Texas is home to over 1,000 local history museums. Whether housed in a historic structure or a state-of-the-art new building, each one is dedicated to telling the story of a community’s unique history. Collectively, they preserve the real places and the real things that tell the whole story of Texas.
The Museum Services Program enables small history museums to better carry out their missions by helping them to increase their capacity for meeting professional standards. We do this by providing the following services at no cost:
- Training
- Resources
- Consultations
- Communications
To be included in the THC Atlas, a history museum must exhibit and interpret objects and stories in a structure designed for public visitation, on a regular schedule at least 120 days per year.
Upcoming Training
Workshop—Consultation and Collaboration: A Starting Point for Museums and Indigenous Tribes
Tuesday, April 18, Longview, TX
Thursday, April 20, Abilene, TX
Tuesday, May 2, El Paso, TX
Thursday, May 4, Canyon, TX
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Learn more and register now!
Free Webinar—How to Keep All Those Donors Your Museum Worked So Hard to Get
Thursday, May 18, 10:00 a.m. CT
Learn more and register now!
Resources
The Helpful Resources page provides a number of downloadable resource lists, articles, and other useful information for museums. All previous Museum Services Webinars are archived and available to view at any time. The Connect and Learn page provides links to trainings hosted by other organizations and services, as well as listings of museum professional organizations. Grants and Fundraising offers resources for grant-writing, fundraising ideas, and an extensive list of grant opportunities relevant to museums in Texas.
Consultations
Program staff can provide free, individualized assistance and support to museums in any aspect of museum operations, including but not limited to:
- Starting, planning, or reorganizing a museum
- Mission statements, strategic planning, and professional ethics
- Disaster preparedness and recovery
- Collections interpretation and educational programs
- Exhibit planning and design
- Board development and relations
- Volunteer recruitment and training
- Fundraising and special events
- Marketing and social media
- Collections care and security
Communications
Program staff sends email notices on timely information about current trends, available resources, upcoming grant deadlines, training opportunities, and other types of assistance.
Fast
Facts
80%
Of collecting institutions in the U.S. do not have paid staff dedicated to collections care
Meet the Museum Services Team
As Coordinator of the THC's Museum Services Program, Laura Casey works with small and mid-sized history museums throughout Texas. She has over 25 years of experience in the museum field, including serving as director at museums in Illinois and Kansas. She has a bachelor’s degree in history from Benedictine College and a master’s degree in museum studies from the University of Nebraska. Laura is a member of Texas Association of Museums and American Association for State and Local History, where she is a past council member and currently serves on the Small Museums Committee and Field Services Alliance.
Emily Hermans is the Museum Services Program Specialist for the THC, and she has been working in the museum field for over 15 years. She was previously a museum educator at Bayou Bend Collection & Gardens, the High Museum of Art, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Michael C. Carlos Museum. She has a bachelor’s degree in art history from Emory University and a master’s degree in museum education from The George Washington University.
Publications
Forms
512.463.6427
