***Letter from our President*** Dear ARCS Members and Supporters, On behalf of ARCS, thank you for your continued support and membership in this wonderful community of registrars and collections specialists. This past year brought highs, like our 2019 Biennial Conference, and lows, as we weathered a global pandemic shuttering many of our workplaces. Through it all you, our members, have been at the forefront of our thoughts, plans, and actions. As I take over the helm of this wonderful organization, I would like to take a look back at the past fiscal year and the many accomplishments of our FY20 Board of Directors and President Emeritus, Danielle Bennett.
Our continued partnership with Tecker International garnered a research-based strategic plan that we have been getting into action. It involves many of you dedicating your time to actively help ARCS on many fronts, and for that we are very grateful. The accomplishments of our various Committees would not be possible without all of you. Our Education Committee started off the year with a webinar on “Conservation Red Flags: Warning Signs for Your Collection.” Additionally, our in-person Courier Training Workshop in March was a great success with 40 attendees. We have been delighted to continue ARCS Chat via our YouTube channel with topics ranging from “Budgeting on a Shoestring” to a partnership with the C Word Podcast. The traditional pre-conference service event, Les Bénévoles, was a great success in Philadelphia. You can check out more about the conference on our YouTube channel, with presentations (currently free to non-members), information on our sponsors, and our travel awards. As we entered 2020, COVID-19 took hold of the world. We have seen the devastating effects on our museums, communities, and for many, our jobs. Our Membership Advocacy Task Force took the reins to develop “Essential Worker: Self-Advocacy During and After the COVID Pandemic.” We also worked with our shipping and insurance sponsors to bring you up-to-date information on the effects COVID-19 is having on our broader community. As we enter this next fiscal year, ARCS will continue to bring you engaging content, workshops, and webinars, and we continue to plan for our 2021 Biennial Conference in Montréal. We will continue to advocate for our members and be a resource to help you in any way we can. I encourage you to reach out to us at i...@arcsinfo.org, use the ARCS Forum to ask questions, give feedback, or submit ideas. We want to hear from you! Take Care, Toni M. Kiser President, ARCS Board of Directors Assistant Director for Collections Management, The National WWII Museum ***New ARCS Board Members Welcome! *** The ARCS Board of Directors would like to welcome our newest Board Members: Chris Helms Collections Manager Adler Planetarium Cynthia Tovar Senior Associate Registrar Permanent Collection LACMA Alicia B. Thomas Principal Nail-to-Nail You will be finding out more about these newest members of the ARCS Board of Directors in upcoming ARCS Updates, but we want to wish them a warm welcome to our organization! To see a full list of our current Board of Directors: http://www.arcsinfo.org/about/board-of-directors ***ARCS Forum*** More and more museums are starting to reopen after the global shutdowns due to COVID-19. Social distancing, timed tickets, masks, and hand sanitizer have become standard. What does reopening look like for your institution, especially in regard to registration and collections management? What solutions are you finding for couriers while travel restrictions are still in place? Let us know on the ARCS Forum-http://www.arcsinfo.org/forum _______________________________________________ You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l@mcn.edu To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/
