Registration is free thanks to Government of Canada's MAP funding, but the sessions are limited to Advisory Service members. If that's your museum, click here to register. 

The ReconciliAction Plan was updated this month, so if you haven't yet read through it, or it's been a while, this is the great opportunity to see how the Unlocking initiative continues to grow and evolve. 

Looking ahead, we have booked another Mi'kmaq Community Engagement Day, this time in the southwest! We'll be at the Digby Pines on September 18th. Theresa Meuse and Roger Lewis will be facilitating this day of learning, which will follow the format and agenda from previous sessions elsewhere in the province. Registration will open soon, so watch the Beacon and your inbox for that announcement.

CollectiveAccess & NovaMuse

As we noted last month, addressing backlogs and being transparent about what is in museum collections is part of the ReconciliAction Plan. This was another great month of movement on this issue, with member museums now sitting at more than 373,000 object records and 349,000 associated media files in the databases. Just keep checking in with those summer staff, reviewing new records, and making sure that you are entering as much information as possible (in the correct fields!). Slow and steady wins the race. Always assume you'll never have the chance to go back to a record. 

Your image lesson of the month is this interesting Made in Nova Scotia medicine bottle. Here are some basic rules about object photography:
1. Place the object in its natural position. For a medicine bottle, that's standing up. 
2. Use a contrasting background. Glass can be tricky sometimes, so try both a light and a dark fabric and see which one makes the object 'pop' to your eye. 
3. Centre the object in the photo. This photo tries to centre the scale and bottle rather than just the bottle. The scale should be incorporated into a nice framing of the object. 

If you ever want feedback on your object photography, feel free to pop Alyssa an email (the services@ansm account) and ask her for feedback and tips. It's much better to ask early on in digitization work than after the summer is finished.

In addition to hub training, we are hitting the road for on-site visits, again focusing on inventorying av materials. When you get your email about a visit, please respond asap! We are tag-teaming on site visits this year, so you may see Alyssa, Angie, Karin, or Katie. We are also continuing with virtual site visits. If your museum doesn't have a visit booked yet, check your inbox! We're waiting to hear back from a number of people and want to get in as many visits as we can this summer.

Educational Partnerships

Katie is with us two days a week and she is definitely making the most of those two days! She's  refreshed museums' records on Artefacts Canada, made notes and updates for a variety of ANSM documents, drafted an advocacy package, helped a museum upload a ton of images, researched makers for Made in Nova Scotia, and helped prep for hub training. Maggie and Karin (and Allie) had a great trip to the valley to see Katie, and Allie took this great photo.

Lydia has been doing heaps of work preparing for hub training sessions and the av project. She's also been getting to know CollectiveAccess quite well. One of her current tasks is to move any legacy condition information to our new condition report feature, so if you see an ANSM Intern account active in your database, this is what's going on. Once she's done, we will remove the old legacy condition tab from the database. She's already reviewed more than 10,000 records! It will be so great to finally close the door on the old feature. 

Karin had a meeting with the University of Toronto this week to talk about their Masters program and potential projects for these students that will benefit ANSM members and accomplish some goals from the ReconciliAction Plan. While nothing has been decided yet, everyone left the meeting feeling excited about the possibilities. 

Phew! It's been a very fun and interesting month at ANSM, with so many wonderful things on the horizon. As a former Executive Director used to say...Onwards!

Farewell from Jacob

Hello everyone!

Even though it ended up being longer than we first expected, all good things must come to an end and my time at ANSM is coming to a close. What started out as an internship ended up being a bigger opportunity than I could have imagined, when I got the chance to come and work for ANSM as an employee for a few months. My experience here has been nothing short of fantastic, and I’ve learned so much!

I was interested in learning about as much as I could in the limited time I was with ANSM, but I was especially interested in learning about advocacy in the museum sector, and the process behind creating educational materials with museum resources. Fortunately, I was given the chance to do both 
things in depth during my time here. I was given the chance to sit in on and learn from a wide variety of meetings and working groups, which gave me a much better understanding of what goes into working in the heritage sector. I was also given the opportunity to create two new educational activities for educators and the public to use in Nova Scotia. Hopefully, many of you are able to make use of them in the future, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them!

