WEBINARS       

National Informal STEM Education Network Webinar 
Climate Action Playbook Online Workshop 
December 2, 2025, 12:00 p.m. (AZ)
The webinar will be an introduction to The Climate Action Playbook, a new developmental framework created to help informal education organizations approach this topic in developmentally appropriate ways. This resource offers practical guidance for caregivers and education professionals, blending expertise from climate psychology, neuroscience, equity, early childhood, nature education, and climate science.

American Association for State and Local History Virtual Workshop 
Deaccessioning Deep Dive 
December 2, 2025, 11:00 a.m. (AZ)
This workshop will provide an in-depth review of the deaccessioning process from start to finish: inventorying, deaccessioning, documenting, processing, and final object transfers. The workshop will offer guidance and troubleshooting for organizations of all sizes and budgets, and deaccessioning projects on a variety of timelines.

The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum Webinar
Understanding exposure risks originating from collection at the CollectieCentrum Nederland 
December 3, 2025, 9:00 a.m (AZ)  

The Collections Care & Conservation Alliance Webinar 
Introduction to Active Collections  
December 3, 2025, 12:00 p.m. (AZ)  
In this webinar, you’ll learn about the Active Collections approach that looks at societal trends are affecting what museum audiences need from collections and explores new approaches to collections acquisition, deaccessioning, cataloging, and oversight, with a focus on strategies for small organizations.

Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts FREE Webinar
How a Conservator Looks at Works on Paper 
December 4, 2025, 10:00 a.m. (AZ)  
Join Nancy Ash, former Senior Conservator of Works of Art on Paper at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, for a presentation on close looking skills for appreciating works on paper. In this talk, she will provide you with new ways to look at art, how to describe what you’re seeing, and how to consider the context for the artist’s choice of materials and techniques.  

Open Copyright Advisory Education Advisory Net (OCEAN) Webinar
AI Litigation Update 
December 5, 2025, 10:00 a.m. (AZ)  
In keeping with the AI focus of our fall programming, we’ll be exploring the latest and most impactful AI litigation that affects authors, libraries, archives, and museums.

Natural Science Collections Alliance, Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections and American Institute of Biological Sciences Webinar
Natural History Collections and Repatriation: Beyond NAGPRA 
December 8, 2025, 12:00 p.m. (AZ)
Please join us for an information session about repatriation and how it relates to natural history collections held at museums, herbaria, and other institutions. We will be joined by a wide array of speakers who will share their perspectives on and experiences with repatriation, including cases for voluntary return. The program will delve into a zoological and a botanical case study of ethical return.  zoology, botany, geology, paleontology).

Backlog Webinar
Record Lifecycle 
December 8, 2025, 4:00 p.m. (AZ)
This webinar will walk through the lifecycle of a record and how it ends up in an archive or not. There are multiple models for conveying the lifecycle of a record, but this webinar will focus on the four-phase approach of record creation, active use, semi-active use, and final disposition.

Oregon Museum Association Webinar
Collections Policy 101 
December 9, 2025, 11:00 a.m. (AZ)
Melanie Deer, Collections Manager and Assistant NAGPRA Coordinator at the Center for Archaeology and Society Repository at Arizona State University, will break down aspects of a collections policy based on John Simmon’s “Things Great and Small.” By the end of the presentation you will be able to identify what sections you need to include and have confidence in starting.

Council of Regional Associations Webinar
Some Good (Museum) News - Holiday Edition 
December 9, 2026, 12:00 p.m. (AZ)  
Hear about the amazing people out there advancing the mission of their museums, get inspired by museum "wins," and celebrate the opportunities we've had to gather as a community in a year of new obstacles. 

Henry Stewart DAM Events The Invisible DAM: Making Asset Management Disappear 
December 10, 2026, 10:00 a.m. (AZ)
This session explores the paradox at the heart of modern DAM: the more powerful you make it for creative professionals, the more intimidating it becomes for everyone else.

American Association for State and Local History Virtual Workshop
Strengthening History Communication: Reframing the Value of Your Institution 
December 11, 2025, 11:00 a.m. (AZ)
Drawing on research from AASLH’s Reframing History project, this workshop will help you communicate with public audiences more effectively and build a wider understanding of the value of history and history organizations. This workshop will include an overview of research findings, discussions about major challenges in communicating history with colleagues from around the country, and an opportunity to begin crafting your own communications materials.

American Association for State and Local History Webinar
Youth250 and the Power of Teen Partnership in Cultural Spaces 
December 11, 2025, 1:00 p.m. (AZ)
Learn about the Youth250 Teen Toolkit, a practical resource, co-created by Made by Us and History Co:Lab, that helps organizations move away from a transactional model of teen outreach and toward relationships built on trust, shared problem-solving, and the joy of making meaning together. 

