"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…"

- Opening line of A Tale of Two Cities

Greetings!
During the Holidays, we automatically think of Charles Dickens’ sentimental ghost story A Christmas Carol, rather than his gloomy A Tale of Two Cities.  To many of us, Dickens’s tale of the French Revolution seems a little too close to our current reality: “the worst of times.”  Museums have been hit especially hard with lay-offs, furloughs, abbreviated operating hours, declining contributions, and scarce grant funding--just a few of the ghosts that have visited this Christmas present.  

So, how can this also be the best of times and how does the Maryland Association of History Museums (MAHM) fit in?

MAHM was founded by Maryland museum people, for Maryland museums.  We understand your issues, because those issues are our issues. 

As a first step, in order to better serve you, our members, and to respond to these challenging times, MAHM has restructured and revamped with a fresh vision, including a new strategic plan and mission statement.  There are many new faces on the board, all experienced professionals with a passion for our field.  The present board intends to be a very pro-active voice for Maryland museums.

As a second step, toward this pro-active stance, MAHM hosted a number of networking and training events in 2009, beginning the year with a reception and meeting at the Small Museum Association conference in Ocean City.  This was followed by our Annual Spring Meeting at Belair in Bowie with Sarah Brophy speaking on Fundraising.  MAHM then partnered with Four Rivers Heritage Area and Londontown for a “Best Practices in Interpretation” workshop.  This was followed by a workshop at Belair on grant writing and disaster management.  We also sponsored a reception at Maryland History Day. All of these events were free for MAHM members, with the only the charge being for lunch and snacks at the grants workshop.  Membership truly does have its privileges - take advantage of them!

Traditionally, museum folk have been made of hearty stock.  We are the original experts in doing much with very little!  That doesn’t mean we don’t occasionally appreciate help!  This year, as we have in the past, MAHM is working with the Maryland Heritage Coordinating Council to lobby for continued funding of preservation and heritage programs throughout the state.  Of particular interest for all of us is the Museum Assistance Grants program administered by the Maryland Historic Trust. Last year, as you are all aware, the MHT grant program funding was drastically reduced.  This affects ALL of us.   As it was last year, it will be a “tale of two cities” once again--your town and Annapolis.   We will need all the support we can to let our legislators know how important this funding is to our existence.  Your membership in the Maryland Association of History Museums affirms to our elected officials that museums have a strong united voice.

As a final note, Dickens’s novels, although initially frightening, also leave us, in the end, with hope, as he points out that life is cyclic and that change is possible.  We are all changed by the events of the last two years; however, let’s make that change be for the better.  We will survive because we are committed to what we do, because we understand the importance of Maryland’s past, and the critical need to save it.   We will learn to work smarter, with typical museum ingenuity and commitment, with a renewed emphasis on serving our communities. That is precisely how many of our institutions began, and that is precisely what we will continue to do – with ingenuity and commitment. 

Join with the Maryland Association of History Museums as we move forward into 2010 with a new sense of purpose and vigor.  If we work together as a united Maryland Museum community, we can make this the “best of times.” Thank you for your renewal or new membership!