Function
The Professional Development Committee (PDC) facilitates development needs for audiences of museum professionals, from those starting in the field to established professionals seeking continuing educational opportunities. When appropriate, the committee works with other
SPNHC committees and supports the planning, organization and delivery of workshops, DemoCamps and mentorship activities. The PDC maintains a Wiki page with resources on all of these areas.
Leadership and Composition
The committee consists of two co-chairpersons and any SPNHC member interested in assisting with the committee’s activities.
Duties and Products
Workshops
The committee provides lists of workshop opportunities for the conference host institutions and other SPNHC committees, disseminates information about workshops and other training opportunities, and evaluates the impact of these activities. The committee seeks to identify professional development topics of interest to the SPNHC membership, including basic curatorial practice workshops that may be revisited every few years as well as new subjects of a more temporary yet pressing interest. Examples of rotating workshops covering basic needs for Museum professionals include the following:
- Shipping: Any and/or all aspects.
- Security: Aspects relating to collections, valuation, responsibility of collections staff, theft.
- Moving: Any and/or all aspects.
- Health and Safety: Aspects relating to collections staff, volunteers, visitors.
- Disaster: Aspects relating to preparedness and/or recovery.
Other workshop topics may be added as needs change over time.
DemoCamp
The committee helps organize a half- or full-day session at the annual SPNHC conference that promotes new technological advancements and informatics for natural history collection curation and digitization. Live demonstrations are welcomed in any technologies relevant to biologists,
collections managers, or biodiversity information managers, as well as technologies that enable the mobilization and use of data, or enable citizen scientist participation. Technologies demonstrated at past sessions have included collections/transaction management software, georeferencing applications, robotic imaging equipment, automated label digitization
tools, and programs for analysis of data/images. DemoCamp presentations feature the latest developments in currently available products, software, applications, and tools as well as ongoing research projects and prototypes. DemoCamp sessions also provide a venue for idea exchange and feedback from potential users. The committee puts out a call for DemoCamp
abstract submissions, recruits presenters (if necessary), seeks sponsors, organizes the schedule, and coordinates with the Local Organizing Committee to facilitate session promotion and plan for room and connectivity requirements.
Wiki page offerings
The committee aims to provide all SPNHC members with access to up-to date information to learn new skills or enhance current skills through a SPNHC Professional Development Wiki site. Information provided can include self-guided learning opportunities such as white-papers infographics, FAQs, and links to relevant sites. The Wiki will also connect new and existing members to some of the senior experts in the SPNHC community and encourage collaboration and mentorship across institutions. The Wiki is designed to be a living site and feedback is
encouraged to ensure the information available is relevant and updated to best serve the community’s needs.
Visit the Wiki at: https://spnhc.biowikifarm.net/wiki/Professional_Development_Committee
Subcommittees
Travel Grants Subcommittee
The purpose of the SPNHC Travel Grants Subcommittee is to organize and administer the Fitzgerald and Christine Allen travel grants every year to help support attendance of eligible SPNHC members at the SPNHC annual meeting. The charge of the Travel Grants subcommittee is to review and update travel grant guidelines and applications each year, set deadlines in consultation with other SPNHC committees related to grants, professional
development and the annual meeting, send out announcements, receive completed applications, recruit reviewers/judges and mentors, notify successful and rejected applicants, and complete paperwork required by SPNHC, especially the SPNHC treasurer. (Refer to specific procedures in Appendix 1).
Mentorship Subcommittee
The subcommittee fosters mentorships throughout SPNHC in concert with the Membership and Emerging Professionals Committees.
Calendar Items
February: Report of Committee work sent to Newsletter; Announcement of travel grants due for Newsletter.
April: Final preparation of draft sections to be uploaded to Wiki, sent for peer review.
May: Updates on Wiki.
May or June: At SPNHC Conference: Report of Committee work presented to Annual Business Meeting and to Council; Annual Professional Development Committee meeting; Annual DemoCamp; Biennial survey of workshop interests of 1) members at ABM and 2) first-time attendees.
July: Mentor and awardee evaluations sent out; Awardee biographies solicited; Workshop
evaluations gathered.
August: Report of Committee work sent to Newsletter.
August 31: Submit any corrections or text revisions to the Secretary for the Leadership Manual.
September: Transfer important records and items of committee business to the Archives Committee
November: Send files to next year’s Local Organizing Committee for application forms and support letters for Travel Grant applicants.
Ongoing: Solicitation Wiki content topics.
