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Museums Association of Saskatchewan
2015 Winter
Calendar
Telling Difficult
Stories Pg.5
Are you Ready?
Planning for an
Emergency Pg.3
Upcoming
Courses Pg.7
Course
Registration
Pg.11
FUNDING PROVIDED BY
MAS News
MAS News
The New SaskMuseums.org
Development of our new website is in full
swing, with the design process expected to be
finished in December. The new website will
feature an updated museums directory,
members-only section and will be simple and
easy to navigate. Expect to see the new website
in early 2015.
2015 Mini-Conference and AGM
2015 MAS
MINI-Conference
and AGM
MAY 22, 2015
GOVERNMENT
HOUSE- Regina
The 2015 MAS Mini-Conference and AGM is
on May 22 at Government House in Regina.
More information regarding registration, hotel
reservations and keynote speakers will be
available in early 2015.
Tell Us Your Stories!
Is your museum having a fundraiser? Doing
some renovations? Getting an exciting new
exhibit? We are always looking for member
stories to feature in our newsletters, social
media and blog. Send an email with your story
to [email protected].
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2015 Winter Calendar
Follow us on Social Media
MAS has an active and growing presence on
both Facebook and Twitter. Follow us on
Twitter @saskmuseums and like us on
Facebook at facebook.com/saskmuseums and
stay up-to-date with all the latest news from
MAS.
MAS Environmental Monitoring
Equipment Loan Program
Did you know that MAS has environmental
monitoring equipment available for members
to borrow for free?
The Association has two Elsec and two
HOBO monitors. The Elsec can monitor and
record relative humidity, temperature, UV and
visible light. The HOBO will monitor and
record relative humidity and temperature.
To borrow the equipment, simply fill out the
resource request form on our website, call the
office, or email us your request. We will send
the equipment, and you send it back to us
once you are done! Just pay the return
shipping.
The equipment comes with a set-up handbook. Don’t worry about interpreting the
data- MAS will do it for you! When you send
back the equipment, we will go through the
recorded data and mail you our interpretation.
For more information on this program, contact Museums Advisor May-Lin Polk at
[email protected] or by phoning
306-780-9266.
2015 Winter Calendar
Emergency Planning
Are You Ready? The Importance of Emergency
Planning and Response
By May-Lin Polk, MAS Museums Advisor
So much has happened in Saskatchewan
during 2014: a brutally cold winter and then an
extremely wet summer! Those two alone don’t
seem like much, but the impacts of them have
persisted for months; they might even still be
continuing in your community.
You might not be able to stop the forces
of nature, but you certainly can control
how much they will impact you and your
organization. Yes, we’re talking about
emergency planning and
response!
Often, planning for emergencies is overlooked
until a disastrous situation occurs. However,
if we begin to make plans to prevent, prepare,
and respond to the situation, the impacts could
be lessened; impacts such as loss of data, loss
of collections, damaged facilities, stress, and
possible loss of life.
Who isn’t in favour of that?
Emergencies and disasters come in various
forms: from arson to flooding to a burst pipe.
Being ill prepared (or not at all) may magnify
an emergency situation. Something as simple
as a burst pipe may not seem like a disaster,
but if there is no one checking on the building
or no one around who knows where the water
turn off valves are, it could become a big deal!
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Similarly, if there are no materials or supplies
around to mitigate the fall out, volunteers and
staff could waste valuable time looking for
places to purchase them thus increasing
possible damage.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think about
disasters everyday (despite what it seems). But
being informed and prepared prevents irrational and uninformed decisions from being
made. When the panic sets in, it’s important to
have a simple, practiced plan in place to follow.
There are 4 elements to a good disaster plan:
•Prevention
•Preparedness
•Response
•Recovery
Prevention means taking a serious look at
your situation. Do you have a disaster plan? If
not, you should probably make one. What are
some possible hazards/impacts upon your site?
Are there ways that you could work to reduce
their impact? Talk to the RCMP or the local
fire department about what these might be and
what you can do about them. Communicate
possible risks to them should they respond to
an emergency on your site.
Preparedness means that everyone involved
with the museum knows what to do when an
emergency strikes. This includes having the
Emergency Planning
2015 Winter Calendar
Join the MAS
Emergency Network
disaster plan is in an accessible location and
everyone knows what the contents of that plan
are. Train staff and volunteers on what to do
during and after the emergency. Practice! Drills
are important for a reason.
What is the Emergency Network?
The Network will be comprised of MAS
Response is putting that plan into action!
members that are able to assist each other in the
What are the emergency response procedures? event of a disaster.
What is the muster point? What are the priorities?
