Are you full- or part-time paid or volunteer staff person in a small museum? Would you like to attend AASLH’s Annual meeting in August? AASLH’s Annual Meetings have become a potent force for change, renewal and sustainability in the field of local history. Dynamic speakers, such as NPR’s Cokie Roberts and ABC’s Lynn Sherer, rejuvenate our spirits at these meetings by re-affirming the importance of our work and vision. Unfortunately, many working in our nation’s small museums feel as if we can only dream of attending this meeting. In a perfect world, our requests for funding for professional development would always be granted. Institutions of modest means, however, may not allocate or have the resources to help us become effective stewards of our community’s memory. Websites and listservs constantly offer new sources of technical and psychological support, but nothing is better than the one-on-one fellowship of sharing survival strategies. Every year increasing numbers of sessions at the Annual Meeting address issues specifically affecting small museums. These sessions can be as practical and wide-ranging as training, marketing, and strategic planning. Other sessions revolve around creative ways to forge and re-energize relationships with the surrounding community. Over the past four years, AASLH’s Small Museums Committee has offered full or part-time paid or volunteer employees of small museums scholarships to attend the Annual Meeting. The scholarship is open to AASLH members. It will cover the cost of registration. Remaining funds available will offset travel and/or lodging expenses. To qualify, the museum must have a budget of up to $250,000. Applicants must explain how the meeting will benefit 1) their professional development, 2) their particular institution, and 3) their extended community. Application forms are at http://www.aaslh.org/SmallMuseums.htm. Applicants can submit applications electronically to: Bob Beatty, [log in to unmask] with 2009 Small Museum Scholarship in the subject line of the email. Mail or fax hard copy of application *with signatures* to: AASLH Small Museum Scholarship Attn: Bob Beatty 1717 Church St. Nashville, TN 37203 Fax: (615)327-9013 Deadline for Applications is 30 May 2009. For questions, please contact Bruce Teeple, Small Museum Scholarship Committee Chair at [log in to unmask] Award notification will be made by 30 June 2009. Stacy Klingler Chair, AASLH Small Museums Committee ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).