Reviewed by Linda S. Ford, July 2019
Revised by Jeff Stephenson and Nick Drew, July 2019
Minor style edits contributed by Laura Abraczinskas, May 2019
Revised by Jennifer Strotman, Elise LeCompte, and Jeff Stephenson, August 2017
Reviewed by Jean-Marc Gagnon, July 2013
Revised by Amanda Neill and Jeff Stephenson, July 2013
Appendix 1. The SPNHC Travel Grants Subcommittee
The Travel Grants subcommittee falls under the jurisdiction of the Conference Committee and the Professional Development Committee. The charge of the Travel Grants subcommittee is to organize the SPNHC travel grants program; set deadlines in consultation with other SPNHC committees related to grants professional development, and the annual meeting; send out announcements, receive completed applications, recruit reviewers/judges and mentors; notify successful and rejected applicants; and complete paperwork required by SPNHC, especially the SPNHC Treasurer.
The chairperson of the subcommittee will coordinate activities with the chairperson of the Conference Committee, the chairperson(s) of Local Organizing Committee for the annual meeting, the chairperson(s) of the Professional Development Committee, the chairperson of the
Recognition and Grants Committee, and the SPNHC Treasurer.
Schedule of Subcommittee Activities:
Guidelines for the Fitzgerald and Christine Allen travel grants will be reviewed and updated every year by the subcommittee chairperson. The guidelines will be distributed to the chairperson of the Conference Committee, the chairperson(s) of the Professional Development Committee, and the chairperson of the Recognition and Grants Committee for their review and approval.
Application forms for the Fitzgerald and Christine Allen travel grants will be reviewed and updated each year by the subcommittee chair. The application forms will be distributed to the chairperson of the Conference Committee, the chairperson(s) of Local Organizing Committee for the annual meeting, the chairperson(s) of the Professional Development Committee, and the chairperson of the Recognition and Grants Committee for their review and approval.
Guidelines and applications will be sent to the chairperson(s) of the Local Organizing Committee for the annual meeting to be posted on the meeting website by a date determined by the chairperson of the Travel Grants subcommittee and the chairperson(s) of the Local Organizing Committee.
Announcements publicizing the travel grants and the deadline dates will be provided by the subcommittee chairperson to the SPNHC newsletter editor as requested, and will be published in the SPNHC newsletter at dates determined by the newsletter editor. The announcement will also be circulated by the subcommittee chairperson to NH-COLL, other appropriate list-serves, and other appropriate venues.
The application deadline date will be set six weeks prior to the deadline date for abstract submission or early registration, whichever comes first.
Reviewers/judges will be recruited prior to the application deadline date.
The subcommittee chairperson will weed out any ineligible applicants or incomplete applications prior to sending them to the reviewer/judges.
Applications will be distributed by the subcommittee chairperson to the reviewers/judges the day after the application deadline date. A final decision as to which applicants will receive the grants will be made two weeks after the applications have been sent to the reviewers/judges by the subcommittee chairperson. The decision process may be completed by email communication, and/or telephone call, and/or conference call.
Reviewers/judges will choose two alternates (one primary, one secondary) for the Fitzgerald travel grant and two alternates for the Christine Allen travel grant in case a recipient is not able to accept the grant.
Recipients will be notified by the subcommittee chairperson by email or telephone within two days of the reviewers/judges’ decision. At this time, recipients will be sent formal acceptance letters by the subcommittee chairperson to sign and return to the subcommittee chairperson.
If the subcommittee chairperson does not hear back from a recipient within ten days, the subcommittee chairperson will email or call that recipient to determine whether or not that person accepts the travel grant. If a recipient is unable to accept the grant, the alternates will be contacted in order (primary first, secondary second).
Unsuccessful applicants will be notified by the subcommittee chairperson by email or telephone within two days of the reviewers/judges’ decision.
Signed acceptance letters will be sent to the SPNHC treasurer by the subcommittee chairperson upon receipt.
A final list of the recipients including their names, addresses (postal mail and email), telephone numbers, and institutions will be sent to the SPNHC treasurer by the subcommittee chairperson.
The subcommittee chairperson will be responsible for finding mentors for the travel grant recipients in consultation with the chairperson(s) of the Professional Development Committee and the chairperson(s) of the Mentorship Subcommittee.
The Travel Grants subcommittee chairperson will maintain a list of meeting mentors– those that have served in the past as well as potential mentors.
Meeting mentors will be assigned to each grant recipient who has asked to have one within one week of the recipient formally accepting the grant by submitting the signed acceptance letter to the Travel Grants Subcommittee chairperson. (There is a check box on the grant application forms where applicants can indicate whether they would like to have a meeting mentor.)
Mentors and recipients will be provided with the name and contact information (email address and/or telephone number) for their mentor/mentee in order to contact their mentor/mentee at their convenience prior to the meeting.
Grant recipients and mentors will be notified by the subcommittee chairperson of any special meeting events where they can meet formally (e.g., meeting time set aside for new members and grant recipients to meet with mentors, SPNHC Council members and committee chairpersons at the Ice Breaker reception).