Bird by Bird: Hatfield Historical Museum Curator's Blog

Adopt a book: should we try it?

4/14/2015

I just read today's Past Is Present blog post from the Worcester, MA-based American Antiquarian Society in which they announced their annual "Adopt-a-Book" event and linked to the catalog of items available for adoption.

This sounds like a really interesting fundraiser! What do you think? Have you ever participated in something like this? Or has your organization held an event like this? If so, what did you learn from it?

It would also be a way for museum supporters to get up close and personal with a portion of our collection, and for us to get to know our supporters better.

0 Comments

Textile inventory, soon to begin! (Part 1)

4/12/2015

0 Comments

Huddie Bardwell, Vivian Kinzler and Wunderley Stauder examine collection dresses.

Time to work on the textiles. It sound so easy and straightforward. Just pull out the boxes, spread out the quilts, wedding dresses, uniforms and start measuring, photographing and entering it all into the database.

Ah, but here’s the rub! As is the case for many small historical society museums, we don’t actually have room in our museum to work on larger pieces like textiles – especially now that we’re open to the public two days a week. Working on them in the north Town Hall Community Room made perfect sense, since that’s where the museum is moving after the elevator is installed. BUT, the room was full of boxes of papers left over from when first floor offices were disrupted during last year’s construction. AND, we needed to make new keys for the doors. AND, we needed tables to work on, AND we needed to clean the room. Each of these steps took time and effort.

But lo and behold, we are almost there! Pictured below is the crew* (minus yours truly) who moved the first batch of about 20 boxes down from the museum and up to the Town Hall 2nd floor recently. Also many thanks to the Hatfield Fire Department, who maneuvered our incredibly heavy work tables from the Town Hall Balcony to the Community Room, and to Smith Academy (who donated the old science lab tables). Thanks also to David Sabin, locksmith, and Jonathan Bardwell, carpenter, and our DPW Director Phil Genovese and Selectmen Jeff Boyle, Ed Lesko and Brian Moriarty for making the room available. And to our cleaning crew**, who also cleaned the Balcony Storage.

Can you help us move the rest of the boxes on Wed. morning, April 15? Either join us at the museum around 9:15 am, or at the Town Hall side door at 9:45 am. RSVP if at all possible. Must be able to walk up stairs carrying boxes. Thanks!

*Moving crew: (from left to right): Hannah Zahn, Amy Hahn, Marta Bilodeau, and Rick Bertram.

**Cleaners: Marta Bilodeau, Hannah Zahn, Ruth and Charlie Kellogg, and Kathie Gow.

CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR LARGER IMAGES AND CAPTIONS.

0 Comments

If you like this blog, subscribe!
If you'd like to be sent a link each time a new entry is posted (which is periodically), please send an email with the subject line SUBSCRIBE to hatfieldhistoricalsociety
@gmail.com

Curator's musings...

As the curator of a small town Historical Society museum, I wonder a great many things. Am I alone in these thoughts that come to me while driving, or exercising, or falling asleep at night? Is it unusual to be constructing displays and writing copy in one's head for an enlarged museum space that does not, as yet, exist?

If you're wondering about the blog title, "bird by bird," see my First Post for an explanation! Click HERE to read it.

When I'm not thinking about our museum or rehousing artifacts with my fellow museum committee members, I'm working with our exhibit committee to plan physical or virtual exhibits, and working with our board to help fundraise.

I invite your comments and reactions.

--Kathie Gow,
former curator, 2010-2021

Adopt a book: should we try it?

Textile inventory, soon to begin! (Part 1)

Curator's musings...

Categories

Archives