EMHR board member Brian Lione of Lione Heritage Consulting, LLC (standing, back, right) addresses attendees of a Heritage Management Workshop held at the Susquehanna County Library in 2022.
The Endless Mountains Heritage Region (EMHR) will conduct a pair of workshops in Bradford and Wyoming counties to provide participants with the information they need to properly preserve, protect and manage artifacts and objects for museums.
“We know so many of our museums and historical societies across the region operate on volunteer support,” said EMHR executive director Cain Chamberlin. “While these volunteers are dedicated to helping their communities, many or most of them are not formally trained in the preservation of historical artifacts and documents.”
The first such event will be held at the Bradford County Historical Society on Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The second workshop will be held at the Tunkhannock Public Library on Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The same material will be covered in the sessions in both Towanda and Tunkhannock, so participants are encouraged to register for the date and location that best fits their schedules. The workshops are open to people of all skill levels.
The Heritage Management Workshops program began as “Caring for Collections” in 2022 and is a collaboration between the EMHR and Brian Lione of Lione Heritage Consulting, LLC, a firm that specializes in management and policy solutions for cultural heritage issues worldwide.
“Mr. Lione is a very active and passionate member of the EMHR Board of Directors and has worked with many reputable museums and historic preservation organizations in the past,” Chamberlin related. “He is an incredible asset to the EMHR, and we appreciate him offering to bring his knowledge and expertise to our many heritage partners through these workshops.”
“The need for expanded capacity building efforts in rural heritage organizations is well documented on the national scale by the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences and other like-minded organizations,” said Lione. “Based on those broader assessments, I’ve leveraged my position as an EMHR board member to learn more about their needs. Through discussions, I’ve confirmed that many of them would appreciate additional training, supplies and materials, and networking opportunities to support their work.”
The course is designed to help staff and volunteers who work at historical societies, historical sites, and museums better understand what tools they need to keep priceless artifacts, documents, and relics safe and viable. Each participant will receive guidance, training materials and hands-on instruction. Those who complete all three workshops will also receive a “starter kit” of archival materials to apply their new-found skills.
“Objects, artifacts, and archives are tangible parts of our past that help not only to tell the story of who we are, but to share that story with others,” Lione stated. “As industry, community, and our day-to-day life changes over time, it’s important to keep these stories alive as a way to honor those who came before and celebrate our way of life.”
The cost is $10 per person, and organizations are welcome to send as many representatives to the workshops as they would like. A light lunch is included with each session as is time for networking with people from other heritage organizations in the EMHR’s four county region – Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Wyoming.
The Heritage Management Workshops have been funded in part by the EMHR and the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The workshops are open to anyone, but registration is required, and space is limited. Interested readers can register online at emheritage.org/events, by phone at 570-265-1528, or by emailing cchamberlin@emheritage.org.