O'Brien County Tourism to Host Workshops March 27

Monday March 27th 2017 08:00 am - Monday March 27th 2017 05:00 pm
Sanborn Carnegie Hall, 107 W. 2nd Street, Sanborn, IA
ocedc@tcaexpress.net
Kiana L. Johnson at 712-957-1313

O’Brien County Tourism will host a morning and an afternoon workshop that are both part of a series of workshops funded by a grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) FY2017 Iowa Tourism Grant cycle. These workshop are scheduled for March 27th from 8:00 a.m. until noon and from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the Carnegie Hall in Sanborn with a lunch provided between the two sessions.

The Interpretation Workshop will be held during the morning session. This workshop will be led by Josh Waddle, Curator of the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum in Waterloo and instructor of history at Hawkeye Community College.

The Learning Objectives for the Interpretation Workshop include:

  1. Understanding that the educational role of the museum is at the center of its mission
  2. Understanding the meaning of interpretation
  3. Identifying resources for research according to scholarly standards
  4. Identifying a variety of techniques and methods to share content with a variety of audiences
  5. Understanding how to evaluate programs for effectiveness and improve them
  6. Developing goals and action steps to address identified gaps in interpretation activities

The Audience and Community Engagement Workshop will be held during the afternoon session and be led by Heidi Lung, Lecturer on Museum Studies at the University of Iowa and Cynthia Sweet, Executive Director, Iowa Museum Association . This hands-on workshop will help participants:

  1. Develop an institutional inventory of audience experiences
  2. Identify areas for development that both align with their mission and address the unmet needs in their community
  3. Work in teams to apply best practices in the collaborative process

Facilitated discussions in this workshop will cover topics that include distinguishing specific visitor types, identifying barriers to engagement, and establishing approaches to increase community access.

Please register for one or both of these workshops by noon on March 23rd by calling (712) 957-1313 or emailing ocedc@tcaexpress.net. Please let us know if you will be joining us for lunch between the two sessions.