The Williamson County Historical Society Museum was visited on Thursday and Friday, the 21st and 22nd , as part of the museum’s continuing participation in the Museum Assessment Program called MAP. The museum was the recipient of a MAP grant early in the year and has been performing a self-assessment for the past three months. After that process was completed, it was to be followed up by a visit from a selected museum advisor who assesses the museum as a professional outsider.
The advisor assigned to the county museum was Lisa Chastain, assistant director of the Missouri State Museum which is located on the bottom floor of the capitol building in Jefferson City, Missouri. Chastain arrived Thursday Morning and followed a pre-agreed upon agenda designed to interview museum workers and board members. She also took two tours of the museum, one guided and one unguided and had group discussions with volunteers and board members to discuss various museum methods and procedures.
A dinner meal was held at Bennie’s Restaurant on N. Market in Marion on Thursday evening in which board members and volunteers were able to chat with Chastain and learn of her experiences working with a state museum and smaller museums prior to that assignment.
The assessment was completed on Thursday afternoon and Chastain returned home. She will submit a report of her suggestions on any recommended procedures or changes that she feels the museum will benefit from implementing.
The MAP grant project is being chaired by volunteer and WCHS member, Dr. Ann Gammon. Participating in the MAP program were board members, Colleen Norman, Dolores Thetford, Clyde Bailey, Bob Jackson, Helen Lind and Sam Lattuca. Community members Patty Lynn and Connie Baker served on the assessment team to get a local perspective from someone not directly involved with the museum.