The National Museum of the United States Navy (NMUSN) is currently accepting entries for our logo competition which is open to all. We encourage anyone who is interested to participate.

Details regarding competition here: https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/news-and-events/events/logo-competition.html.

Urge Congress to Provide U.S. 250th Anniversary Funding
AASLH has been meeting with Congressional offices about federal support for U.S. 250th anniversary activities. We are asking for robust funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, which could offer avenues for investing in state and local history organizations.

It may seem odd to ask for additional funds for IMLS as current grants have been cancelled. But even as IMLS, National Endowment for the Humanities, and other federal agencies are curtailed, interest in 250th activities may prove a viable way to preserve functions of these agencies. The 250th is also an opportunity for Congress to hear about the importance of IMLS and related agencies to our field and the communities we serve.

To advance these efforts, we are working with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in both chambers to circulate a Dear Colleague letter in support of IMLS and America250. Members of Congress use these letters to gain support for causes or bills from their colleagues. Please send the suggested draft email below to yourCongressional Representative. If you have any questions, you can contact Christine Pellerin or Phil Powell, the lead contacts at the a government relations firm assisting us with this work. (Please note, the Quill Link in the email below is only accessible to an email address in the House of Representatives. The staff you send it to will be able to access it, but you will not.)

Dear Representative [INSERT NAME],

On behalf of [INSERT ORGANIZATION] based in [INSERT CITY AND STATE], I’m contacting you to urge Representative [INSERT NAME] to sign onto a Dear Colleague led by Representative Jen Kiggans (R-VA) and John Larson (D-CT) in support of American 250 activities through the IMLS and A250 Commission. The fast-approaching U.S. Semiquincentennial (America 250) is just over two years away and is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to remind Americans of the ideals of our nation’s founding, including freedom, liberty and justice. The FY26 appropriations process is the last real opportunity before July 4, 2026, for Congress to provide funding to support America 250 activities across agencies which invest in local organizations like mine and are charged with carrying out programming for this purpose.

Please use the following Quill Link to sign on to the letter. Additionally, please do not hesitate to contact Maddie Mitchell in Rep. Kiggan’s office at (Maddie.Mitchell@mail.house.gov) or Collin Duran (Collin.Duran@mail.house.gov) to sign on or to ask questions. Thank you for your consideration of signing onto this letter.

Best regards,

[YOUR NAME]

IMLS Grant Cancellation Appeals

Our partners at the American Alliance of Museum (AAM) are recommending the following steps to file an appeal if you receive notice of a cancelled IMLS grant. Should any information to challenge cancelled grants at other agencies become available, we will be share it with you.

• Review Procedures for Requesting a Review of Suspension or Termination beginning on page 20.
• Email the appeal to Director Kevin Sonderling at ksonderling@imls.gov with copy to grantsadmin@imls.gov and IMLS General Counsel at ogc@imls.gov.
• Also use the eGMS system to file your termination appeal, as it is the official record for the government.
• AAM has been told that it’s unclear if organizations will be reimbursed for expenses accrued prior to the date of termination. Thus, it is very important to submit all expenses accrued for federal grants prior to the date on the termination letter.
• Review the National Council of Nonprofits checklist “What to do when your federal grant or contract is terminated.”
• Recommendations from Holland & Knight “What Recipients Need to Know if a Federal Grant is Terminated by the Government.”

If your grant has been cancelled, please send AASLH your cancellation letter or email. In addition to deepening AASLH’s understanding of the challenges our field faces, copies of grant cancellation notices could bolster analysis of potential legal options in support of IMLS. You are also encouraged to fill out a survey from AAM.