The Network creates a group of volunteers that
are easily mobilized to provide extra manpower
Recovery is the actions made after the disaster and knowledge to assist museums in dire need.
occurs to get back into working order. This
is often the lengthiest process; it might take
How will the Emergency Network
months or years to get back into working order. operate?
Provinces, cities, towns, and municipalities all
have disaster plans; check out yours. What
elements does it have that you could use? Can
you create one for your institution that could
work in conjunction with the communities’?
What aspects are important to add specifically
for museums? Remember: a disaster plan is
NOT just an emergency phone tree.
What’s in store for us during 2015? Who’s to
say? But at least we’ll be ready in Saskatchewan!
MAS will keep a running list of volunteers
willing to assist other museum who have
exhausted their volunteer base in an
emergency situation or require expertise
regarding museum operations.
Museums are encouraged to have their own
pool of volunteers during an emergency but can
request additional assistance through MAS.
This Network does not replace being properly
prepared for an emergency.
Who can I contact about the
Emergency Network?
May-Lin Polk, Museums Advisor, can be
contacted at [email protected] or
306-780-9266 for additional information or to
join.
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2015 Winter Calendar
Telling Difficult Stories
Telling Difficult Stories
By Wendy Fitch, MAS Executive Director
On October 28th I attended an event where
an act of the federal government enabled the
incarceration of thousands of people, mostly
young men, not because they had broken any
laws but because they spoke an unfamiliar
language, worshiped in an unfamiliar way, ate
unfamiliar food, and came from a place
Canada was at war with. You are forgiven if
you think I’m referring to current events. I’m
not. I was attending the commemoration of
the invocation of the War Measures Act by
Order in Council in 1914.
The people I’m referring to were recent immigrants from the Austro-Hungarian Empire,
Germany, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire.
They, like many of our immigrant forbearers
had left Europe to seek a better life in Canada.
Instead they found themselves viewed as
‘enemy aliens’ and a danger to Canada. Over
8,500, mainly young men, were arrested and
sent to 24 internment camps throughout
Canada. An additional 80,000 men, women
and children were forced to carry special
identity papers and report regularly to police.
The majority of those affected in both
instances were Ukrainian.
One of the internment camps was located just
two kilometres outside of Saskatoon at Eaton
- the current site of the Saskatchewan Railway
Museum. This was the only internment camp
in Saskatchewan during the First World War.
The facility was only in operation for 24 days,
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A memorial marks the site of one of Canada’s first internment camps
on the site of the current Saskatchewan Railway Museum south of
Saskatoon.
housing between 65 mainly German and
Ukrainian internees between February 25 and
March 21, 1919 who were then sent on to a
Nova Scotia military facility and then
eventually deported.
As the Commemorative ceremony unfolded I
sat on that cold, wet, snowy late October
morning reflecting on what I was hearing
happened 100 years ago; what has been
happening since 9/11; and what could happen
as a result of recent events in Quebec and Ottawa. The similarities are too clear to be ignored.
I reflected on my own family. My maternal
great grandparents emigrated from Germany
and Austria respectively. They went out of their
way to assimilate. They gave their Canadian
born children English names – William, James,
Wellington, Agnes. They encouraged the mispronunciation of their surname so it sounded
more English. They did not teach their children
the German language. Had they not done these
things could they have been sent to an
internment camp simply because they’re
parents were born in Germany and Austria? I
don’t know. It was never discussed.
Continued on next page...
Telling Difficult Stories
I also reflected on what the role of museums
is with respect to these kinds of issues. I
believe it is the responsibility of museums to
fairly and impartially preserve and present the
whole story of the community. Even when
that history is uncomfortable or painful or
awkward to some or all of the current community members it cannot be ignored. Whether it’s the internments of ‘enemy aliens’ during
and after the First and Second World Wars or
the Residential Schools; or any other difficult
topic a museum cannot ignore the subject just
because it’s hard.
“I believe it is the
responsibility of museums
to preserve and present
the whole story of the
community.”
The public expects museums to provide
unbiased, even-handed information about
what happened in the past. They expect the
museum to be a safe place to learn about
difficult topics. They expect the museum to
provide them with the information about the
past so that they can understand what’s
happening in the present.
I’m proud of the Saskatchewan Railway
Museum for acknowledging the role their site
played 100 years ago and incorporating it on
their site with the monument and plaque
unveiled October 28th.
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2015 Winter Calendar
I thank the Ukrainian Canadian CongressSask Provincial Council and the Saskatchewan
German Council for all of the work they’ve
done to ensure these events are not forgotten.
A ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary of Canada’s first
internment at the Saskatchewan Railway Museum in October.
Part of the memorial recognizing internments in Canada at the
Saskatchewan Railway Museum.
