Coronavirus Resources for Museums – Updated Regularly

We will be sharing resources and information from the museum field as we come across them; this page will be updated regularly with new items as they become available.  Since information is changing daily and sometimes hourly, it is important to note the posting and update days and times for these resources.  Recommendations that worked a week ago may not work now.  Be sure to consult reputable news organizations and your own city/county guidelines and updates.  Newest postings will be at the top.

Do you have a resource you have created or come across that you would like to pass on to colleagues?  Please send it to Jamin and she will share as time allows.

***Kansas Museums Association Annual Conference Announcement – Conference Goes Digital***

• The Board and staff of KMA are pleased to announce that the 2020 KMA Conference will be held in an online format November 4-6 to ensure the safety of our members and expand participation opportunities.  Click here to read the full announcement.

Resources for Museums

Reopening Information

Cleaning and Disinfecting:

• WSU’s Public Policy and Management Center has developed this COVID-19 Health and Cleanliness Practices for Public Access Environments guide based on current best practices.

• High-Touch, Deep Clean Areas Identified for Museums: This signage from the Oklahoma Museums Association can be used for internal staff education and posted as well to reassure visitors that precautions are being taken.

• In a recorded Facebook Live video, COVID-19 Basics: Disinfecting Cultural Resources,the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training provides information on how to treat historic materials.

• Additionally, IMLS has produced a recorded webinar, Mitigating COVID-19 When Managing Paper-Based, Circulating, and Other Types of Collections with helpful tips.

Occupancy:

• Understanding the Impact of Social Distancing on Occupancy – US Fire Administration

General:

• How Should a Museum Reopen in a Post-COVID World? Here Is Everything You Need to Know to Do It Safely, According to Experts – Adrian Ellis and Andras Szanto, ArtNet

 

Webinars: [note: many webinars are offering recorded versions or transcripts, so be sure to check the link for other options if you cannot make the scheduled time]

• Texas Historical Commission Webinar: Heritage Tourism and Museums: Collaborating for Success – Tuesday, June 9 – 10:00 – 11:00 am Central

• Texas Historical Commission Webinar: Ready for Anything: Moving from Programs to Programming – Thursday, June 18 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• Texas Historical Commission Webinar: Making the Most of Math Connections at Museums and Historic Sites – Thursday, June 25 – 10:00 – 11:00 am Central

• AASLH Webinar: Reopening Small to Mid-Sized Institutions – Friday, May 15 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• AASLH Webinar: Reopening Your Historic Site – Wednesday, May 20 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• AASLH Webinar: Deaccessioning in a Recession? Why and Why Not – Thursday, May 21 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• AASLH Webinar: Emergency Remote Teaching – Friday, April 24 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• AASLH Webinar: Inclusivity During COVID-19 and Beyond – Tuesday, April 28 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• AASLH Webinar sponsored by National Trust Insurance Services: Insurance Best Practices – Wednesday, April 29 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• AASLH Webinar: How to Spot Opportunity When it is Disguised as Chaos – Thursday, April 30 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• AASLH Webinar: Planning for Reopening – Tuesday, May 5 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• AASLH Webinar: Local Advocacy Matters – Thursday, May 7 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• NEH Webinar: Information Session on New NEH Guidelines – Wednesday, April 22 – 12:00 pm Central

• Frontier Culture Museum and VAMONDE Webinar: Immediate and Rebound Strategies for Museums During COVID-19 – Recorded webinar available now

• Cuseum Webinar: Membership Mondays: Fulfillment, Renewals, and Budgets in Membership During Coronavirus – Monday, April 20 – 2:00 pm Central

• Cuseum Webinar:  Collaborating on Virtual Educational Programs During Coronavirus – Wednesday, April 22 – 1:00 pm Central

• MPMA Webinar: Virtualization Strategies with TimeLooper – Wednesday, April 22 – 12:00 pm Central

• International Council of Museums with OECD Webinar: Impact, Innovations, and Preparing for Post-Crisis – Recorded webinar available now

• Columbia University Oral History Master of Arts Webinar: Oral History of Disasters and Pandemics – Thursday, April 16 – 2:00 – 4:00 pm Central

• AASLH Webinar: Building a No-Cost Virtual Tour of Museums and Historic Sites with Clio – Wednesday, April 15 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• AASLH Webinar: Consultants Weathering the Storm – Thursday, April 16 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• AASLH Webinar: Planning for an Uncertain Financial Future, Part 2 – Monday, April 20 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• Association of Midwest Museums Webinar: How to Create Online Exhibits – Thursday, April 9 – 1:00 pm Central

• Ohio Museums Association Webinar: Fundraising in Troubled Times – Tuesday, April 14 – 9:00 am Central

• HUB International Webinar: Managing the New Norm: Nurturing a Virtual Culture – Tuesday, April 14 – 1:00 pm Central

• HUB International Webinar: Small Business Assistance Available Under the CARES Act Webinar – Recorded webinar and presentation available now

• AASLH Webinar: Historic Sites and COVID-19 – Monday, April 6 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• AASLH Webinar: Structural Weaknesses Exposed by COVID-19 – Wednesday, April 8 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• AASLH Webinar: Empathetic Audience Engagement During a Crisis – Friday, April 10 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• AASLH Webinar: Coronavirus Crisis Management for Museums – Friday, April 3 – 2:00 – 3:00 pm Central

