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Services & Resources for Local Historical Societies

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Have questions about how to care for your museum objects? Need direction on digitization or planning for programming?

Browse helpful services and resources relevant to all aspects of local history organizations and small museums. Connect with professionals who are experienced in conservation, consulting, dealing with collections damaged by natural disaster, and more.

Do you have a specific question you'd like to ask our team? Fill out the form linked here for direct access to our experts.

Please Note: Wisconsin Historical Society staff cannot provide legal or financial opinions; instead, please reach out for appropriate counsel from a legal or financial expert. The information presented here is not intended to provide comprehensive technical advice or instructions on preservation issues. Any information contained or referenced is meant to provide a basic understanding of preservation practices and does not constitute an endorsement by the Society.

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Local History Webinars

Online Learning for Local History and Community Organizations

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Resources for Preserving Your Stories

AIC - Caring For Your Belongings

Find information from the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works to help you better care for your personal heritage.

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Center for Home Movies - Preservation

Explore a collection of resources with information for preserving your family films.

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Library of Congress - Preserving Your Family Treasures

This comprehensive website gives detailed instructions and guidelines on topics such as collections care by item type, matting and framing, emergency preparedness, and how to handle existing damage.

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Library of Congress - Preserving Your Digital Memories

This website provides an overview of scanning and digital storage media (DVDs, CDs, portable hard drives, thumb drives, or internet storage) as well as information on how to preserve digital media.

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National Archives - Caring For Your Family Archives

Learn how to care for your family archives including preserving family papers, digitizing photographs, converting home movies to video tape, and repairing documents.

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Nebraska Public Television - Saving Your Treasures

Learn about saving your treasures through online videos and printable files. Get practical and effective methods to help ensure that artifacts, photographs and documents will survive into the future.

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Preservation & Conservation Resources

Below is a list of reliable preservation and conservation information resources for museums, historical societies, libraries, and other cultural collecting institutions.

Canadian Conservation Institute Image Permanence Institute Midwest Art Conservation Center National Film Foundation - Film Preservation Guide National Park Service Conserve-O-Grams Northeast Document Conservation Center - For Paper-Based Collections Texas Commission on the Arts - Videotape Identification and Preservation Guide

Disaster Response

Disaster Response Plans

A PDF from the Wisconsin Historical Society providing useful guidance for museums, historical societies, and cultural institutions following a crisis

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Midwest Regional Conservation Guild

Cultural institutions may get free telephone advice and possibly other services on cleaning up after a flood or natural disaster by contacting your regional conservation center.

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Disaster Response and Recovery

Guides, information, and resource lists from the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.

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Field Guide to Emergency Response

Printable forms from the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works to help you to get organized with the proper supplies to preserve collections when dealing with a crisis

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Response and Recovery Resources

List of the top emergency response resources, curated by the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative

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Salvaging Water-Damaged Family Valuable and Heirlooms

FEMA Fact Sheet that provides easy-to-follow guidelines for a variety of cultural objects and materials

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Collections Caretaker

Advice for historical societies or museums for maintaining their collections after a fire, flood or earthquake

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Before and After Disasters: Federal Funding for Cultural Institutions

A downloadable PDF guide to disaster funding for cultural institutions

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Other Resource Links By Topic

Search the topics below to find answers to your local history inquiry. Not finding what you're looking for? Reach out to our team for help.

Specific Collections Care

Historic Weaponry and Military Items

American Association of State and Local History (AASLH) - Managing Military Collections in Your Museum AASLH - Care of Military Items in the Museum Collection Connecting to Collections Care - Lock, Stock and Barrel: Firearms Collecting for Museums NPS - Caring for Historic Longarms Victoria and Albert Museum, Conservation Journal - Shooting Yourself in the Foot: The Dos and Don'ts of Working with Weapons

Metal Artifacts

Canadian Conservation Institute - Storage of Metals The Henry Ford Museum - The Care and Preservation of Historical Iron National WWII Museum - Preservation of Metal Artifacts

Textiles

George Washington University Textile Museum - Textile Care & Display Gaylord Archival - Foundations of Textile Preservation

Collections Management

General

Connecting to Collections - Managing Previously Unmanaged Collections: A Survival Guide for Messes Great and Small Connecting to Collections - A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place: Conducting (and Maintaining!) a Collection Inventory Things Great and Small: Collections Management Policies, by John E. Simmons

Accessioning

American Alliance of Museums - Accessioning Activity Western Australian Museum - Guide to Acquisition and Accessioning Procedures Wisconsin Historical Society - What Makes a Thing an Artifact?

