Tag: MAP grant

The Williamson County Historical Society Museum was visited on Thursday and Friday, the 21^st and 22^nd , as part of the museum’s continuing participation in the Museum Assessment Program called MAP.  The museum was the recipient of a MAP grant early in the year and has been performing a self-assessment for the past three months. After that process was completed, it was to be followed up by a visit from a selected museum advisor who assesses the museum as a professional outsider.

The advisor assigned to the county museum was Lisa Chastain, assistant director of the Missouri State Museum which is located on the bottom floor of the capitol building in Jefferson City, Missouri.  Chastain arrived Thursday Morning and followed a pre-agreed upon agenda designed to interview museum workers and board members. She also took two tours of the museum, one guided and one unguided and had group discussions with volunteers and board members to discuss various museum methods and procedures.

A dinner meal was held at Bennie’s Restaurant on N. Market in Marion on Thursday evening in which board members and volunteers were able to chat with Chastain and learn of her experiences working with a state museum and smaller museums prior to that assignment.

The assessment was completed on Thursday afternoon and Chastain returned home. She will submit a report of her suggestions on any recommended procedures or changes that she feels the museum will benefit from implementing.

The MAP grant project is being chaired by volunteer and WCHS member, Dr. Ann Gammon. Participating in the MAP program were board members, Colleen Norman, Dolores Thetford, Clyde Bailey, Bob Jackson, Helen Lind and Sam Lattuca. Community members Patty Lynn and Connie Baker served on the assessment team to get a local perspective from someone not directly involved with the museum.

The Williamson County Historical Society Museum has been selected to participate in the Museum Assessment Program (MAP). Through guided self-study and on-site consultation with a museum professional, participation in MAP will empower the Williamson County Historical Society to better serve the citizens of Williamson County by facilitating its museum resources and attempting to match the highest professional standards of the museum field.

The program is funded by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and throughout its 30 years has been administered by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). As part of the IMLS National Leadership program, MAP advances best practices and fosters improvements in museum management. MAP is a self-motivated program; application to and participation in MAP is initiated by each local institution and those accepted invest considerable human and institutional resources into the assessment.

The Williamson County Historical Society took possession of the old county jail in Marion in 1972 and opened its doors to the public in 1976. Since then, the museum has been dedicated to the preservation of the county’s rich past and has been filled with historic county artifacts and memorabilia. In addition, the museum has also developed into a leading genealogical research library that is open to the public. Society President, Sam Lattuca, stated that the museum is looking forward to taking a fresh look at the museum’s operation in light of taking advantage of new technologies that have developed and that could potentially make the museum’s assets more accessible.

Part of the assessment program involves the cooperation of individuals from the community who are outside the management of the museum. Those who wish to be involved in the program should feel free to contact the museum.

The county museum is currently under its winter hours of operation and is open on Saturday only from 10 AM till 3 PM due to heating costs of the old building. The museum will resume its Monday through Saturday schedule starting March 2, 2015. The museum is located at 105 S. Van Buren Street in Marion, Illinois and they can be reached at 618-997-5863, their website www.wcihs.org or can be found on Facebook.