• Recorded webinar: Mitigating COVID-19 When Managing Paper-Based, Circulating, and Other Types of Collections – IMLS

• Archived webinar recording and transcript: How to Keep Your Audience Engaged, Entertained, and Inspired in the Age of Coronavirus – from Cuseum

Grants for Museums and Individuals:

• The Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission (KCAIC) SOS Grants: The Short-term Operational Support (SOS) program provides immediate one-time grants to arts non-profit organizations facing financial hardship due to unforeseen circumstances beyond their control as determined by State and Federal governments. Funds are intended to be used for staff retention and ongoing facility expenses in the creative arts sector in Kansas. In 2020, this program will be open due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Applications accepted May 4-15, 2020.  Click here for guidelines and eligibility.

• Humanities Kansas CARES Act Relief: Grants support Kansas cultural organizations that provide humanities programming and are facing financial hardship due to the coronavirus. Grants are intended to be used for emergency general operating support and staff retention in the humanities and cultural nonprofit sector. The application portal opens May 13, 2020.  Click here for guidelines and eligibility.

• National Endowment for the Humanities NEH CARES – emergency relief for cultural institutions; prioritizes retaining or hiring staff.  Applications due May 11.

• Kansas Health Foundation offers $2 million in grants to nonprofits for “mission aligned” projects – perhaps oral histories or health exhibits? Applications accepted now until August 31 or until the funds are awarded.

• This USDA Federal Rural Resource Guide offers a look at what options are available for rural nonprofit support at the federal level, as well as links.

• Humanities Kansas is offering quick grants of $500 or $1000 for cultural organizations to use in support of the development of outreach and digital programs. Deadline: April 10

• Society of American Archivists Foundation is offering up to $1000 grants to individuals affected via their Archival Workers Emergency Fund.   Applications will open on April 15 at 3:00 pm.

Other Information and Articles:

• Arena or Sanctuary: The New Roles of Public Institutions – Jesse Rosen, Symphony

• Connected to Culture: Google Arts and Culture’s Digital Toolkit built to help organizations continue their cultural programs online.

• High-Touch, Deep Clean Areas Identified for Museums: This signage from the Oklahoma Museums Association can be used for internal staff education and posted as well to reassure visitors that precautions are being taken.

• COVID-19: The Ethics of Contemporary Collecting – Museums Association

• Field Services Alliance Tips: Collections Care During COVID-19 – AASLH Blog

• Helpful Hints on Zoom – WSU Public Policy and Management Center

• Tips for Zoom Meeting Organizers – WSU Public Policy Management Center

• Humanities Kansas and its partners, including KMA, have opened a 10 minute survey for Kansas museums and cultural organizations to help gauge the impact of the conronavirus pandemic on our sector and be ready with resources and aid.  Click here to take the survey.

• Why Marketing Matters During COVID-19 Closures – Key Facts to Consider – Colleen Dilenschneider, Know Your Own Bone Blog

• The federal stimulus package, as passed by the Senate last night, includes $75 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities, $75 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, and $50 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services.  Read more here.AA

• Planning for the Evolving COVID-19 Situation – AASLH Blog

• AASLH is now allowing members and nonmembers access to Affinity Community Forums, where history practitioners can ask questions, share advice, and stay up-to-date with their peers in a specific area of interest or professional practice.  Click here to find out how to join.

• Humanities Kansas Resources:
  • Dial-a-TALK: You can speak with a TALK book discussion leader over the phone (or Skype, Zoom, or Facetime) about one of the books in the TALK catalog. Events must be completed by April 30.
  • Dial-a-Speaker: coming soon!  Check the website for more information.
  • Movement of Ideas Kit: Be a story chaser from your own home!

• Coronavirus Preparedness Community Document – Cuseum – Wonder what other museums are doing to combat the virus?  See this Google sheet and tabs at the bottom for questions, resources, engagement ideas, membership extensions, etc.(note: once again, these entries are not time and date stamped; the precautions that museums listed may no longer be viable)

• AAM is campaigning to make sure museums and nonprofits are included in any COVID-19 relief and economic stimulus packages.  Find out more and take action here.

• Resources & Information for the Museum Field from the American Alliance of Museums

• Archivists at Home – Brainstorming/Advocacy Document by SAA’s Accessibility & Disability Section

• How Museums and Attractions are Preparing and Responding to Coronavirus from Cuseum

• American Civil War Museum | COVID-19 Action Plan (Draft)

• ACM Resources to Help Guide Your Museum’s Response to Coronavirus | The Association of American Children’s Museums

Museums in Kansas:

• Humanities Kansas is offering Movement of Ideas kits, which are daily curated collections of humanities activities that you can do at home to connect you with others and spark conversations. Be a Story Chaser and tell us about your experiences social distancing. Have a mini film festival with HK’s short films.

• Watkins Museum of History, Lawrence – The Watkins is using their website and social media to host Terrific Tuesdays (fun for kids), Thoughtful Thursdays (links to local and online resources), and Fun Fact Fridays (cool artifacts and stories from the Watkins).

Is your museum leveraging online content or social media for special interactive programming during the pandemic?  Contact us and we will add you to the list (Kansas museums only)