Deaccessioning

American Alliance of Museums - Questions and Answers about Selling Objects from the Collection Connecting to Collections Care - The Deaccessioning Dilemma: Laws, Ethics, and Actions Connecting to Collections Care - Why Do We Need This? Insights and Hindsights from Deaccessioning

Closing Sites and Museums

BC Museums Association - Sunsetting Your Site Connecting to Collections - Making a Good End: How to Close a Museum

Collections Management Software

History Associates - How Do We Select a Collections Management System? History Associates - Recommended Resources for Assessing and Selecting Collections Management Software History Associates - Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Collections Management System

Policy Documents

Indiana Historical Society - Some Basic Issues Involved in Organizing a Historical Society Society of American Archivists - Appraisal and Acquisition/Accession

Records Retention Schedules

Society of American Archivists - Records Retention and Disposition Schedules State of Wisconsin - Municipal Records Schedule State of Wisconsin - Statewide General Records Schedules

Exhibit Design

Exhibit Makeovers: A Do-It-Yourself Workbook for Small Museums, by Alice Parman AASLH - Exhibit Label Basics Smithsonian Institution - Guide to Interpretive Writing for Exhibitions Smithsonian Institution - Guidelines for Label-Writers University of California Santa Barbara - Exhibition Text General Guidelines

First Nations Resources

Wisconsin State Tribal Relations Initiative Wisconsin State Tribal Relations Initiative - Tribes of Wisconsin Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction - American Indian Studies Program Wisconsin First Nations Education PBS Wisconsin - The Ways PBS Wisconsin - Tribal Histories Wisconsin Historical Society Press - Native People of Wisconsin Wisconsin Indian Education Association (WIEA) Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, Inc. (GLITC) Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) Native American Tourism of Wisconsin (NATOW) Project 562 Native Knowledge 360° PBS Wisconsin - Canoe Clues: Analyzing Historical Sources

Management and Fundraising

Board Relations

Wisconsin Historical Society - Boards: What Are They Good For? with the History Center's Jason Wright

Fundraising

Wisconsin Historical Society - Major Gifts Fundraising with Jamie Simek

Grants

Greater Milwaukee Foundation Institute of Museums & Library Services National Endowment for the Humanities Wisconsin Federation of Museums Mini-Grants Wisconsin Historical Society Local History Grants for Collections Care and Access Wisconsin Humanities

Insurance

American Alliance of Museums - Information Center Fact Sheet: Museum Collections Insurance Connecting to Collections - Insurance 101: Practical Considerations for Protecting Institutional Collections and Loans Oklahoma Museums Association - Insurance

Tax Exempt Status

Internal Revenue Service - Tax Exempt Organization Search

Programming

Accessibility

Wisconsin Historical Society - Practical Accessibility with Jason Beloungy and Wendy Weiler

Educational Programming

Oral History

Doing Oral History, by Donald A. Ritchie Wisconsin Humanities - Tips for Collecting and Using Oral History in Public Humanities Programs

Tours

City of Waupun - Waupun Sculpture Tour Visit Eau Claire - Eau Claire Sculpture Tour

Training Opportunities

American Alliance of Museums - Museum Assessment Program American Alliance of Museums - Professional Development Programs Connecting to Collections Care AASLH - Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations (STEPS)

Web Design

TechSoup - Building a Nonprofit Website in Six Key Steps Wisconsin Historical Foundation - Work Smart Not Hard: Website Edition
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Preserve Historic Buildings

Looking for information about how to preserve your historic building? We have the resources to support you on your journey.

 

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Questions about Local History Outreach?

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Last Updated: June 15, 2026

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