The Great Lakes Museum seeks a Marketing and Communications Coordinator with excellent communication skills and marketing experience to lead and support a wide variety of projects. This position is a great opportunity to work in a collaborative and fast-paced work environment while developing marketing, communications, social media and website management skills, and using creativity to amplify the profile of the Museum. This is a full-time, 10-month internship position partly funded by Young Canada Works Building Careers in Heritage program (YCW-BCH). All applicants must meet eligibility requirements for the YCW-BCH program and will be asked to prove eligibility prior to an offer of employment. Internship dates: May 14, 2025-March 27, 2026Salary: $18.50/hr Hours: 37.5 hrs/week – Wednesday- Sunday 9:30am-5:00pm Deadline to Apply: April 28, 2025 at 4:00pm EST To learn more visit our website

Learn more

Position: Shipwright II

Pay: $25.00

Location: Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic CT

Position Type: Full time, year round

Application link: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Apply/3097713/Mystic-Seaport-Museum-Inc/Shipwright-II

Description:

Key Responsibilities: 

• Perform structural repairs to wooden boat & ship hull components; frames, planks, beams, knees, decks, etc. 
• Assist with the fabrication and repair of wooden masts and spars, solid and laminated construction. 
• Build and/or repair wooden deck furniture and hardware. 
• Hull and deck caulking 
• Assist with Vessel docking, Line handling, hauling and launching 
• Document work through photos, written explanations, and/or drawings 
• Proper and respectful use of shipyard tools and equipment 
• Maintain a clean jobsite 
• Material handling with powered equipment (fork trucks, telehandler, man lifts, hoists, etc.) 
• Occasional interaction with museum visitors about shipyard activities and at all times represent Mystic Seaport Museum in a professional manner. 
• Occasionally assist other museum departments with their duties 

Requirements

  Qualifications:   

• Has three years of hands-on experience of traditional wooden ship construction and/or have a certificate from a boatbuilding school. Holds a standard driver’s license. 
• Owns and knows how to use a boatbuilder’s / shipwright’s hand tool kit. Can sharpen edge tools and drill bits. 
• Physical ability to work outdoors year- round in cold and wet weather. Ability to safely lift 60 lbs. Comfort with working from elevated OSHA approved staging platforms, floats, and Man-lifts. 
• Proficient use of stationery and hand-held electric wood working tools. 
• Is a self-starter, team player, and can collaborate with Shipwright I employees and volunteers. Willingness to learn advanced shipwright and trade related skills. Must communicate effectively with coworkers. 
• Demonstrates working knowledge of traditional ship construction and vessel plans. 
• Assist shipyard documentarian to record, log and document work performed through the use of notes, drawings, photographs, spreadsheets, and smart phone applications. 
• Demonstrates and practices advanced visual spatial skills and basic ship joinery skills.  
• Can effectively create accurate patterns to pick up shape, lift bevels and choose an appropriate piece of timber stock for the task at hand.  Has the ability to layout this information onto the stock. 
• Can properly and safely operate and maintain a chain saw.  
• Demonstrates the ability to fair by batten and/or by eye. 
• Some ability to practice traditional ship caulking and willingness to learn advanced techniques. 
• Has full knowledge of all the steps to hang a carvel plank on a vessel in a strong and tight manner. 
•  Working knowledge of producing larger and/or shaped parts through the process of glued laminations. 
• Holds the ability to drive and dock a small shipyard work boat around the MSM’s waterfront and willingness to obtain a CT Safe Boaters Certificate. 
• Is able to perform daily ship-keeping rounds for Mystic Seaport vessels. 
• At all times, will represent Mystic Seaport Museum in a professional manner.  
• Will have line handling skills with the ability to tie a bowline, clove hitch, and half hitches as needed for vessel tie ups.

Grant TerminationAs noted in previous alerts, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has had its staff put on administrative leave with a lack of clarity on the status of already committed grants. In the last few days, news came out that the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) will likely be targeted by the end of this week to cut its staff by 70-80%. We have learned of grant terminations by both NEH and IMLS being sent out to some grantees.

IF YOUR GRANT HAS BEEN TERMINATED:Contact your members of Congress immediately. They need to be aware of the direct impacts. They will not know if you do not tell them.  Call AND write to ensure the message gets received. AAM has set up a template you can use. You will need to add into the template as much information as possible about the grant and the impacts of losing it. During Museums Advocacy Day, we heard from many Congressional offices that they wanted to be notified if any grants were delayed or terminated for museums in their districts.If you have connections to Congressional staff, please contact them directly.Review the National Council of Nonprofits checklist “What to do when your federal grant or contract is terminated“Please also let AAM know if your grant has been terminated.If you are responding to the termination letters, please do so through the eGMS system, or official grants reporting system.If you are a Federally recognized tribe whose grant has been terminated, you should also contact the Bureau of Indian Affairs.Share your story with local media

