Bibliographic References for Cultural Sustainability

Anderson,Gail . Reinventing the Museum: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on the Paradigm Shift . Gail Anderson . Walnut Creek, CA : Altimira Press , 2004.

Sieg, Holger . "The Effectiveness of Private Benefits in Fundraising ." Tepper School of Business (2009): Carnegie Mellon University.

This reference specifically addresses the different avenues available for fund raising, including  the pros and cons of different approaches. Specifically it addresses the community involvement in private events, and the expectations of donors.

Burcaw, G. Ellis . Introduction to Museum Work . Walnut Creek, CA : AltaMira Press, 1997.

STEPS Workbook- Standards and Excellence Program for History Publications . Nashville, TN: American Association for State and Local History , 2009.

MAP Governance Assessment- Self Study Workbook . Washington DC: American Association of Museums, 2004.

This reference is vitally important, as it is the Self Evaluation Study for the specific museum I'm currently working with. It addresses financial and budget issues, community involvement issues, volunteer issues, collections issues, and public affairs protocol. 

The New Museum Registration Methods. Rebecca A. Buck and Jean Allman Gilmore. Washington DC : American Association of Museums , 1998.

"Helping Hands: Why Museums need Volunteers." Museum July-August (2010): 54-64.

This magazine article addresses the value of volunteers, and why museums and other cultural education resources depend on them. It's a great article, because I am specifically looking at ways to improve volunteerism within the local community. 

 Research Notes: Project Management. Rick Chandler, Curator, Bainbridge Island Historical Museum, 2003. 

These are the personal research notes of the Curator who I am working directly under. He has extensive notes on projects he has done which are similar to that which I am  designing.

 Research Notes: Community Relations. Rick Chandler, Curator, Bainbridge Island Historical Museum, 1999.

These are the personal research notes of the Curator who I am working directly under. These are extensive notes regarding the community of Bainbridge Island, WA. He looks at past data involving demographics, funding, and community expectations. 

 Research Notes: Museum Management. Rick Chandler, Curator, Bainbridge Island Historical Museum, 2001. 

These are the personal research notes of the curator who I am working directly under. These are extensive notes regarding the different roles performed by each member of the museum staff. This information is valuable, as it gives me insight into who performs what duties, and how each staff member works directly with the Board of Directors. 

Research Notes: Museum Financial Management. Rick Chandler, Curator, Bainbridge Island Historical Museum, 2001.

Research Notes: Museum Interpretation and Evaluation. Rick Chandler, Curator, Bainbridge Island Historical Museum, 2001.

Lopez, Susana . "The cultural policy of the European community and its influence on museums." Museum Management and Curatorship 12, no. 2 (1992): 143-157.

Cole, Richard. "American Museum of Natural History." 2009.http://www.amnh.org/about/financial.php (accessed 08/24/10).

This website discusses the financial data from the American Museum of Natural History. While it may not be pertinent to my specific project, it is a good comparison for the smaller museums I am looking at. 

"Belt Museum ." 2010.http://visitmt.com/categories/moreinfo.asp?IDRRecordID=16746&siteid=32 (accessed 08/22/10).

"Montana, Lewis and Clark: Belt." 2010.http://visitmt.com/categories/city.asp?City=Belt&SiteID=32 (accessed 08/26/10).

This website features information regarding the Belt Valley Museum, established in Belt, Montana. Since I will be using this specific museum in my studies, these Montana specific websites play a key role in my research gathering abilities. 

 Trulia, "Bainbridge Island Community Info." Trulia Real Estate Search. Available from htt;://www.trulia.com/real_estate/Bainbridge_Island/community-info/. Internet; accessed 25 August 2010. 

This website provides a comprehensive break-down of demographic information on Bainbridge Island, WA. This will be vital, as I address issues of education, funding, volunteerism, and community activism within the island. 

ePodunk, "Prifile for Belt, MT." 2007.http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=27661 (accessed 20 August 2010 ).

