New Book by Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko, Abbe CEO, now available!
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Abbe Museum CEO and Maine museum leader, 
Cinnamon
Catlin-Legutko, is co-editor and chapter author of a new book series
for small museum professionals. In late December, a five-year project
became reality when the Small Museum Toolkit, published by AltaMira Press, an imprint of the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, was released.
Conceived
during a marathon road trip to two back-to-back museum conferences,
co-editors Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko and Stacy Klingler tackled a dream to
produce practical how-to resources specifically geared for their small
museum colleagues. Partnering with dozens of authors, whose writings are spread over six books, the Small Museum Toolkit offers a launching point for small museum staff to pursue best practices and meet museum standards. These brief volumesaddress
governance, financial management, human resources, audience relations,
interpretation, and stewardship for small museums and historic sites.
The early reviews are exciting -
Finally,
a practical, easy to read book series designed specifically for staff
at small museums and historical societies! The Small Museum Toolkit will
be a welcome addition to small museum bookshelves everywhere.
- Scott Wands, Heritage Resource Center & Field Services Director, Connecticut Humanities Council
- Scott Wands, Heritage Resource Center & Field Services Director, Connecticut Humanities Council
Benjamin Ives Gilman described the most pleasant of museum visits as one in the company of someone who knows and loves the objects on view. Reading the Small Museum Toolkit is a bit like such a 'visit.' Each author serves as a knowledgeable guide helping the reader understand museum practices in the most pleasant way. The information in these pages is so approachable that I recommend it not only to museum staff and volunteers, but also museum board members.
-
Mary Alexander, Maryland Historical Trust; co-author, Museums in
Motion: An Introduction to the History and Functions of Museums second
edition
Prior
to joining the Abbe as CEO in 2009, Cinnamon was the director of the
General Lew Wallace Study & Museum in Crawfordsville, Indiana where
she lead this small museum and historic site to the National Medal for
Museum Service in 2008. She was the founding chair
of the American Association for State and Local History's Small Museums
Committee and is presently an AASLH board member. She also serves as a peer reviewer for the American Association of Museums. In the series, she authored two chapters, "DIY Strategic Planning" and "Fearless Fundraising: A Roadmap for Kick-Starting Your Development Program."
Stacy Klinglerunderstands
the real life challenges of working in a small organization from her
past role as director or assistant director of three small museums in
Indiana and in her current role serving small museums in the field
service office at the Indiana Historical Society. She has nine years of
experience translating museum standards and best practices into
manageable steps for all-volunteer and minimally-staffed organizations. Klingler is the current chair of the AASLH Small Museums Committee is a member of the Field Services Alliance. In the series, she co-authored a chapter with Conny Graft titled, "In Lieu of Mind-Reading: Visitor Studies and Evaluation."
The
Abbe Museum's Curator of Collections, Julia Clark, also had a role in
the book series. She authored a chapter about developing collections
management policies titled, "Do We Really Want that Bust of Jesus, and
What Should We Do with the Pump Organ in the Other Room? Why you want a
Good Collections Management Policy."
The table of contents provides another snapshot of the book series:
Book One: Leadership, Mission, and Governance
Book Two: Financial Resource Development and Management
Book Three: Organizational Management
Book Four: Reaching and Responding to the Audience
Book Five: Interpretation: Education, Programs, and Exhibits
Book Six: Stewardship: Collections and Historic Preservation
Book Two: Financial Resource Development and Management
Book Three: Organizational Management
Book Four: Reaching and Responding to the Audience
Book Five: Interpretation: Education, Programs, and Exhibits
Book Six: Stewardship: Collections and Historic Preservation
To learn more about the book series and to order a set, please click here.
open! This beautiful exhibition opened on October 21st, and we were lucky to have all five artists join us for the opening reception! Also joining us that evening were Twisted Path's co-curators, Abenaki artist Rick Hunt and Abbe Museum Curator of Education Raney Bench. Guests that evening enjoyed remarks by both curators, as well as the opportunity to meet the artists: Leon Sockbeson, George Neptune, Sarah Sockbeson, Max Sanipass Romero, and Rhonda Besaw. Stop in soon to see these inspiring artworks. This exhibit is made possible with support from The First and the Fisher Charitable Trust. 