However, this was not all that I was given the chance to do during my time here. ANSM provided me with the opportunity to participate in a huge variety of their programs and daily activities, and I was  able to learn so much from all of them. This included everything from helping a museum migrate into their new CollectiveAccess database, not only helping keep it organized but also helping set up translation for the backend, to helping create social media posts of all kinds for our Facebook and Twitter pages. It was exciting to get to see so many of the things that ANSM does for its members, and to get the chance to help with them!

This opportunity has given me a chance to learn so much, and I appreciate ANSM giving me this fantastic opportunity! Any potential intern who has a chance to work with ANSM in the future will get so much out of their time here, and I cannot recommend it enough. Many thanks to Karin, Maggie and the rest of the staff at ANSM for giving me such great guidance and mentorship! I’m excited to see where ANSM goes from here, and how it continues to grow as an organization.

Best of luck,

Jacob

Introducing Daniel

My name is Daniel MacDonald and I am the new Communications and Admin Coordinator here at the Association of Nova Scotia Museums. I am from Nova Scotia and I have been working in communications, design and marketing for more than 15 years.

My introduction to museums began in 2007 when I started working for the Nova Scotia Museum out of the offices above the Museum of Natural History on Summer Street in Halifax. I continued in that role for 8 years. Along with all the new people I will be introduced to in my new role, I expect I will have the opportunity to see many familiar NSM faces. In recent years I have been working with technology start-ups, and I am very excited to be working with museums again.

ANSM Members will likely connect with my work through memberships, the ANSM website, social media, advocacy outreach, and the Beacon newsletter!

Outside of work I am an amateur photographer, and letterpress printer. I just got my hands on a 1960s proofing press last used at The Nugget Newspaper in North Bay, Ontario. With a little TLC I am confident I will be able to pull prints on it once again.

I am thankful for the welcoming staff here at ANSM and I am looking forward to getting to work, and being introduced to wonderful people and interesting stories.

Introducing Alyssa

Hi everyone! My name is Alyssa Giles and I am the newly hired Museum Services Coordinator here at ANSM. I’m originally from a small community outside of Bonavista, NL, but have been living in Truro on-and-off for the past 10 years.

I completed my Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Dalhousie University’s agricultural campus in Truro in 2016, and later a Graduate Certificate in Museum and Gallery Studies at Georgian College in Barrie, ON in 2019. Throughout my studies, I worked summer jobs interpreting at historic sites, including the Cape Bonavista lighthouse and the Mockbeggar Plantation heritage home in Bonavista, NL. I also completed an internship at the Penetanguishene Centennial Museum and Archives in Penetanguishene, ON, where I processed a backlog of new acquisitions and created a user-friendly guide to museum collections management software for staff and volunteers. After moving back to Nova Scotia in 2019, I worked several contract positions at the Colchester Historeum Museum and Archives, focusing mainly on the reappraisal, reorganization, preventative conservation, and digitization of archival materials. Since early 2022, I was a Science Educator at the Discovery Centre, developing and providing STEAM-related workshops and educational programming across Nova Scotia.

In my spare time, you can find me in my community garden plot tending to my vegetable jungle, doing crossword puzzles, playing music, or camping in our province’s beautiful parks. I love to learn and explore and am looking forward to visiting all the wonderful corners of Nova Scotia.

I am very excited to put all my knowledge and experiences to good use to help support ANSM’s member museums in whichever ways possible. I look forward to meeting with you all, and catching up with those of you that I’ve already had the pleasure of working with! Please feel free to reach out to me anytime, and I’ll see you soon!

Webinar Review - Mobile Marketing Tips for Every Generation

Hello everyone! Today, I’d like to share my review of a webinar called, Mobile Marketing Tips for Every Generation. It originally took place on May 16, 2023, and was hosted by Molly Coke from Firespring. The webinar recording is available online. This webinar focused on how Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z, view media on their mobile devices.

Why your social media appearance matters! 

Before delving into the mobile habits of each generation, it’s good to know why the user experience, regarding mobile devices, is so important. 

Speed. Websites need to be fast! After approximately 6-10 seconds, users will abandon a page if it doesn’t load. 

Navigation. The user wants a seamless experience. If the user has to pinch the screen, do a lot of scrolling and search for links, you’ll lose them! 

Consistency. Websites need to look the same on both desktop and mobile devices. If someone is viewing your website on a computer and then later views it on their mobile device, they’ll expect the information they previously sought to be in the same location. If not, you’re going to frustrate and ultimately lose your viewer. 

