2015 CLHO Annual Conference & Award of Merit Luncheon

Connecting to Community:

Making History Collections Relevant

in a Modern World

 For Complete Information & The Conference Program

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As a volunteer and/or staff member at a museum, historical society, historic house or archive, you know that your collections, historic landscapes and structures, and museum campus are central to your organization’s existence. These resources shape mission and vision, define values and guide institutional planning. But in today’s fast-paced world, do our collections mean anything to the audiences we serve? Is there a way to better discover how our constituents feel about the items in our collections? And how will knowing how our constituents feel about our “stuff” influence our programs and policies? In the past, the notion of “collect, preserve and interpret” has intentionally focused upon the audience who literally walks through the front door. Today, studies indicate that our tech-savvy public wants and expects more from cultural organizations. Does this new norm of 24/7 accessibility to historic content (usually digital) enhance and deepen the connection our audience feels to our heritage collections? Does around-the-clock digital access to our collections encourage our users to support our preservation efforts?  Does this creative engagement and interaction now offered to and expected by visitors truly strengthen the modern-day relevancy of historic collections? What might we be losing when more and more of our audience views “access” to collections as primarily digital? What happens when the connection to the “real thing” is lost?

Please join us for the Connecticut League of History Organizations Annual Conference on Monday June 1, 2015 to explore the many traditional and non-traditional ways that museums, historical societies, historic houses and archives use their collections to establish relevance to their communities. Be a part of our conversation to examine what “accessibility” means today and how to encourage it while staying true to core missions and values.

The conference program will include how-to practical presentations (e.g. collections management, digital preservation, reproduction sales, and insurance issues), inspirational sessions, and program models which will explore the various ways that heritage collections bridge the gap between past and present to truly connect audiences to our collective future.