A Touch of Professional Development

On Monday, October 18, 2010, I was able to attend the Southwestern Ontario Past Perfect User Group Fall Conference 2010. The meeting was held at the Dufferin County Museum and Archives, which is a very beautiful and well-funded institution out in the middle of the Ontario countryside, just between the small towns of Shelburne and Alliston.

I was pleasantly surprised by the number of representatives at the meeting. There were staff members from Huron county, Bruce county, Guelph, the Canadian Air and Space Museum, etc, and it was really great to be able to get out and meet working museum professionals from other parts of Ontario.

Many of these people had been using the Past Perfect database for close to seven years (!) and really knew how to use the software effectively and to its fullest potential. This was especially mind-blowing for me, since both institutions I've been working in have mainly consisted of me and a few other colleagues trying to fumble our way through establishing a basic cataloging system. The prospects of using this software to keep track of donations or to put our exhibits online were so far from my mind that I'd more or less forgotten those options even existed!

With that said, many of the topics that were discussed did not really "apply to me" necessarily. For example, many institutions that had been working with Version 4 were just getting acquainted with Version 5 - though I think it was really good to see all of the upgrades and new features of the most recent version and how these changes were introduced to make the software more efficient I got to see how making "lists" can be used for a variety of different functions. Another neat feature is the option to put a slideshow of your own collections images on the main menu of the program!

Other topics that were discussed included security settings, assigning function keys, backing up data and putting your collections online. On that last topic, I really wished that the collections I'm working with were at the stage where we could put them on the internet for everyone to see. Our cataloguing system is just not quite there yet. But I learned about the different options for putting collections online: hosting your own website, using Past Perfect online for a fee, or exporting data to Artefacts Canada. I had never been exposed to this website before, but lots of institutions have put their collections up there for cyberspace to browse!

Another important topic that we discussed was Past Perfect Training. Bruce County was wondering what the best way would be to train their entire staff. The best methods were the online options. The online training is done live, giving users a chance to interact directly with the instructor. In addition, being connected with this Southwestern Ontario Past Perfect Users Group is an excellent resource in itself. Chances are, any glitch that we come up against, someone else has seen it and fixed it in the past. Who says history professionals aren't team players?!

So, how can I use what I've learned at this conference to help out smaller museums that are just warming up to the software? Well, with Banting House in particular, first and foremost, there needs to be someone else besides ME who is a) helping to catalog the collection and b) is trained on Past Perfect. I think that there really should be one big group training seminar so that all of our volunteers on board can work toward bringing the catalog up to date. It's not the most exciting work and most of the time, our volunteers are busy with public tours, the gift shop, and special events - those things quite rightly take priority. Unfortunately, in places that are understaffed yet always have a lot going on, cataloging is the first thing to be put on the back burner - but in that case, you only fall farther and farther behind with regards to maintaining accurate records.

Hm. This is frustrating. This is a frustrating cycle.

I really do feel that I've gained quite a bit from participating in this User Group and attending the Fall 2010 Conference. Thanks, all - if you're reading. :)

It Would Appear I've Dropped the Ball...

...but who says I can't pick it up again?

Many many things have happened since I last updated at the beginning of August. Part of me wishes I could erase the time between. Those were simpler times.

Anyway, my internship officially ended on August 20, 2010. I handed in a 20pg report of things I had learned and spouted on and on about how fantastic my program and co-workers were. I sat through a debriefing meeting with my boss and my supervisor. My strengths and weaknesses were really closely examined, which I really appreciate.

I've discovered a few things about myself and where I fit in to the professional world through the whole process. For one thing, I have a severe attention deficit (!!!!). I really need to work for someone who is firm and gives deadlines and specific instructions. But at the same time, this means that I'm really good with project management, seeing the larger picture, and getting ideas off the ground.

Anyway, since then, I've definitely not been out of the public history scene altogether. I'm still volunteering a few days a week at Banting House and I'm still gathering hours at the JP Metras Sports Museum. I figured that there's no reason I shouldn't be trying to take full advantage of the learning experience and resume building that these institutions have to offer me while I'm still here.

Speaking of which, I'm not in Canada for too much longer at all (one month today!). I've been keeping busy with work, but trying to balance that with soaking up as much of Ontario as I possibly can before moving back to the far-away land of New York.

As I mentioned in my last post, Banting House has been buzzing, as we've been preparing for the 90th Anniversary of Banting's idea for insulin. We are celebrating with a sculpture unveiling and a "soft opening" of our latest exhibit "Stamping out Diabetes," which is really a history of diabetes that explores what it would have been like being diagnosed before, during, and after the discovery of insulin and even includes the lastest in diabetes research! Our curator is invisioning something wonderful, and no doubt, it will look fantastic in the end. I'm really glad to be witnessing the process of writing and designing a nationally significant exhibit. I also gave a group tour for the first time since June. Collections management has certainly been my most extensive area of experience, so I tend to get stuck in the basement quite frequently. Anyway, I had a rather large group of "gifted" grade 8 students.

Those types of experience don't make my choice between teaching and museums any easier....

I guess now is as good a time as any to admit that I don't really have any plans for when I go back to the states. That's the most frequently asked question as graduation approaches - "what are you going to do now?"

I don't know! I know that they say you really shouldn't expect a job to fall into your lap, that finding a job is a full time job, etc....My only game plan at this point is to make sure that every company that would even consider hiring me has my resume and then to just continue on with what I'm doing - volunteering and gaining work experience. Something will come up. Substitute teaching, contract work - those types of jobs have potential to become full-time, secure positions.

Am I worried that it will never happen for me?

No. My general answer to that question is always no.