Texas Historical Commission Webinar
Stronger Together: Building Meaningful Communities of Practice for Museum Teams 
December 11, 2025, 1:00 p.m. (AZ)
Attendees will hear from leaders of Lubbock, Texas’ cultural heritage sector, who developed a practice of bringing institutions together to problem solve and proactively plan. Laura Casey, museum consultant and former coordinator for Texas Historical Commission’s Museum Services program, will provide practical insight and inspiration for creating your own network of support within your community.

Cultural Access Collaborative
Sense & Support:  Building Meaningful Sensory Kits 
December 11, 2025, 11:00 a.m. (AZ)
Learn the basics of creating thoughtful, effective sensory kits that serve all five senses. Hear from experienced professionals on what makes a successful sensory tool, and dig deeper into how organizations can create and distribute these supports for their communities.

Open Copyright Advisory Education Advisory Net (OCEAN) Webinar
Providing AI Guidance, Education and Information to Your Organization 
December 12, 2025, 10:00 a.m. (AZ)  
The final session of the series ties together everything that we’ve discussed so far and offers practical guidance on how to communicate the key concepts and best practices, and how they might apply to your particular type of organization, to your colleagues and patrons.

Association of Art Museum Curators
Working With: University Museums and Small Institutions 
December 16, 2025, 12:00 p.m. (AZ)

Smithsonian Learning Lab
Exploring our Sightlines: Integrating Local Stories across Subject Areas 
December 17, 2025, 2:00 p.m. (AZ)  
Join the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s Education Team to explore a new virtual tour experience based on the exhibition Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond.

American Alliance of Museums Webinar
From Numbers to Narratives: Exploring the Annual Snapshot Survey 
December 18, 2025, 12:00 p.m. (AZ)

American Association for State and Local History Core Issues Briefing
Understanding the U.S. History Sector 
January 7, 2026, 1:00 p.m. (AZ)
This webinar is part of AASLH’s Core Issues Briefing Series, which offers consolidated access to the latest research, insights, and guidance on responding to the history sector’s most pressing issues. Attendees will gain information to help strengthen their institutions and make the case for importance of the history community to varied stakeholders. 

American Association for State and Local History Core Issues Briefing
Doing History in Polarized Times 
January 14, 2026, 1:00 p.m.
This webinar is part of AASLH’s Core Issues Briefing Series, which offers consolidated access to the latest research, insights, and guidance on responding to the history sector’s most pressing issues and will explore recent research and tested strategies to help history practitioners work more effectively in today’s fractious discourse.

American Association for State and Local History Core Issues Briefing
Understanding the U.S. History Workforce 
January 21, 2026, 1:00 p.m.
This webinar is part of AASLH’s Core Issues Briefing Series, which offers consolidated access to the latest research, insights, and guidance on responding to the history sector’s most pressing issues.   Attendees will learn about data and insights that can support making informed decisions, advocate for needed change, and building more sustainable institutions through this clearer, more complete picture of the people who power the history sector.

American Association for State and Local History Webinar
Introduction to the AASLH Awards Program 
January 22, 2026, 1:00 p.m. 

American Association for State and Local History Core Issues Briefing
Disaster Preparedness for History Organizations 
January 28, 2026, 1:00 p.m. (AZ)
This webinar is part of AASLH’s Core Issues Briefing Series, which offers consolidated access to the latest research, insights, and guidance on responding to the history sector’s most pressing issues.   Attend this webinar to gain a deeper understanding of the risks an organization should consider and how to mitigate them.

American Association for State and Local History Webinar
Documenting Historic Cemeteries 
January 29, 2026, 1:00 p.m. (AZ)
The webinar will explore both digital and non-digital resources available through a variety of repositories such as topographical maps, Works Projects Administration surveys, and Eagle Scout projects to help researchers uncover information on previous documentation efforts while uncovering other potential avenues to further expand the breadth of documentary materials.

American Association for State and Local History Core Issues Briefing
Preparing for the U.S. 250th at History Organizations 
February 4, 2026, 1:00 p.m  (AZ)
This webinar is part of AASLH’s Core Issues Briefing Series, which offers consolidated access to the latest research, insights, and guidance on responding to the history sector’s most pressing issues.   Attend this webinar to learn about general approaches to commemoration and to the 250th in particular; the landscape of 250th planning at the local, state, and national levels; and conceptual and concrete tools available to help your organization participate.

American Association for State and Local History Core Issues Briefing
Engaging Younger Generations 
February 11, 2026, 1:00 p.m. (AZ)  
This webinar is part of AASLH’s Core Issues Briefing Series, which offers consolidated access to the latest research, insights, and guidance on responding to the history sector’s most pressing issues.   Attendees to this webinar will hear directly from Made By Us leadership about research and insights that can help history organizations more effectively appeal to and serve youth audiences.