"Seattle's Population and Demographics." 1995-2010.http://seattle.gov/dpd/research/population_demographics/Seattle_at_a_glance/default.asp (accessed 25 August 2010 ).

Mihesuah,Devon A. . Repatriation Reader: Who Owns American Indian Remains. Devon A. Mihesuah. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2000.

Goldbard,Arlene. New Creative Community. Oakland, CA : New Village Press, 2006.

Kyvig,David E. and Myron A. Marty. Nearby History. 2nd ed. Exploring the Past Around You. Lanham, MD: Altimira Press, 2000.

Shaules,Joseph. Deep Culture: The Hidden Challenges of Global Living. Languages for Intercultural Communication and Education. Michael Byram and Alison Phipps . Tonawanda, NY: Multilingual Matters Ltd. , 2007.

Fiske-Risciano ,Roberta. Experiencing Race, Class, and Gender in the United States . 4th ed. Higher Education. New York, NY: Mc-Graw Hill, 2005.

This book addresses the political climate of the United States regarding sociological issues. It is an in-depth look at continuing problems within different social, ethnic, and racial classes, and how we may better address them in upcoming decades. 

Feagin,Joe R. . Racial and Ethnic Relations. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996.

This book discusses modern day racial and ethnic relations. It addresses the politics and procedures which cultural institutions have an obligation to follow. Considering that the museums I'm looking at often showcase different cultural groups from many different backgrounds, this lays a great foundation for further investigative research and inquiry.

A little bit of reflection on my time at Goucher

So here I sit, reflecting on my time at Goucher... What an amazing time that was! I laughed heartily, I cried heartily, I ate heartily, and I came to know some of the most thoughtful and inspiring people I’ve ever met in my life. ~Not bad for a mere ten days…

As I think about the first time I arrived on campus, I am reminded of how many misconceptions I had… Coming into this program, I thought I had done so much already. I had already been to so many places, seen so many things, and achieved so much as an undergraduate student. I had already spent almost ten years in the military, and I thought that I had been exposed to so much “cultural awareness” already. My ideas of culture and cultural sustainability were pretty solid, and I felt like I was truly ready to take the next step in achieving my Master’s Degree. However, after one day of class I quickly realized that all of my experiences and preconceived notions of myself (and others) were astonishingly limited… I had not done that much compared to half of the people around me… I had no idea of what cultural sustainability or awareness really looks like…And finally, cultural experiences cannot be summed up into some neat little package… It is truly so much deeper than that.

So what does all this mean then? What is the toolkit that I need to engage fully in this program? What are the things I will put into my basket? While I wrestle with these questions, I can feel absolute in knowing that this experience is not going to merely end up as some piece of paper on my office wall. I am not merely going to class… I am truly engaged. I am truly willing to step outside of myself and open myself up to others, and I have the confidence to know that others will do the same for me. Why? Because I believe we are more than just classmates. We are friends now. As I sit here, thousands of miles from half of you, I know fully that I am connected to you… each and every one of you. I can see your faces as I read your postings, and I feel an amazing bond between us. Even if we didn’t spend much time together during the residency, I feel that the time we did spend was unique and special in its own way. I am truly humbled to be among the rest of you, for it is through getting to know all of you, that I will ultimately know myself better.

Trying to put it all together, I can only come to the conclusion that I have been blessed. I have been blessed to be accepted into this warm and inviting community, and I have been blessed that I have the resources available to me in order to pursue my academic dreams. I don’t know what the final outcome looks like… I don’t know how my life will be affected when this is all said and done, and I don’t know what kinds of impacts my work will have upon my communities. Thinking about the maze parable, I expect that over the next two years I will find my way; regardless of which twists and turns I experience... What I do know however, is that those ten days in Maryland have paved the way for something great. It is indeed a great opportunity to be in this space with you all, and I am inspired to once again step outside of myself and open myself up to something truly special.

Thank you to everybody. I have been truly humbled, and I cannot wait to engage with you all further!