2015 Winter Calendar
Oral Histories
Oral Histories: Building Community Memory
We’d like to see more museums make oral
Stories matter. They tell us who we are,
individually and collectively. They teach us
important lessons, from how to accomplish
simple tasks to how to be good people. They
remind us where we came from, and show
us how the present came to be. They give us
insight into the storyteller, into ourselves, and
into the world we share.
Whether we’re watching the news, reading a
book, writing annual reports, or swapping anecdotes about our nieces and nephews, we’re
immersed in stories. As a result, they’re as easy
to take for granted as the air we breathe. But
stories are also fragile and ephemeral: it takes
a lot of effort to capture and preserve them.
Oral histories, in which we record people’s
stories and experiences in their own words,
are uniquely suited for learning about our
communities from the diverse perspectives of
the people who live and work in them.
Saskatchewan has some incredible oral history
projects. The collections at the Saskatchewan
Archives and the Gabriel Dumont Insititute,
for instance, are truly remarkable.
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histories part of their collections.
This spring, our oral history workshop aims to
give you the knowledge and skills to get
started recording, keeping, and using oral
histories in your museum work. Come and learn
how to preserve and use the stories that make
us who we are.
To be held on May 1 and 2, the Oral Histories
workshop will lead participants through the
best practices of oral history collection.
Featured topics include conducting effective interviews for oral history collection, ethical and
legal considerations, recording oral
histories; audio file types and storage; transcription; research with oral histories; and using oral
histories for education and public
programming.
Space is limited. Register now to ensure that
your place in the course is reserved.
For more information on the Oral Histories
workshop, see page 9.
Presenter Bios
2015 Winter Calendar
Presenter Bios
Emily Burton- Oral Histories
Emily Burton is an Historian from Nova Scotia via Peru and
the Canadian Prairies who joined the Canadian Museum of
Immigration at Pier 21 as an Oral Historian in January, 2014.
She has travelled this year to Vancouver, Edmonton, Lethbridge,
and Charlottetown to carry out oral history interviews for the
Museum. She is currently completing a PhD in Canadian
History at Dalhousie University. She is published in the Royal
Nova Scotia Historical Society Journal and the Nashwaak
Review. Emily has also taught both high school and universitylevel Spanish and has worked in International Development as a
Project Officer and with study abroad programs.
Emily Burton
Beverly Serrel- Formative
Evaluation for Exhibit Designers
Beverly Serrel is the Director of Serrell and Associates, and
specializes in the conceptual development of museum
exhibitions, graphic communication and exhibit evaluation.
Serrell brings over 30 years of experience in exhibit design.
Her communications and evaluation philosophies and methods
support the evolution from knowledge-based, artifact-laden
displays to narative based, visitor-centered experiences. In 2006,
Serrell was selected as one of 100 museum professionals for the
American Association of Museums for their Centennial Honor
Roll of Museum Champions.
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Beverley Serrel
2015 Winter Calendar
Events Calendar
Special Topic Courses
Winter/Spring 2015
Oral Histories
May 1-2, 2015 Location TBA.
$120 members, $160 non-members,
$75 students
This two-day workshop will lead participants
through best practices in oral history collection
and use. We’ll explore topics like conducting
effective oral history interviews; legal and
ethical considerations; recording oral histories;
audio file types and storage; transcription;
research with oral histories; and using oral
histories for education and public
programming.
Formative Evaluation for Exhibit
Designers
May 8, 2015 in Regina.
$80 members, $120 non-members,
$55 Students
We sometimes think of evaluation as
something that happens when an exhibition is
up and running-but by then, it’s expensive and
difficult to make changes. Front-end evaluation
and exhibit prototyping are low-cost, highimpact tools that let us realize the benefits of
evaluation sooner, saving time, saving money,
and allowing us to produce better exhibits. This
full-day workshop will provide Saskatchewan
museum practitioners with current best practices in front-end and formative evaluation for
exhibits and programming.
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Events Calendar
Collections in the Community Symposium
June 19, 2015 in Saskatoon.
$100 members, $140 non-members,
$75 students
Museums’ and archives’ responsibility to
preserve collections sometimes seems at odds
with their duty to provide public access. This
gathering of conservators, programmers,
curators and exhibit designers will examine
current best practices in artifact conservation
and object-based education, and explore how
museums and archives balance these sometimes
conflicting responsibilities.
Special Topic Courses- Fall 2015
CCI- Emergency Preparedness
Date and Location TBA
This workshop discusses the importance of
preparing for emergencies and provides
instruction in creating an emergency plan.