American Association for State and Local History Webinar
Outdoor History Walking Tours 101 
April 2, 2026, 12:00 p.m. (AZ)
Aja Bain, AASLH’s Director of Professional Development and Publications and a Nashville walking tour guide for ten years, for a nuts and bolts look into what makes a great historic walking tour, and how your site can develop memorable and immersive experiences for visitors no matter your location or budget.

MEETINGS, CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS   

MuseumNext
MuseumNext Forecast 
December 17-28, 2025

Small Museum Association
42nd Annual Conference: Climate Change 
February 16 to 18, 2026
The Yorktowne Hotel, York, Pennsylvania

Museum Trustees Association Spring Forum 
February 19–22, 2026
Naples, FL 

American Association for State and Local History Workshop
Reimagining the History House Museum 
March 9, 2026
Nashville TN
This one-day workshop includes an analysis of the most important opportunities and threats facing historic sites in America based on the latest social and economic research, with a discussion on how they may relate to the participants’ house museum.

Tri-National Sonoran Symposium
March 9-12, 2026
Ajo AZ

2026 Ecsite Conference
June 2 to 4, 2026
Gothenburg, Sweden

Association of African American Museums Annual Conference 
August 19 – 21, 2026
Philadelphia, PA

 

COURSES    

American Association for State and Local History Online Courses  
January 12 – February 8, 2026: Introduction to Financial Management 
January 12 – February 8, 2026: Project Management for History Professionals 
January 12 – March 8, 2026: Basics of Archives 
January 12 – March 8, 2026: Collections Management 100: Collection Development 
January 12 – March 8, 2026: Developing Exhibitions: Planning and Design 
January 12 – March 8, 2026: Museum Education and Outreach

The Center for Collections Care Online Courses 
January 8-29, 2026: Fundamentals of Collections Care (Level 1)                  
March 18-April 8, 2026: NAGPRA in Practice (Level 2)                      
April 8-May 6, 2026:  Culturally Informed Collections Stewardship (Level 1)        
September 10-October 1, 2026: Fundamentals of Collections Management (Level 1)                     

Gawain Weaver Online Course
Care and Identification of Photographs  October 6 - November 23, 2025
This 7-week online workshop is an introduction to the history, identification, and preservation of photographic materials. Participants will acquire hands-on identification skills and learn practical photograph preservation techniques. Using handheld 60x microscopes and the Basic Photographic Sample Set of photographic and photomechanical samples, they will learn how a variety of processes were created, why they look the way they do, and how they deteriorate. Knowledge about photographic processes is essential to their preservation and leads to a greater appreciation of the aesthetics and history of photographic prints.

American Association for State and Local HistoryArcus Leadership Program Courses
Specifically designed for emerging and mid-level professionals and volunteers, these self-paced courses help participants understand the most critical topics in the history field and incorporate that understanding into their work. Start these courses any time.
Accessibility for Historical Organizations 
Creating Engaging Social Media Content for History Organizations 
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for History Organizations 
Foundational Principles of LGBTQ+ Inclusion 
Introduction to Fundraising 
Introduction to Indigenous History 
Program Planning for Nonprofits

Wild Apricot Online Course
Marketing Your Nonprofit 
Six-week eCourse to help  nonprofits improve their marketing capabilities and learn to build a comprehensive strategy.   Course includes 6 emails, one focused lesson per email with tools, templates and worksheets for hands-on learning.

GrantStation 
Turbocharge Your Grantwriting Skills ($399)
7 units guide you through the entire grant proposal process step-by-step. You’ll learn how to craft an organizational background, compelling statement of need, process and outcome evaluation, approach, and budget with detailed videos, downloads, examples, and other resources. 

Finding New Sources of Funding in Challenging Times
Think beyond traditional sources of financial support to fund cultural resource projects. Learn how to evaluate a cultural resource project for its value in serving broader community needs. Review traditional funding types versus alternative sources that can be redirected to meet project goals. 
(On demand)

Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) and the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN) Online Course
Museum Collections Documentation and Data Cleaning
Provides essential museum documentation information for museum staff with all levels of knowledge. It begins with an introductory overview and ends with specific documentation issues. Learners can take the modules in order or choose a module or two that fits their needs.
(On demand)

Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) and the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN) Online Course
Preservation Housekeeping for Heritage Sites and Small Museums
Covers guidelines, best practices and resources for the regular upkeep of historic interiors and exteriors as well as the contents of historic buildings. This one- to two-hour self-paced course has been designed for those who work or volunteer in small museums or heritage sites and who have little to no training in conservation.
(On demand)