AAM PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CALENDAR
Hosted by the American Alliance of Museums and other museum service organizations, this calendar lists opportunities for museum professionals.
WEBINAR: DIGITIZING PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS – NOV 13
This webinar provides an in-depth overview of photograph digitization. Learn more
WEBINAR: NEURODIVERSITY IN MUSEUMS & CULTURAL SPACES – NOV 13
Participants will learn what neurodiversity means & how it affects participation, how institutions can remove barriers so all guests can thrive, and more. This presentation is suitable for Cultural Heritage Institutions of any size. Learn more
WEBINAR: MOMENTS THAT MADE US – NOV 13
Moments That Made US is a free, customizable, print-on-demand exhibition exploring the ideals at the heart of the Declaration of Independence through moments in our history that have defined their meaning. Developed through a multi-state collaboration, this exhibition will feature 21 ready-to-use, modular panels that will be free to use with the only out-of-pocket cost being printing and mounting. Organizations can choose to display some or all of the provided materials—whatever number will fit in your space and whichever topics resonate most—and users will have access to templates to add local content if desired. Learn more
CURATOR’S TOUR: BERKELEY ART MUSEUM AND PACIFIC FILM ARCHIVE WITH CULTURAL CONNECTIONS – NOV 14
Join Cultural Connections on Friday, November 14, at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive as Associate Curator and Academic Liaison Elaine Yau leads a special tour of Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California. Learn more
ONLINE TRAINING: FOUNDATIONS FOR DIGITAL COLLECTIONS – NOV 18–20
This interactive, online training offers a comprehensive learning experience led by experts in cultural heritage preservation. Over the course of three half-days, explore essential concepts, best practices, and actionable strategies for managing digital collections. The program is designed for professionals and volunteers at small to mid-sized collecting institutions, including archives, libraries, museums, historical organizations, government agencies, corporate archives, and more.
WEBINAR: EXPLORING ART THERAPY AND COMMUNITY ARTMAKING FOR HEALTH AND HEALING – NOV 20
This webinar from CA for the Arts highlights the powerful role of visual arts in supporting health and well-being across clinical and community settings. Whether you're an artist, healthcare provider, educator, or simply curious about visual arts’ role in health, this session will offer valuable perspectives on how artmaking supports mental, emotional, and social well-being at all levels of care. Learn more
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: NATIONAL COUNCIL ON PUBLIC HISTORY & AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR STATE AND LOCAL HISTORY JOINT 2026 CONFERENCE – SUBMIT BY DECEMBER 1
The National Council on Public History and the American Association for State and Local History have opened the Call for Proposals for our first ever joint conference, which will take place September 16-19, 2026, in Providence, Rhode Island. 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the United States, and the theme of the conference, "The Work of Revolution," asks us to reflect on the work of revolutions past and the work that lies ahead.
ONLINE COURSE: FUNDAMENTALS OF PHOTOGRAPH PRESERVATION – Starts JAN 26
The six-session online course offers an in-depth introduction to the preservation of photographs, including their identification, deterioration, and care. Learn more
ONLINE COURSE: PRESERVATION 101 – Starts JAN 29
The Preservation 101 course is an interactive online course designed to introduce preservation topics such as environmental management, deterioration of materials, emergency preparedness, and preservation of paper-based, audiovisual, and digital formats. Learn more
RESOURCE: THE INCLUSIVE HISTORIAN'S HANDBOOK This reference source supports inclusive and equity-focused historical work in public settings by sharing a knowledge base that invites more people to engage in history projects. This handbook provides concrete examples of how to make history work more relevant. It centers on equity, inclusivity, diversity, and public service while offering accessible windows into the many ways public historians work.
FREE DOWNLOAD: TRANSGENDER INCLUSION TOOLKIT FROM AAM LGBTQ ALLIANCE TASK FORCE The AAM LGBTQ Alliance’s Task Force for Transgender Inclusion recently released the Gender Transition and Transgender Inclusion in the Museum Workplace: A Toolkit for Trans Individuals, Institutions, and Coworkers. This expansive set of guides approaches trans inclusion from various perspectives in an approachable and easy-to-understand format.
BECOME A PEER REVIEWER FOR THE AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS
Peer reviewers are museum professionals who volunteer their time to support AAM's Accreditation and Museum Assessment Programs (MAP). They review museum self-assessment materials, conduct site visits and facilitate the institutional planning process. Their service is the critical backbone to the success of both programs. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis.
DOWNLOAD THE AAM RACIAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION PLAN PRIMER Advancing racial and ethnic diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion on boards can be a daunting task for any institution. No matter where you are in the process of creating a racial equity and inclusion plan for your museum, learn more from this new resource, including questions to help guide you and links to additional resources.
CULTURE TRACK INTERACTIVE TOOL NOW LIVE This interactive dashboard provides compiles data from over 120,000 respondents who completed the Culture & Community in a Time of Crisis survey this spring. The comparisons included in the tool currently highlight members or subscribers to any arts or culture organization. In the coming weeks, it will be further enhanced to include splits by genre of cultural attendance as well as race and ethnicity to further aid cultural organizations in planning and implementation towards increased relevance, equity and sustainability.
MUSEUMS FOR DIGITAL LEARNING The Institute of Museum and Library Services is pleased to announce the launch of an online resource center featuring dynamic digital museum content for K-12 educators searchable by subject and grade. Teachers across the country can now find resources that feature engaging activities from a growing number of museums all aligned with national education standards.
RECORDED WEBINAR: JUNETEENTH & CELEBRATING FREEDOM AT HISTORIC SITES Continue learning about the history and significance of Juneteenth in this recorded webinar presented by The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). Amber Mitchell, Director of Education at the Whitney Plantation, will discuss how your organization can join in the celebration in ways that are appropriate and respectful to the history of African Americans from slavery to modern interpretations, and elevating to the communities you are trying to reach all year-round.