The steps to identify and reduce hazards are
outlined. The salvage of artifacts from an
emergency is presented in terms of stabilizing
damaged collections. Other topics addressed
will include getting organized, health and safety
issues, stabilizing the environment, dealing with
the media, and keeping emergency preparedness
“alive”.
Telling Difficult Stories
Date and Location TBA
Presenting controversial or challenging material
in exhibits or educational programming poses
many challenges.This workshop will provide
participants with the tools they need to develop
programming related to difficult histories in a
sensitive and informed manner.
Events Calendar
2015 Winter Calendar
Certificate in Community Museums Studies Courses 2015
Online Museums and Education
Feb. 2-March 15, 2015
In this course, you’ll learn about the role of
the museum as an educational institution
in the community. You’ll also learn about
responding to current issues, planning and
designing audience-appropriate education and
public programs, and how to create an
education and public programming policy.
Care of Collections
Date and Location TBA
In this course, you will learn about the
museum’s role in preserving collections and
how to write a collections care policy. You will
also learn what causes objects to deteriorate,
and how to respond with appropriate measures,
as well as how to handle store, and exhibit
objects safely. This is a two-day course.
Museums and the Community
April 16-17, 2015 in Kindersley
The museum has the potential to be a cultural
and social hub within the community. This
course explores the changing place
museums hold in our communities and
introduces current practices for planning,
assessing, and implementing museumcommunity initiatives. Learn skills and share
ideas around determining community and
audience needs, working with diverse groups,
and developing a community engagement
plan.
Online Museums and the Community
Date TBA
The museum has the potential to be a cultural
and social hub within the community. This
course explores the changing place museums
hold in our communities and introduces current
practices for planning, assessing, and
implementing museum-community initiatives.
You will learn skills and share ideas around
determining community and audience needs,
working with diverse groups, and developing a
community engagement plan.
Marketing the Museum
April 20, 2015 in Weyburn
In this course, you’ll learn what marketing is,
and gain an understanding of your museum’s
marketing environment. You’ll also look at
developing products and services appropriate
to a specific audience, branding, and creating a
marketing plan.
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For certificate program fees, see page 12.
LUNCH
is included in your
registration fee
for all courses and
workshops!
Registration Form
2015 Winter Calendar
Registration Form
Space is limited for all courses–so please register early to secure your space. Registration can
be done on our website or by filling out this form. If you are mailing your form, please call us
ahead of time to reserve your space.
Please Print
First Name:
Last Name:
Institution/Affiliation:
Address:
City:
Province:
Postal Code:
Phone:
Please provide either an email and/or fax number
Email:
Fax:
Allergies/Dietary Restrictions (for course lunch):
Certificate Program Winter/Spring 2015
Online Museums and Education
Feb. 2-March 15, 2015
Museums and the Community
April 16-17, 2015 in Kindersley
Marketing the Museum
April 20, 2015 in Weyburn
Certificate Program Fall 2015
Care of Collections
Date and location TBA
Online Museums and Education
Date TBA
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Special Topic Courses Spring 2015
Oral Histories
May 1-2, 2015-Location TBA
$120 members, $160 non-members, $75 students
Formative Evaluation for Exhibit Designers
May 8, 2015 in Regina
$80 members, $120 non-members, $55 students
Collections in the Community Symposium
June 19, 2015 in Saskatoon
$100 members, $140 non-members, $75 students
Special Topic Courses Fall 2015
CCI Emergency Preparedness-Date and location TBA
Telling Difficult Stories-Date and location TBA
Registration Form
2015 Winter Calendar
Payment may be made with VISA, MasterCard, cheque or cash. Please make cheques payable to
Museums Association of Saskatachewan. If you require an invoice, please indicate this on your
registration form.
Cancellation
Courses may be cancelled due to low enrolment-if you see a course you would like, please enrol
right away!
Refunds
The registration fee will only be refunded if you withdraw your application five days prior to the
course date or if the course is cancelled. In cases of weather conditions, illness and family emergencies, the five-day requirement may be waived by MAS.
Payment
Total Amout: $
Cheque
Money Order/Cash
Card Number:
Expiry Date:
VISA
MasterCard
please print
Cardholder:
Signature:
Certificate Program Fees
Fees for one-day courses
•MAS members: $60
($50 each if two or more from same
institution)
•Non-members: $80
•Student: $40 (Must present ID)
Fees for two-day courses
•MAS members: $100
($90 each if two or more from same
institution)
•Non-members: $140
•Student: $75 (Must present ID)
Return one form per person to:
Museums Association of Saskatchewan
424 McDonald Street
Regina, SK S4N 6E1
Fax information to 306-780-9463
email: [email protected]
Register online at www.saskmuseums.
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Phone 306-780-9279 or
1-866-568-7386 (toll free in SK)