Local History & Historic Preservation Conference Workshop Highlights
What do we have in store for the 2025 Local History & Historic Preservation Conference?
Workshops put the power of history in your hands! By offering opportunities to develop skills, tap into resources, and learn insights through Q&A sessions, workshops provide you with the tools needed to build upon and improve your institutional efforts. This year, our workshops focus on collections care, building a digital presence, strategic planning, managing archives, exhibit design, inclusion, and digitization.
For a full presentation schedule timeline and additional details:
Looking for our one-hour sessions? Check out our session offerings here.
Workshop Highlights: Thursday, October 16
Developing Collections Care Policies and Procedures: Strategies for Small Museums
Do you struggle with deciding which museum objects to keep, what new items to accept, or which forms to use for documenting and managing collections? If you need help developing better policies and procedures for collections management, this workshop is for you. Learn how to establish a workflow and process for accessioning and cataloging new collections and deaccessioning existing ones. Participants will learn the basics of a sound collections management policy and leave with templates for a variety of forms (e.g., Deed of Gift Accession Form) to carry out your policy.
Boost Your Web, Social, and Email Skills: Interactive Workshop
Boost your digital presence! Join us for an engaging and practical workshop designed specifically for local historical societies, museums, and local history organizations looking to enhance their outreach, visibility, and engagement online. This interactive workshop will provide hands-on guidance in marketing, website development, and social media strategies to help you connect with your community and grow your audience. There will be hands-on exercises, live demonstrations, and Q&A time with experts. Bring your own laptop to the workshop!
Planning to Plan: Envisioning Your Local History Organization's Future with Strategic Planning
Join planning consultants Melissa McLimans and Laura Damon-Moore from WiLS Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS) for an interactive, hands-on workshop about partnering with your community to imagine and plan for the future of local history organizations. Workshop attendees can expect to learn what a strategic plan is, why and how it is a helpful process and communication tool, and how it can help them and their communities think about the future of their local history organizations. Attendees will create a community map and will learn about some different information-gathering techniques to help lay the groundwork for an inspiring and forward-looking strategic plan.
Papers, Pictures, and Patrons: Managing Archives in Cultural Heritage Organizations
Revised for 2025, this long-running conference workshop is perfect for organizations that are just beginning to start an archives program and for those that are ready to grow and expand their archives. The presenters will share valuable tips and tools for building and growing archival programs. The workshop features engaging activities and will share critical information on a variety of topics that will help transform your archives into a vital component of your organization.
Workshop Highlights: Friday, October 17
What's the Big Idea? Creating An Effective Exhibit for Your Visitors
This hands-on workshop is for people interested in learning how to create engaging exhibits in small museums. Bring your enthusiasm and exhibit ideas and leave the workshop with new skills and a plan for your next exhibit. Attendees will learn about: (1) the basic steps for effective exhibit planning and implementation; (2) how to develop an effective “Big Idea;” and (3) different types of exhibit labels and how to effectively write them. Participants will receive an exhibit design resource manual that they can take with them.
Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Your Organization
Panelists will describe some common challenges they've experienced in spaces and organizations that are working toward more inclusion. They will provide examples of including families and community members in planning, developing, and building a roadmap for change. They will discuss the value of building buy-in at every level and methods they've used to accomplish this—and some mistakes along the way. They will also offer suggestions for positive change and give examples of successes. They invite participants to join conversations, ask questions, discuss concerns or frustrations, and think together about ways to share stories more inclusively in community.
Saving Private Ryan's Uniform: Textile Care for Small Museums
Does your local history organization face the challenge of preserving delicate clothing and other textiles? Join Wisconsin Historical Society curator and textile specialist Tamara Funk as she demonstrates practical preservation techniques, budget-friendly storage solutions, and more during this 2.5-hour workshop. Learn how to care for fragile textiles and leave with knowledge of important stewardship techniques. The program will conclude with discussion of solutions for examples from your collections. Participants should bring objects or images of objects to share with the group.
Local Treasures, Global Reach with Digitization
This interactive workshop will guide you through the key steps of planning a successful digitization project, from initial idea to long-term access. Using the Digital Project Planning Worksheet, we'll touch on the major components: planning a project, obtaining permissions, digitizing materials, creating descriptions, sharing content online, preserving digital files, and evaluating your project. While we'll cover the full process, we'll focus most on digitizing (scanning) and describing (writing metadata). After registering, participants will be invited to share what they most want to learn, and the session will be tailored to reflect those interests. You already hold the knowledge needed to begin!
Join us at the Local History & Historic Preservation Conference! Connect with fellow history enthusiasts, explore unique tours, and dive deep into our region's rich heritage. Don't miss this chance to be part of something truly special—reserve your spot today!
Any questions? Please contact [email protected].