Hello everyone-- Based in part on the conversations on the small museum list-serv a few weeks ago, I'm working on putting together a session proposal on small museums and issues about collecting the recent past for the AAM annual meeting. I'd like to move the session beyond just an overview of what individual institutions collect to a larger discussion about how we represent American culture today in our collections. Some of the questions that interest me-- - How do small museums ensure that the totality of a community is represented? - Is it even possible for small museums to keep up with collecting items of mass production and popular culture? If not, then how do we decide what to collect? - How do small museums think about collecting web-based materials that are now a part of everyday life such as Facebook or Twitter? - It seems that much of the collecting at small museums focuses around community events and/or items of domestic use (kitchen utensils, etc). How can we collect items that show not only nostalgia, but issues that arouse conflict and debate? - How can the process of collecting become more participatory? If you're interesting in joining me as a session presenter addressing any of these questions--or can't do that, but have thoughts on any of the above, please email me. Thank you! Linda -- Linda Norris Where to find me: Blog: uncatalogedmuseum.blogspot.com Twitter: lindabnorris Website: riverhillpartners.com E-mail: [log in to unmask] Voice: 607-829-3501 Riverhill PO Box 232 Treadwell, NY 13846 ========================================================= 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).