MUSEUM DIRECTIONS

Sharing Our Science Stories

Jon Erlandson

Executive Director
Museum of Natural and Cultural History

Recently back from Washington, D.C., I’m still glowing from an Institute of Museum and Library Services ceremony where I accepted a 2018 national medal for our museum. The National Medal for Museum and Library Service is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries, and only five museums around the country received the award this year. It’s a terrific accomplishment that should make all of us—staff, volunteers, supporters, and Oregonians in general— extremely proud.
Winning the medal is the direct result of the unique combination of research, education, and collaboration that is the MNCH trademark. We are equally committed to conducting scientific research at sites around the world, and to sharing the results of that research with the University of Oregon community, at public lectures, in popular media, and in schools and libraries across the state.

Thousands of school kids, teachers, and parents visit our museum each year to learn about the deep history of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, but thousands more face geographic or economic barriers that prevent them from visiting the museum in person. Three years ago, with support from The Donald and Coeta Barker Foundation, we started an educational outreach program that takes the museum on the road, bringing science adventures to schools and libraries across the state and inspiring Oregonians to learn more about the archaeology, geology, history, and paleontology of the amazing land we call home. Last year, our outreach program
served nearly 7,000 people and 31 of Oregon’s 36 counties. The IMLS medal recognized the program for making “extraordinary strides towards extending [museum] services to students, families, and educators in Oregon’s underserved rural communities.”

In other good news, thanks to the generosity of our donors over the last three years, we have raised more than $850,000 for the Patricia Krier Education Endowment, which will help sustain our statewide educational outreach programs for many years to come.

Before I sign off, I should mention that this will be the last printed version of Fieldnotes. With the winter edition, we will fully transition to a digital format distributed via email. The shift to digital is an important step in fulfilling our mission of stewardship, education, and sustainability. It will save the museum money, conserve hundreds of pounds of paper per year, and expand access to Fieldnotes for readers around the world. Watch our website for details.