CONTINUE TO PUT PRESSURE ON CONGRESS:If you don’t have a grant that was terminated, please continue to engage your members of Congress and your state legislators.Share influential stories on your social media channels on how your museum impacts the communityVisit Your Legislators Locally: Members of Congress will be in their home districts for two weeks in April 13-27, periodically home for extended weekends, and for all of August. Take the opportunity to invite your members of Congress to your museum, schedule a meeting with them in their district offices, or attend public forums that your members of Congress might be hosting.Share your story with local media.Write AND call your members of Congress about the impacts of gutting these agencies (note, AAM has updated this template to include NEH and IMLS)Write AND call your state-level elected officials and ask them to join in speaking up to members of Congress.Encourage your museum’s Board, supporters, and members to write and call their members of Congress. AAM continues to work with Congressional champions to identify viable options to help support the museum community.  Continue to check this webpage for further updates.

Representatives Dina Titus and Suzanne Bonamici are circulating a letter for other members of the House of Representatives to sign, asking the Trump administration to reconsider the executive order that guts the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Please call your members of the House of Representatives to ask them to sign the letter. The deadline for members of Congress to sign the letter is end of day Friday, March 28 so calling will be the best option given the short turnaround time.

Our partners at the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) have created a draft script you may use. Type in your address to display your House member’s phone number.

CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
Museum Associations Send Letter to Acting IMLS Director
AASLH, along with AAM, Association of Art Museum Directors, American Public Gardens Association, Association of Children’s Museums, Association of Science and Technology Centers, Association of African American Museums, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and the Association of Science Museum Directors have sent a letter to Acting Director of IMLS Keith Sonderling.

The letter highlights the importance of museums to our economy, educational infrastructure, and communities as well as the critical support IMLS provides for the field. The letter also asks Sonderling to meet with the leaders of these nine associations and alliances.

READ THE LETTER
U.S. Senators Send Letter

Today, a bipartisan group of senators—Jack Reed, Kirsten Gillibrand, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski—sent a letter to Sonderling. These senators are the co-authors of the last act that reauthorized IMLS. The letter urges Sonderling to continue IMLS’s mission to engage with and support libraries and museums, as Congress intended when it created the agency. Read the letter.

Additional Advocacy Actions You Can Take

Write and call your members of Congress about what could be lost if IMLS is gutted.

Write and call your state-level elected officials and ask them to advocate for IMLS with your members of Congress.

Encourage your museum’s Board, supporters, and members to write and call their members of Congress.

Invite Congress to your organization. Members of Congress will be in their home districts for two weeks on April 13 – 27 and periodically home for extended weekends. Take the opportunity to invite your members of Congress to your organization, schedule a meeting with them in their district offices, or attend public forums that your members of Congress might be hosting.

Share your story with local media. Here are some examples of media stories and essays that have already been published:

• Trump administration seeks to starve libraries and museums of funding by shuttering this little-known agency
• Funding for Iowa museums, libraries in jeopardy following Trump executive order
• Holland Museum facing “critical financial challenge” amid federal funding cuts
• The president is dismantling an important program for Alaska libraries and museums – and Alaskans. Please help save it.

Registration is now open for the Summer Session of AASLH’s popular Online Courses. If these courses are of interest to you, don’t delay in registering. Our Online Courses almost always fill before the registration deadline.

AASLH members save $100 on course registration. Become a member.

Online Courses that are available each session rotate throughout the year. Visit our website to see the courses that will be available later in 2025.

Summer Online Courses
Registration Closes June 9

Introduction to Financial Management*
June 16 – July 13
$199 AASLH Members / $299 Nonmembers
Designed for staff and volunteers of all abilities and organizations of all sizes, this course provides an accessible, clear, and even fun introduction to the financial concepts of running a history organization. Register here.

Basics of Archives
June 16 – August 10
$230 AASLH Members / $330 Nonmembers
Learn the core aspects of managing and protecting historical records collections, using appropriate principles and best practices. Register here.

Caring for Museum Collections*
June 16 – August 10
$230 AASLH Members / $330 Nonmembers
This course deals with the physical care and preservation of your museum collections. It will cover how collections age and deteriorate, handling collections, storage requirements, environmental considerations, housekeeping, and risk management. Register here.

