Small Museum Association Conference 2025

With a staff of just twelve year-round staff members comprising departments of one, collaboration with colleagues and community partners make it possible for the Antique Boat Museum (ABM) to host 20+ different education programs on and off the water for all ages as well as plan, produce, and install seven new exhibits on a minimal budget. ABM’s Educator Molly Voth and Curator/Collections Manager Caitlin Playle will share some of their collaborations, big and small, and tips and tricks for successful results. There will be an opportunity for attendees to swap tips and tricks at the end.

In the museum field, job descriptions are often inconsistent and lack the depth needed to attract the right candidates, and this session provides museum professionals with the tools and techniques to create thoughtful, effective, and human-centered job descriptions. We'll unpack real job descriptions (the good and the bad), define your ideal candidate, and help you develop your advertisement. By the end of the workshop, participants will leave equipped with practical skills and strategies to attract the right candidates, reflect the values of their institution, and contribute to a more humane hiring process.

In this workshop, staff from the Rosenbach Museum & Library, Alexander Ames, the Director of Outreach & Engagement and Emilie Parker, the Director of Education, with their combined 25 years of experience at the Rosenbach,  will introduce a process for the development and implementation of innovative projects, one that will save time and energy in the long run and can help clear the way for successful innovation in the future.

The US 250th is an opportunity to share history that tells everyone's story and to strengthen the history field. AASLH has developed key resources to help practitioners to both conceptually and concretely plan for this commemoration's transformative potential. Learn about the filed guide, programming idea, handbook, and how to effectively apply these tools to your site or organization.

Any museum, no matter the size, must learn to overcome the logistical challenges of bringing students to the institution.  Join Liberty Hall Museum’s Education Coordinator, Hannah Gaston, and Education Assistant Michaela Piepoli as they share the strategies and effective practices they use when coordinating school trips, with the goal that participants will feel more empowered and more educated about how to recognize and prepare for their own institution’s field trip challenges. The panelists will explore questions including: How do you tell the buses where to drop off or park?; How do you get local schools to know about your institution and programs?; How do you make historic rooms accessible for students with physical disabilities in non-ADA compliment spaces?; and more.

LOCATION: 
National Capital Trolley Museum1313 Bonifant Road
Colesville, MD 20905-5955

Getting to the National Capital Trolley Museum
It is about an 18 minute drive from the Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center to the National Capital Trolley Museum.

GroupCarpool 
Group Carpool: Driving to SMA? You might consider joining GroupCarpool to share a ride with your fellow conference attendees. This a great free option for attendees to get around the area for free and meet each other.

• GroupCarpool is a user-friendly app designed to simplify carpooling. It connects users who want to share rides, making it easier to coordinate travel plans with friends, colleagues, or fellow commuters. The platform allows users to create and join carpools, track rides, and communicate seamlessly within the app. With features like route optimization and scheduling, GroupCarpool promotes eco-friendly transportation and helps reduce traffic congestion, making it a convenient solution for anyone looking to save on travel costs and connect with others.
  
  

Rideshare
Uber and Lyft 

• To order an Uber or Lyft, download the app and sign up. Set your pickup location and destination, choose your ride type, and confirm your ride. Then, meet your driver at the designated spot and enjoy your trip!

Join us for late night Trivia! Create a team (1 to 8 persons per team), and come up with your team name!

Open to all!