Press Release (12/15/2023): NMA Collaborating with Senator Aguilar to change Museum Property Act
The Nebraska Museums Association is working with District 35 Senator Aguilar to modernize the Nebraska Museum Property Act, a set of statutes for how Nebraska museums manage their collections. Many museums across the state have items in their collections that were never properly accessioned into the collection at the time of donation or were given to the museum on loan and never reclaimed. Without proper documentation, these pieces must lie in limbo in museums for an extended period, during which museums cannot properly treat, research, exhibit, or rehome them to a more appropriate nonprofit, as the museum does not legally own the item. Under the current Act, the process to find the original donor or lender of an item takes a minimum of 10 years and relies on a singular, outdated method to attempt to find said donor or lender. The Act currently states that after a period of at least seven years in the collection, three written notices must appear in the local newspaper, and only after waiting an additional three years, can any action be taken with the item.
Museums across the state agree that posting a notice in the newspaper is no longer as effective as it was when the original Act was written and are asking for the addition of digital media alongside the posting in the newspaper to be added to the Act. They feel the addition of digital media has a higher probability of finding the appropriate person, and will increase the efficiency of this process, meaning the wait time after publishing notifications can decrease from three years to one year before action can be taken.
“Museums across the nation have undocumented items in their collections. The changes that the Nebraska Museums Association is proposing for the Museum Property Act are intended to help museums across the state to properly care for all items in their possession, not just store them. Nebraska is not alone in requesting assistance to change legislation regarding museum property,” states NMA President Rebecca Matticks. The Nebraska Museums Association’s membership currently includes eighty museums. The NMA Board is comprised of eighteen museum professionals that fully support the change in legislation.
NMA Members, please share the press release with your local media:
As we prepare for the 2024 travel season, we would like to invite you to join the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation’s free WanderNebraska program! This statewide travel adventure program encourages travelers to visit Nebraska museums, libraries, and other historical points of interest across the state.
In its third year of programming, we continue to learn how we can best serve participant sites. As a result, this year we plan to offer both a digital and physical booklet option. Travelers will have the option of tracking their historic site visits in our booklet, on the WanderNebraska.com website, or both. We also plan to offer prizes to incentivize Nebraska travelers’ participation Travelers will be able to win lottery tickets, ballcaps, t-shirts and totes.
We will admit that program participation will not guarantee an increase in visitors at your site (although we hope it will!). We appreciate your understanding as we continue to increase the effectiveness of this free, experimental program with your generous insights and feedback.
If you are interested in participating in WanderNebraska 2024, please complete and mail or return via email to [email protected] the attached form by February 15, 2024. While we can update and add sites to our website throughout the duration of the program, if you would like your site printed in our booklet option, we will need to have received your form before February 15. If we do not receive the completed form or hear back from you, we will assume you are opting-out of the 2024 program.
Thank you for your consideration. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2024! Leslie
PS: Please remember that NSHSF offers FREE Nebraska Museum Association members to all statewide grant applicants. Contact Director of Special Projects Sue Quambusch [email protected] for more information.
Join us tomorrow, Dec. 20th, at 10:30am (CST) / 9:30am (MDT) for the NMA Monthly Museum Musing on Zoom. Vonnda Shaw, Manager at the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center, a division of Nebraska State Historical Society, will talk about what the Ford Center can do for small Nebraska Museums. Vonnda will explain the process of submitting something to be treated, and will also offer tips on how to create condition reports.If you would like to join us, please email [email protected]. ... See MoreSee Less
Thank you to the Mountain-Plains Museums Association for this honor!!In October, Bone Creek Museum was selected to receive an award from the MPMA for Publication and Design in 2024. Board members Anna Nolan (Covault) and Allen Covault were present to accept the award at the MPMA Conference in Bismarck, North Dakota. ... See MoreSee Less
Learning about and working hands-on with global textiles while collaborating with compatriots from another country is an ideal way for college students to gain an appreciation of fabric art, museum work, and cross-cultural communication. On Dec. 4, join Emira Ibrahimpasic, professor of Global Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), and Marin Hanson, curator of international collections at the International Quilt Museum (IQM), to hear about their experiences teaching a textile-focused museum exhibition course. During this course, students from Japan's Saitama University spent two weeks alongside UNL students examining quilts, discussing their cultural significance, and curating an exhibition now showing at the IQM.Textile Talks are always FREE! These online panel discussions and presentations are held every Wednesday at 2 p.m. EST on Zoom. Textile Talks are brought to you by Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. , Quilt Alliance , Surface Design Association , and the International Quilt Museum. Register here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__E4EGrpnTtaGFrHeu91d5g#/registration... See MoreSee Less
Now Available! C2C Care November 19, 2024 Contamination and Pesticide Residues for Small and Mid-Sized Cultural Institutions - Recording and Presentations. To access those materials please see link below: connectingtocollections.org/contamination_pesticide_residues/Interested in the C2C Care Course Investigating Contamination and Pesticides in Cultural Heritage Collections that will continue the discussion started in this course?See link here for more info: connectingtocollections.org/course_contamination_pesticides/Early Bird rate of $99 until January 1, 2025 for this 5 session course! ... See MoreSee Less
Join NMA's Monthly Museum Musing on Zoom tomorrow Nov. 22 at 10:30am CST / 9:30am MDT. Erin Hauser, DirectoSaunders County Historical Societyciety, will share how they created a Photo Station to Photograph Collection Objects. Saunders County Historical Society received a grant from the NSHSF to purchase the equipment to set up a photo station to photograph their objects. Erin will walk you through her choice and project.Contact [email protected] to receive the Zoom link. ... See MoreSee Less