Developing Exhibitions: Planning and Design*
June 16 – August 10
$230 AASLH Members / $330 Nonmembers
Guided by an expert instructor and supported by cooperative student learning, you’ll develop an exhibition and create a design package. Participants will decide what their exhibit will be about and why, identify its storyline ideas and organizing concepts, develop a budget, and decide on its look and feel. Register here.

* Small Museum Pro!
Small Museum Pro! is a professional certificate program for history practitioners who work or would like to work in small history organizations. It provides practical guidance and education on a variety of topics. To receive a certificate, applicants must complete and pass five courses from the program. Learn more about SMP!

We are still accepting applications for our summer 2025 field school in Italy. Now in its 26th year, with alumni from over 170 colleges and universities worldwide, SGPS is dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage. We offer students the opportunity to study and travel in Italy where they acquire hands-on experience in restoration and conservation. The deadline for applications has been extended to April 15. For those wishing to apply through West Virginia University in order to received credit, their deadline has been extended to March 23.Please forward this notice to any person who may be interested in our programs, thank you. Session One (June 2 – 27)Building Restoration – Touching the StonesRestoration of Traditional Masonry Buildings and Sketching and Analyzing Historic Buildings (Program includes lectures and restoration field projects*) Archaeological Ceramics RestorationAnalysis and Restoration of Archaeological Ceramics in Italy (Program includes lectures and restoration workshop*) Book Bindings Restoration Introduction to the History and Craft of BookbindingsIntroduction to the Preservation and Preventive Conservation of Books (Program includes lectures and practical workshop*) Short Intersession Program (June 30 – July 9)Preservation Tour – Italy A ten-day trip visiting Florence, Siena and Rome: places of cultural interest, with emphasis on the urban and historical development of each town, including specialized visits to places of interest to restorers.  Session Two (July 14 – August 9)Paper RestorationIntroduction to the Restoration and Conservation of Paper in Artwork and Archival Documents (Program includes lectures and restoration workshop*) Traditional Painting TechniquesTraditional Materials, Methods of Painting and Art Restoration Issues (Program includes lectures and painting workshop) Preservation Theory and Practice in Italy Restoration Theory, Ethics and Issues (Program includes lectures and discussion) *Field Projects:Restoration of Porta Tuderte (13th century city gate) Analysis of medieval buildings in San Gemini as part of an urban study of the city Restoration and conservation of classical archaeological ceramics from the Parco del Colosseo in RomeRestoration of the Historic Archives, City of San Gemini (material ranges from 14th to 19th centuries)

APPLY NOW

SGPS is a program of the International Institute for Restoration and Preservation Studies, based in New York. An academic relationship has been established with West Virginia University that offers our students the opportunity to apply for and receive credits through the WVU Art History Department. We have established cooperation agreements with the Universita degli Studi della Tuscia in Viterbo. We have collaboration agreements with the Museo della Storie di Bergamo and the archaeological area of the Parco del Colosseo in Rome to study and conserve archaeological artifacts from those institutions. We have an ongoing collaboration with the Historic Archives of the City of San Gemini, the Historic Archives of the Diocese of Terni, Narni and Amelia for SGPS to study and conserve archival documents. Our courses are open to students from various disciplines, both undergraduate and graduate. All lessons are taught in English.Contact: Polly Withers, pwithers@iirpsemail.org, Tel: +1 718-768-3508. www.sangeministudies.org

THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY is conducting a survey to understand how and why people search, seek, explore, and use our collections, online and in person. This information will be used to help shape our plans for improving our catalog. We strive to incorporate the voices of a range of user types, from both inside and outside of NMAH. We hope you will:

• Take the survey (closes March 19)

We invite everyone’s participation, regardless of your role and level or type of familiarity with the collection. Staff, volunteers, docents, contractors, interns, fellows, from all departments (and any unit)—please add your voice.

• Forward the survey to others in your network

We are looking for anyone with an interest in museum or history collections for work, learning, or fun. That means scholars, teachers, genealogists, students, enthusiasts, collectors, makers, and people who love history!  Click here for language you can cut-and-paste into emails, listservs, and social media.

Please see this job opportunity below.

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/northcarolina/jobs/4809635-0/education-curator