Boomers 

Every generation is embracing the mobile world.
It’s time to get to know how to market to them.
Photo credit: hoole.co 

70% of this generation uses the internet on their phone; email, Facebook and various texting apps. They also use their mobile device as their primary phone, as opposed to a landline. If you want to reach this generation, these are the tools to use. 

That being said, it’s important to remember that 30% don’t bother with the internet. Phoning or usingsnail mail is still a great option for communication. Not only will the majority actually read what you send, chances are they’ll respond to you by mail as well. So go ahead and send that newsletter, survey or fundraising ask, you might end up receiving the response you are looking for! 

Gen X 

This generation likes to use their devices for practical things like consulting maps, choosing restaurants or reading the news. They will also use it to research organizations before they donate (another reason you want a mobile friendly website… donations!) They have a strong presence on Facebook and Twitter. They are also the generation that spends the most time on social media. 

Want to reach this group on Twitter and potentially have them share your content? Tweets with images are 150% more likely to be retweeted than text only. So, get out there and take some pictures!

Millennials 

This is where social media changes a bit. This generation is influenced by on-line reviews and enjoys platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube, not just Facebook. 

Snapchat users are 50% likely to open a snap from a brand that they have never heard of. Millennials want the causes and brands they love to have purpose and meaning. They want openness and honestly when it comes to purpose statements and values. They want something that they can get behind and form an emotional connection with. 

If you don’t currently post videos or have a YouTube channel, you might want to put it on your ‘to do’ list, because this is the best way to reach this demographic. 

Gen Z 

This generation is the most likely to use digital fundraising. Targeting them during your next on-line campaign might be a good idea. Statistically, 27% have raised money for a cause and 32% have donated to one. Seems to me it would be a wise decision to welcome this generation into your volunteer program, and especially on to your fundraising or event committees. 

This group also likes off-line media. They don’t mind getting their communication in the mail. Next time you’re doing a mail campaign, be sure to include Gen Z! That being said, you still need to hold Gen Z’s attention. The literature you send out has to tell a good story and use an assortment of visuals, or you’ll risk losing their interest. 

Quick Stats 

Video is worth the time and energy to produce.
It doesn't have to be fancy!

Did you know that in one week, 45% of people watch over an hour worth of video on Facebook and YouTube? If you need help convincing yourself or your team about trying out video for your institution, this stat should help. 

Never underestimate the power of sending text messages. Bulk texting tools can be explored for maximum results. According to the stats provided in this webinar, 98% of text messages are read within 3 minutes of receiving them. 

Make sure your emails are loading properly. Do a test or two before hitting send to your audience. Statistics say that an email will be deleted within 3 seconds if it does not load or display properly. 

In Short… 

Keep in mind who your target audience is when tailoring your messages. What platforms do they use the most, what is the best way to grab and hold their attention? Don’t be afraid to try communicating in ways you traditionally haven’t, you might just surprise yourself with a whole new audience or improve your relationship and engagement, with the supporters you currently do have. 

I hope this webinar review will be useful to you the next time you’re doing a mobile campaign. If you'd like to watch the webinar, click here. Thanks for reading!

~Katie

Introducing Lydia

Hello! My name is Lydia Ferguson, and I am an intern with ANSM for the rest of the summer. I am originally from New Brunswick, but have been lucky to call Halifax my home for the last two years (and a very short 9 months pre-pandemic). I came to ANSM through the Saint Mary’s University field placement course. Though I graduated with my honours degree in history in May, I returned to SMU to take advantage of this amazing opportunity. Working with ANSM will be the perfect way to round out my Halifax experience, as I am heading to the University of Edinburgh this fall to pursue an MSc in the History of Art, Theory, and Display.

I have worked in various sectors of the museum and research worlds. In 2021, I worked as an Assistant Archivist at the New Brunswick Museum Archives and Research Library, which confirmed my love and fascination with the museum sphere. Then, for my final year at SMU, I had the pleasure of being a research assistant, focusing heavily on the transcription of 18th and 19th century land grants. I am excited to put the skills I have developed over the years to work with the amazing team at ANSM.

Outside of school and work, I can be found in one of Halifax’s many wonderful coffee shops and cafés, as I am on a mission to visit as many as possible (20 and counting). I am typically accompanied by my fellow coffee-loving friends, or a good book.