Tag: AIC’s 40th Annual Meeting

Help us blog from AIC’s 40th Annual Meeting

AIC is continually striving to expand access to the stimulating and important content that is presented at our annual meeting.  For the past two years we have had members blogging about talks, workshops, tours and more.  Use the Search by Category pull down list on the right hand menu to find past posts.  We received a lot of feedback that this extra information was extremely useful to those who were unable to attend, as well as those who were there, but unable to see everything that they had hoped.   The 2012 meeting will have more concurrent sessions and so blogging will be more important than ever.

If you are attending the upcoming AIC annual meeting in Albuquerque please volunteer to help.   You need not be an experienced blogger nor particularly tech savvy.  The WordPress blog format is extremely easy to use and any necessary hand-holding will happily be provided to make you feel comfortable online.  There also is no pressure to be particularly witty.  Although active tense, first-person and personal style are all encouraged in blog posts (this is a chance to free yourself from the writing constraints of condition reports!), the writing is expected to be more like reporting and professional in tone overall.  The goal is for readers to learn more about the talk than they would gain from the abstract.  More guidelines and training will be provided for all volunteers.

Last year our blog saw a huge increase in traffic due to annual meeting posts.  We know that many colleagues are looking forward to hearing more about the conference and hope that you will share your thoughts from the meeting, and take the opportunity to become more comfortable with some of the social networking tools of our present and future!   If you are interested in volunteering or hearing more, please contact me, the AIC Editor, either using email or the comment field below.

If you are willing to participate the initial instructions are below:

  • Please access the GoogleDoc speadsheet to sign up for the talks that interest you.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AsAfSHCce5kbdGVrVTBaU1NwWS1TMGN4ZnlNZE1WN2c

  • Each SG, Outreach session, etc. has a tab at the bottom of the page allowing you to easily find the talks that mot interest you.
  • All you need to do is enter your name and email address next to the talks or sessions that you are volunteering to cover.  Your email is essential as that is how I will set up your account on the AIC blog
  • I am hoping that people will sign up for an entire Outreach session or, for SGs a block of talks in a session, but generally four papers is a good number.
  • Once you have signed up please download the AIC Annual Meeting Blogging Guidelines also from GoogleDocs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r021qzHsjGVEYylcXcfspv5eEYzGNkl-Kmv4sx7LUqQ/edit

  • I am hoping we can get each talk covered by at least one blogger before we ask for a second blogger.  If a talk you thought of covering is already taken, please consider a different topic or add your name as blogger #2
  • We do not expect live blogging.  We hope that you will post as soon as you can – whether that is the same day, by the end of the conference or by the end of the following week.
  • There is no official word length or limit
  • I will check up on assignments after the meeting but if for any reason you are unable to file your posts please see if you can find someone to take your place.  If that isn’t possible just let me know.  There are no penalties for failure.

If you won’t be in Albuquerque please help by forwarding this message to friends who are attending while letting them know that this will be a way for you to share in the fun and learn more of the amazing content that will be presented.

Thank you

The 2012 Great Debate at AIC’s 40th Annual Meeting (Updated)

I’ve had countless great debates with conservators at AIC, but I think they’ve usually happened outside in the hallway, over coffee, dinner, or drinks.

This is year that all changes.  

For the first time ever, at the 2012 Annual Meeting in Albuquerque I’ll be moderating the Great Debate at AIC.  This is a modified Oxford-Style Debate that will feature two tough topics that will be debated by the best and brightest minds in the field of conversation today.  (I got the idea from seeing it at the Annual Meeting for Museum Computer Network; you can watch one of those debates here.)

An Update & Important Note: I have placed debaters on one side or the other arbitrarily!  The side they are arguing from may not actually be the side they truly believe. This was done in an attempt to surface the best argument from both sides.

So, without further ado, here are the topics and the teams set to do battle:

First Statement: Publishing accurate and complete “how-to guides” for conservation and restoration treatments online is the best way for us to care for cultural heritage in the 21st century.

Affirmative Team

  • Karen Pavelka
  • Paul Messier 
  • Mary Striegel

Negative Team

  • Scott Carrlee 
  • Victoria Montana Ryan 
  • Matt Skopek 

Second Statement: Having conservators perform treatments in the gallery is the most successful way to generate funding for museums and raise awareness about the profession.

Affirmative Team

  • Vanessa Muros 
  • Kristen Adsit 
  • Camille Myers Breeze

Negative Team

  • Suzanne Davis 
  • Hugh Shockey 
  • Sharra Grow 

To make the debate successful we’ll need lots of help from a highly engaged audience.  And I don’t mean just to cheer on your favorite team, we need you to participate in the Great Debate at AIC!

There will be a significant amount of time in the debate in which members of the audience will get to ask each team questions to which they  have to respond.  Plus, the audience will decide who wins the debate.

The goal of the Great Debate is to create a new forum at the Annual Meeting that encourages meaningful discussions and provides conservators the opportunity to demonstrate their capacity to address challenging issues directly, openly, and in a fun way.

So be sure to come out on Friday the 11th  from 2:00 to 3:30 pm to see your colleague do battle on stage in front of a lively audience.  I know I’m bias, but this is going to be the most fun you’ll have at the Annual Meeting this year!