Friday is my last day at the museum before I begin a new chapter in retirement. For the past couple of weeks I’ve been reminiscing about the changes that have occured during my fifteen years at the Scott County Historical Society.
In technology alone we are light-years away from the lowly fax machine and dial-up internet service we used in 2004. To publicize our programs, like “coffee-talks” and “lunch-box lectures”, we had to program media phone numbers (like Southwest News and Star-Tribune reporters/editors), into the banker-box sized fax machine – which had a dedicated telephone line. I remember listening for the buzz-dot-dot-ding-zzzzzz sound to make sure the fax went through properly. Now sending a press release is super easy, just create a media email distribution list and send an email. However, we still need to review and update the distribution lists – the same as for fax phone numbers – somethings don’t change.
Faster internet is a blessing – and a curse. We can get so much more done, connect with people faster and easier, and share information with the click of a button, which is fantastic. However, with ease-of-use comes pressure to do more. It’s a balancing act to do more and keep quality, which is something I believe we achieve at SCHS.
Here is a visual walk through some of the more outstanding changes at SCHS.
Office space reflects changes in technology (thanks Cargill for donating in-kind the desk & chair). The director (me) added a bit of color and cleaned up her act.
Our early hands-on exhibit item was a push button board – now we have a touchscreen that’s easily changed for new exhibit content.
Along with changes in technology, the museum building itself had a very different look when it opened. Originally the center hallway was one large room. Over the years, two half-walls were added to create three separate exhibit galleries – Maurice Stans government life, family life, and a center hall gallery for local exhibits.
There was limited space to display county history; at one point we used the museum store area for exhibits. A museum redesign project (funded by a 2013 Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community – SMSC grant), provided great opportunities to make the museum more welcoming, accessible and useful, including… a new entry and store.
We had an African gallery, complete with a diorama! The SMSC 2013 grant provided funds to change the diorama into much needed archival storage, and create open gallery space. (The lion and zebra were auctioned and the proceeds benefited collections care.)
The research library shared space with SCHS exhibits. Through the SMSC 2013 redesign, we removed the platform and installed a much needed education storage closet. Exhibits were removed from the space and now the full room is devoted to research library use.
Even the garden changed (thanks to a TORO grant in 2016); we removed the hedge surrounding the garden to create an open parklike space. The new garden has native plantings, butterfly gardens, pergola, raised garden beds, and open space for programming. The garden has hosted a few weddings since it’s redesign!
Staff has shifted over the past 15 years and I am extremely grateful for their skills, laughter, and high-quality work! Thanks Megan, Judith, Patrick, Jaden, Courtney, Andy, Allison, Theresa, Stephanie, Rachel, Tyler, Erika, Tony, Caitlin, Dave, and Rose.
It’s been quite a run and I am proud of all that we accomplished during my tenure at SCHS. These years have been the best of my working life and I have had many wonderful experiences both professional and personal that I will remember fondly. I will miss the incredible people I had the pleasure to work with and am at a loss on how to thank you for all the support you’ve shown me and the experiences we shared.
SCHS has an amazing staff and a wonderful volunteer base, and I look forward to seeing what new heights SCHS will reach in the future. Thank You!
