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NEWSLETTER

Volume 17, #1                       January 29, 2014
__________________________________________________________________________

Inside:
SMMP Meetings
Meeting Agenda
President's Message
Meeting Minutes
SMMP Europe Report
Best Practices Project
SMMP Grant Program
Board Election
Job Appointment
Endangered Museum
SMMP Affiliations
SMMP List Server

Paying Dues

Board of Directors

President
Virgil W. Lueth (15)
New Mex
ico Bureau of Mines
801 Leroy Place
Socorro, NM 87801
, USA
vwlueth@nmt.edu

Past President &
Newsletter Editor

Anthony R. Kampf (16)
Natural History Museum
of
Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
90007, USA

Vice President
Katherine Dunnell (16)
Mineralogy Department
Royal Ontario Museum

100 Queen's Park
Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C6, Canada

Secretary
Jean F. DeMouthe (16)
California Academy of Science
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, CA 94118
, USA

Treasurer
Anna M. Domitrovic (15)
6118 W. Lazy Heart Street
Tucson, AZ 85713, USA

Board Members:

Julian Gray (14)
Tellus Science Museum
100 Tellus Drive
White, Georgia  30120

Alan Hart (15)
Department of Mineralogy
The Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7 5BD, England

Terri Ottaway (14)
Gemological Institute of America
5345 Armada Drive
Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA

Penny Williamson (14)
School of Earth and
Environmental Sciences
University of Wollongong
NSW 2522, Australia

TUCSON MEETINGS

Date: Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014
Place: Crystal Ballroom
Tucson convention Center
Board Meeting: 3:30 - 4:00 PM
Membership Meeting: 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Program: 5:00 - 6:00 PM
Social Media in Museums; the New Normal
Meet the Curators Social: 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Casa Vicente
375 South Stone Ave., Tucson, AZ  85701
Located approximately one block southeast of the Convention Center
www.casavicente.com
Hosted by Jim & Gail Spann
Tapas (appetizers), wine, beer and soft drinks provided.
Hard liquor is not included, but can be purchased.

 

Tucson Exhibit:
"Diamonds that are not diamonds"

This includes anything in your collection that has been called a diamond, but isn't. 
Examples:  Herkimer diamonds, Cape May diamonds, Mirabeau diamonds, rhinestones (not glass), and so on. We are trying to not include man-made materials, so no CZ, glass, or other diamond simulants. Most "diamonds" are water-clear quartz, but in some cases, they are other minerals such as topaz or zircon.

Please contact Jean DeMouthe if you are planning to participate in our exhibit at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show.

* * *

TENTATIVE TUCSON AGENDA 

  1. Call to Order (Lueth)

  2. Introductions

  3. Approval of the Denver Meeting Minutes (Lueth)

  4. Treasurer's Report (Domitrovic)

  5. Membership Report (Domitrovic)

  6. Collections/Curators Committee Report (Lueth)

  7. Education Committee - Tucson 2014 and Denver 2014 exhibits, (DeMouthe)

  8. Best Practices Initiative (Lueth)

  9. SMMP Europe Report

  10. Board of Directors Election

* * *

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Greetings,

I'm sure you folks from the higher latitudes are anxious to get to Tucson. It has been a brutal winter in North America and similarly so in parts of Europe/Asia. Hopefully the high pressure ridge will hold for your visit and we will stay dry and warm (unfortunately for those of us in the southwest, but we're kind of weird that way).

As the world economy begins to emerge from the great recession, hopefully funding of museums and their activities may improve. The burgeoning phenomena known as social media is becoming an increasingly important part of day to day living for many people. It is also provides a new vehicle for making the public and decision makers notice and value your collections. This year's program, prepared by Katherine Dunnell, will hopefully better educate us its importance. I hate to say this but as part of the "older generation" I know I am not properly educated or motivated on the subject. However, it is obviously important in the next generation of visitors and curators. I'm looking forward to the education. Perhaps you can justify increased funding to tap into this - maybe even come up with a proposal for SMMP?

An important aspect of the Tucson meeting is to elect the Board of Directors. Julian Gray, Penny Williamson, and Terry Ottaway terms are expiring. Please consider any changes you may want to make to the board and be prepared to nominate any candidates you might feel are effective. The current slate can also be returned office.

Jim and Gail Spann are also hosting a "Meet the Curators" social event again this year. I would like to publicly thank them in advance for their generosity. It is a great opportunity to share good fellowship after our meeting.

 Looking forward to seeing you all in Tucson,

Virgil Lueth, President

* * *

MINUTES OF THE DENVER MEETING
September 2013

Unfortunately, the minutes have gone missing.

* * *

Report on the joint meeting of the
IMA-Commission on Museums
and SMMP-Europe
Munich, Germany - October
25, 2013

Click on the link above to view the minutes.

* * *

BEST PRACTICES PROJECT

"Best practices" documents are posted on the SMMP website:

BEST PRACTICES REPORT NO. 1: Research Sampling of Collections

BEST PRACTICES REPORT NO. 2: Moving Specimens

We are actively looking for more volunteers to author other best practice documents.

* * *

SMMP RESEARCH STUDY GRANTS

Awards are to support curatorial research and methodologies that address one or more of the Society of Mineral Museum Professionals (SMMP) mission statement goals: 1) foster recognition of mineral science collections as essential scientific, educational and cultural resources, 2) promote support for growth, maintenance and use of collections and exhibits and, 3) advance museum practice through cooperation in the development, review and dissemination of information. Amounts vary up to a maximum of $1000 per grant. Grant awards determined by SMMP Board of Directors. Grant applications and more details are posted on our website:
http://www.agiweb.org/smmp/support-SMMP.htm

Grant proposals are due: August 1, 2013

* * *

Board of Directors election

Three board member terms will be expiring this year.
Please be prepared to nominate candidates and vote.

Bo
ard members whose terms expire this year are:

Julian Gray
Penny Williamson
Terry Ottaway

Term expiration dates of the other board members are provided in parentheses in the sidebar.

* * *

NEW JOB APPOINTMENT
New Director at the National Mining Hall of Fame
Leadville, Colorado

National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum Appoints New Executive Director
Leadville, CO – January 14, 2014: After a nationwide search, the Board of Directors of the National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum (NMHF&M) has appointed Dr. Stephen L. Whittington as its new Executive Director. Dr. Whittington brings more than 20 years of experience in leading successful museums, as well as an impressive background in academics, publications and community involvement. Most recently the Director of the Museum of Anthropology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, Dr. Whittington is also Director of the Teozacoalco Archaeological Project in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Chairman of the NMHF&M Board of Directors, Paul C. Jones said, "We are very pleased to have someone of Dr. Whittingtonâ€âââââ‚ÂÃÆâ€ââ