MPMA Workshop : Introduction to Grant  Writing


At MPMA's 2011 Conference  
Helena, Montana:  Between Yellowstone and Glacier  



Monday, October 17, 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm 
This grant  writing workshop is for small museums  and historical 
organizations with limited staff and limited time. It's an  introduction to the 
process and skill of grant proposal  writing. Learn from seasoned grants officers 
how to gather information, develop a project description, provide the key 
information requested for the grant  and create a detailed  budget. Hands-on 
exercises will include a review of a  grant proposal, and practical 
exercises to take you step-by-step through  planning programs. Participants will 
receive worksheets, handouts and information on grant opportunities for museums 
and cultural  projects. 
Presenters:  Amy Munson, Grants & Contracts Officer, State Historical 
Society of North  Dakota, Bismarck, ND; Becky Meidinger, Development Specialist,  
Cooperstown-Griggs Co Economic Development Center, Cooperstown, ND. 
Have you  already registered? You can still add this workshop or other 
events. Just  contact us above by_ email_ (mailto:[log in to unmask])  or phone 
at 303-979-9358. 
Workshops at MPMA's  Conference 

See  below ALL of the half-day and full-day workshops offered at MPMA's 
2011  Conference 

HALF-DAY MPMA  WORKSHOPS 

W2: Oral  Histories in the Digital Realm  
Monday, October  17, 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm  
Your  institution would like to start or add oral histories to its 
collections? Great!  But where do you start - especially when there are many issues 
to address before  recording can begin.  
This workshop  will provide all you need to know regarding oral histories. 
Participants will  come away having learned how to start an oral history  
program and conduct an interview, what to do after the interview and how  to 
transcribe the recording, what equipment  (recorders, camcorders, software, 
accessories) to purchase for the interview,  and how to maintain and store 
the interviews.  Participants will get to practice on digital equipment in the 
class. Other  topics covered in this session include legal issues, old 
audio and video tapes,  security, and useful references and resources. 

Presenter:  Sandra Reddish, Collections Manager, Public Historian, Fort 
Riley, KS  

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W3:  Introduction to Grant Writing  
Monday,  October 17, 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm  

This  grant writing workshop is for small museums and historical 
organizations with  limited staff and limited time. It will be an introduction to the 
process and  skill of grant proposal writing. Learn from seasoned grants 
officers how to  gather information, develop a project description, provide  
the key information  requested for the grant and create  a detailed budget.  
Hands-on exercises will include a review of a grant proposal, and practical  
exercises to take you step-by-step through planning programs. Participants 
will  receive worksheets,  handouts and information on grant opportunities 
for museums and cultural  projects. 
Presenters:  Amy Munson, Grants & Contracts Officer, State Historical 
Society of North  Dakota, Bismarck, ND; Becky Meidinger, Development Specialist,  
Cooperstown-Griggs Co Economic Development Center, Cooperstown, ND.  

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W4:  Changing Negative Workplace Behavior Workshop  
Monday, October  17, 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm  

Every  organization or group has someone who chafes and irritates others. 
Trying  everything is frustrating and rarely works. Not knowing what to do is 
even  worse. Workshop Leader Sarah (Sam) Elliston, who is certified in 
Reality  Therapy, walks through the issues and steps to eliminate negative 
behavior. 
The scope of  this workshop is workplace behavior but it introduces a 
process that can be  applied to individuals, groups, colleagues, and even family 
members. It will  also explore what motivates an individual to act in 
certain ways and the  methods, message and strategies that can be used to change 
negative behavior  into positive behavior. This is an opportunity to  learn 
how to redirect an unhappy and  irritating individual into a happier and more 
productive member of the  staff. This workshop is for directors, deputy 
directors, supervisors, and anyone  who works with or manages paid staff.  
Presenter:  Sarah (Sam) Elliston, M A T, Certified Volunteer Administrator, 
Reality Therapy  Certified, Cincinnati, OH  

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W5: Don't Let the Paper Get You Down! Basic  Records Management for  
Museums 
Monday,  October 17, 2011 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm  

Why does record  management matter? And what is a museum's legal 
responsibility when it comes to  its records? While it is easy to lose sight of what 
records to retain and what  records to toss, the decision to do either one of 
these is important. This  hands-on workshop is designed to give 
participants confidence to work with their  institutional documents and to solve their 
records issues. It will focus on  record management and provide steps for 
successfully managing organizational  records. The workshop will begin with an 
overview of the general principles of  records management, cover the many 
categories of records along with the  resources available to records 
managers, and finish by tailoring the workshop to  the needs of each participant. 
Presenter:  Audra Oliver, Registrar, W. J. Clinton Presidential Library and 
Museum, Little  Rock, AK 

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W7:  Dealing with Difficult Volunteers 
Tuesday,  October 18, 2011 8:30 am - 11:30 am  

Every  organization has people who need correction but it is even more 
difficult when  the individual is a volunteer. We don't want to offend the 
volunteer but we also  need something to change.  
This highly  interactive workshop will lead participants in a process to 
identify what to say, how to say it, and  then practice the process. It 
provides hope by  identifying the elements of a Volunteer Program that can ease 
problems and  prevent them from occurring.  
Workshop Leader  Sarah (Sam) Elliston has worked with volunteers in a 
variety of settings and  taught classes about them for over 20 years. She has 
also managed a  certificate-earning series on volunteer management and taught 
undergraduate and  graduate courses in Volunteer Program Management.  
Come learn from  one of the best in this fun and informative class. 
Participants will leave with the knowledge of a process that can be applied to  any 
difficult person. This workshop is for volunteer coordinators or  managers, 
or anyone who works closely with volunteers. 
Presenter:  Sarah (Sam) Elliston, M A T, Certified Volunteer Administrator, 
Reality Therapy  Certified, Cincinnati, OH 

