16th Annual MA History Conference: Empowering our Communities through History

The conference will focus on empowering our communities and organizations in preserving and telling the many stories of the towns and people of Massachusetts.

The democratizingtrends of the digital age are energizing our historical organizations by opening communication channels and creating new possibilities for collaborative work. These tools kindle a widespread interest in local history and allow for innovative approaches to the work local historians already do: in-person engagement with community members, collecting and sharing everyone’s stories, and finding new roles for historical organizations in contemporary life.

Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko, President and CEO of the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine, will give the keynote address. A passionate advocate for vibrant small, local museums, Cinnamon co-leads the Abbe Museum’s effort to ensure collaboration and cooperation with Wabanaki people, and is co-editor of the Small Museum Toolkit and founding chair of the AASLH Small Museums Committee.

How can you participate in the conference? Nominate yourself or someone else to bring a program or expertise to the table; suggest a panel or session that is based on programs that are happening; share what you think matters to Massachusetts history organizations and their people. Do you know of an organization or person doing inspiring and innovative work? Are you impressed by the groundbreaking steps someone is taking to work with the community? Have you come across an approach to local history that is amazingly successful? Do you know of a group that is successfully tackling the mountain of collection work that many volunteer organizations struggle with? Let us know!