How is your Summer going? Conversations on the Commons was our response to the pandemic. Like everyone else, we worked on making hay out of our limitations.

Brainstorm Session: Acknowledging Loss and Archiving Experience in the Wake of Catholic Church Closures July 23, 2021, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. *new time!* Join historian Margo Shea in a reflective conversation about how historical societies, museums and other history organizations can participate productively in addressing and archiving a history happening in our midst -- […]

We know teachers are stressed and programs are focused on the test.  What are good ways to approach teachers and school programs about creating a local history curriculum? Is it easier to visit the school or have the students visit you? What are fruitful ways in which libraries and historical societies can collaborate and cross-pollinate?

How do local organizations and towns think about Indigenous history and perspective in their own community histories? What are practical ways that we, as members of cultural organizations, can integrate these perspectives into the programs, language, and conversations we have about local history? Join panelists as they discuss the kind of work they do in their art and scholarship and talk about ways to counter Native American erasure and build more nuanced and inclusive narratives about Massachusetts history.

How do academic scholars and local museums and historical societies work together? Has your museum worked with scholars and/or researchers? Do you have a long term working relationship with a researcher or public history scholar? What have they worked on for you? How do academics work with historical societies? Have you (scholar or museum) received a grant to do this work?  What about student researchers and internship programs? What benefits can they provide to museums, and how can museums cultivate these relationships with students and scholars to further their mission and goals?

You’ve probably heard about Critical Race Theory in the news lately, but do you know what it is? Have you addressed it at your museum or historic site? Should you? Do you know how to? What is the difference between Critical Race Theory and African American History? As museums are reimagining their roles and messages in the wake of social, economic, and political changes, join us for a primer on Critical Race Theory and see how to incorporate this work into your own.

Membership: A Must? December 10, 2021, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. With Carol S. Ward, Executive Director of the Lexington Historical Society, and Dawn Estabrooks Salerno, Executive Director at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum Does the membership model still work for 2022? Massachusetts Historical Society has just announced that they no longer have a […]

Join us for our latest Conversation on the Common where we tackle the topic of “Teaching New England Slavery to Kids.” Kristin Gallas is the project manager for education development at the Tsongas Industrial History Center and recently published Interpreting Slavery with Children and Teens.

All About Objects: Artifact Care, Description, and Management January 21, 2022, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. *new time* With Valarie Kinkade, Principal of Museum and Collector Resource, LLC, and Stacen Goldman, Curator at the Framingham History Center Filigree or verdigris? Crazing or cracking?  There’s a lot of talk about archival processes, but what about object care […]

What is Community History? What formats does it take? What is the difference between local history and community history?  How can we embrace both? how does it ask historical organizations to change their understanding of history? What are the challenges and rewards? Has your organization participated in projects that gather and share history from the local community? Are you interested in doing so? Join us for a conversation on the necessity, joys, and rewards of engaging with community members in doing history.

Sharing Your Stuff: Working with the Digital Commonwealth February 18, 2022, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. With Jake Sadow, Statewide Digitization Project Archivist at Boston Public Library, and Betsy McKee, Secretary and member of the Collections Committee at Longmeadow Historical Society Have you considered working with the Digital Commonwealth to digitize any of your collections and […]