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W8: Who Do  You Really Think You Are? 
How Can  Museums Help Youths Find Their Identities and  
Make Good  Choices? 
Tuesday,  October 18, 2011 8:30 am - 11:30 am  

Neil Postman  declared "Every museum offers an answer to the question 'What 
does it mean to be  human?'" Others have indicated that museums and their 
collections, programs, and  exhibits can be viewed as ultimate resources for 
personal and social identity  construction and making meaning of the lives 
we lead.  
This workshop  will explore the ways that museums can support  identity 
development of youth audiences and answer the question: how do  encounters with 
museum objects help shape their personal identities? Presenters  will pose 
questions about the nature of  identity work and lead participants through a 
series of discussions and  interactive exercises designed to provide them 
with the basic skills and  techniques for understanding identity and using  
these techniques in educational programs and exhibits. Participants also will 
 gain information about other identity-oriented programs going on in 
museums,  science centers and zoos. 
Presenters:  Peter Tirrell, Associate Director, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum 
of Natural History,  University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK; Holly Hughes, Head 
of Education, Sam Noble  Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of 
Oklahoma, Norman,  OK 

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W9: Project WET Training: Community Connections  Through Water Resources  
Tuesday,  October 18, 2011 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm  

The  mission of Project WET is to reach children, parents, educators, and 
communities  of the world with water  education.  It is an Environmental 
Education Program that includes an interdisciplinary  hands-on approach to 
activities and standards-based curriculum to encourage  outside learning for all 
ages. Earn professional development credits toward  facilitator status in 
your state. Learn how to teach  about water,  our precious resource, through 
hands-on, investigative, and easy-to-use  activities. Participants  will 
receive Project WET curriculum and resources for their sites and  museums. 
Chair:  Susan Rowe, Education Program Manager, Lubbock Lake National 
Historic Landmark,  Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX.  
Presenters:  Kathryn S. Watson, Education Outreach Coordinator, Montana 
Watercourse, Bozeman,  MT; Angela Hewitt, Early/Elementary Education 
Specialist, Museum of the Rockies,  Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 

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Half Day  Workshops Monday and Tuesday 

W1 and  W6: Interpretive Writing Workshops: 101  and 201  
101 Monday,  October 17, 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm  
201 Tuesday,  October 18, 8:30 am - 11:30 am  

These two  workshops will help you learn how to make your writing 
compelling. You'll come  away learning not only the basics of good writing, but how 
to apply these  techniques to brochures, websites, exhibits, public service 
announcements,  books, magazine articles, and other interpretive projects 
that apply to museums.  Even if you think your writing is good enough, these 
workshops will help you  refine it to a higher level. Take one or take 'em 
both! 
Writing  basics are presented  in the workshops through advanced concepts 
and all within a fun learning  environment. Participants will learn how to 
create  clear, dynamic and concise texts, how to reveal meanings, and  how to 
excite visitors about your museum or  exhibit. Through interactive 
activities, participants will develop  new skills, be challenged to write about 
something and will learn how to  deliver compelling messages. 
Here's  what else attendees will come away with:  
    *   Capturing your reader's  attention  
    *   What to avoid  
    *   How  to show rather than tell  
    *   The editing process  
    *   How to write for your  specific  audience  
    *   Writing  a good lead-in sentence
Presenter: Dr. Alan  Leftridge, Writing Consultant, Swan Valley, MT. Dr. 
Leftridge specializes in  writing for displays and exhibits. He is known for 
his engaging and informative  workshops. He is the recipient of the 2009 
National Association for  Interpretation Fellow Award. 
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FULL- DAY  MPMA WORKSHOP  

W10:  Secrets from Exhibit Designers 
Tuesday,  October 18, 2011 8:30 am - 3:30 pm  
Are you  overworked and under funded? Are you wearing too many hats? This 
hands-on  workshop is for staff of small museums on a tight  budget. Exhibit 
designers share a few of their secrets on developing new  exhibits or 
revamping what you've got while not  spending a budget you don't have. See how to 
involve the community and transform  your exhibits and increase support. 
Bring your  exhibit/ design issues and get help solving them. Learn how to 
create a contingency plan for when the unthinkable happens.  Other topics will 
include: 
    *   Problems  and "deadly" experiences  
    *   Visitor  circulation and interpretive design: including do's and 
don'ts of  visitor circulation and pacing  
    *   Text  panels: tips for writing an effective text panel, graphic 
basics,  point size, positioning, and design challenges  
    *   Design  tips: do's and don'ts of showcase layout design and  
lighting objects  
    *   Exhibit design problem solving 
Presenters:  Bianca Message, President, and Amy Willson, Designer, André & 
Associates  Interpretation & Design Ltd., Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 
 

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To register for any of the MPMA Workshops:  
Online: _http://www.mpma.net/accurrent.php_ 
(http://www.mpma.net/accurrent.php)  
By Mail: 
_http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=976708_ (http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=976708)    
Have you  already registered? You can still add this workshop or other 
events. Just  contact us above by email or phone.  



MPMA: A Ten-state  museum network



Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North  Dakota, Oklahoma, 
South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming


Mark your  calendar:
2011 MPMA  Conference: October 17-21 Helena, Montana
2012 MPMA Conference:  October 1-5 Corpus Christi, Texas
2013 MPMA Conference: September 30-October  4 Lincoln, Nebraska


Mountain-Plains Museums Association
7110 West  David Drive
Littleton, Colorado 80128-5404
303-979-9358 www.mpma.net 

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