No one reading this needs a description of how the world has been flipped upside down. What we know today will change tomorrow, and the future is anyone’s guess. What I want to share is my perspective through the archivist lense as we all try to navigate our new normal.
February: master of deception with its bright but frigid days. A 95 year old member of my family once told me that February is the sunniest month of the year. She obviously wasn’t talking about my disposition as I stared blankly at her, disbelieving. She’s 95 and has seen her fair share of Februaries, maybe this is the year I trust more. I just can’t get July out of my head whenever I think about this…
Over the last few weeks I have been changing out the exhibits and confirming exhibit plans for the next 3 years. I like to plan ahead so that my cycle changes out with reduced hiccups. I also collaborate with several people to come up with a plan that entices several demographics- this is not an easy task but I think we have hit the mark the last few years.
Inspired by Time Travel with Elgin County Archives, I used our green screen to have some fun at the Archives! For more information about the program, please see the article in MAIGazine.
As much as winter is not my favorite season - getting four boys in snowsuits every morning on top of our regular morning routine is like a full time job before even coming to work - I don’t wish it away. There is something peacefully beautiful as I watch the snowflakes falling out my office window.
On CBC radio last week they interviewed a guest, a specialist in career shifts and big life changes. Normally, I have one ear on the radio, the other on the circus that is my house, but the change guru got my full attention when describing the usefulness of setting goals over stating New Year’s resolutions. As soon as you set an end point plus an evaluation measure, it’s a goal not an aimlessly thrown out resolution floating in the ether.
2019 was an exciting year at the Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives and we celebrated the end of the year by doing an update to the online database!
The past couple of months have consisted of large amounts of digitization, coding format of records for our online database, learning programming languages like Python, digital preservation planning and providing new ways to access archival records. I currently focus on strategies to increase digital access to the archival collection at the Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives.
Experience the spirit of the season at Lennox & Addington County's 6th annual ‘Christmas Tree’ event on Tuesday, December 17th from 6 - 8 pm. This festive event takes place at the L&A County Museum and Archives, located at 97 Thomas Street East in Napanee.
Do you have a Nutcracker or two that the Museum could borrow for our holiday display? Help us fill the foyer for our "Crazy for Crackers" exhibit this December. Drop by the museum before December 1st and we'll add it to the collection. For more information contact Joanne at 613-354-3027.
Upcoming Events
There’s been a lot of information from us at the Museum and Archives lately about Anne Frank and the travelling exhibit from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. I say this not as promotion, rather to provide context for this blog because without that exhibit, it’s hard to say whether Donald Reid, Luva Perry, Harold Rogers or Erich Possin would be at the forefront of my work lately.