Exhibitsmith

Wow! It’s May already? That means wedding season is almost upon us. Yay! Or… yikes! To each their own I suppose.  Anyhow, no matter how you feel about it, wedding dresses often hold a lot of power. They're special symbols of a special day - and are often expensive. But what happens to a wedding dress after the wedding? Well, that's up to you. In this episode I talk about wedding dresses and the ma...

Exhibitsmith the Podcast is back! I'm bringing new voices to the podcast, to have engaging discussions about the roles museums, archives, and libraries play in our world. We talk about how and why these institutions matter, and how everyone can do their part to both support them and benefit from them. Please subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform so you don't miss an exciting new episo...

Let's be real here - I'm not an eternal optimist. I'm actually far from it. However, every so often I read something about a censorship campaign that is just so ridiculous that I can't help but roll my eyes, sigh, and be thankful that I've been made aware of it. In January 2026, the Trump / Vance Administration ordered exhibit panels about enslaved persons to be removed from The President's House,...

Exhibitsmith the Podcast is back! I'm bringing new voices to the podcast, to have engaging discussions about the roles museums, archives, and libraries play in our world. We talk about how and why these institutions matter, and how everyone can do their part to both support them and benefit from them. Please subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform so you don't miss an exciting new episo...

In this brand new episode, I share a photo digitization "life hack" that might just change everything. With the holidays very quickly approaching, you might be inclined to thumb through your cousin's or uncle's or grandmother's family photo albums and think, "I wish I had copies of these photos". Well, why don't you? Listen to this short episode about how I quickly and easily did just that - and h...

This month I'm rereleasing one of my favorite family heirloom stories. I hope you enjoy it! Sometimes the objects that are important to you aren't the prettiest. Sometimes they're best left in a box, but that doesn't mean they're unimportant or forgotten. In this episode, hear the heartwarming story about an unfortunate-looking bank and its sweet history, and learn three important questions to ask...

Is your organization prepared to handle an emergency? What about the organizations you frequent as a visitor or a guest? What if a staff member breaks their arm, or a visitor has an allergic reaction? And what about larger emergencies and tragedies? Are we prepared? My guest, Jim Sturgill, is the perfect person to tackle these tough questions. A paramedic whose career began in the museum field, Ji...

Paramedic and museum professional Jim Sturgill joins me on the podcast for an amazing conversation about emergency preparedness at museums and cultural sites. Today’s chat focuses on how we can prepare our museums and similar spaces for human emergencies. Are we prepared to care for the people who work, volunteer, and visit our sites? With over thirty years in the museum field and twenty years in...

October is American Archives Month and I'm revisiting this episode from Season One, which is all about scrapbooks.  Anyone who has an old or aging scrapbook in their life knows what I'm talking about. The tape is brittle, the glue has stained everything. The pages are yellowed, made from acidic paper. If you try to peel off a photo, you’re left with a torn page, and the back of the photos is a mes...

Museum Registrar Christina Thompson joined me on the podcast for a fantastic conversation about the years she spent as a costumed historical interpreter in central Iowa. With a professional background in museum collections work and an insatiable love of learning, Christina brought both passion and expertise to the different roles she embodied at sites throughout the fictional historical town of Wa...

I'm trying something different this month - I'm releasing this short trailer to get everyone excited for my upcoming episode featuring current museum registrar and former historical interpreter Christina Thompson. This episode will drop this Thursday, October 9th. Find Exhibitsmith the podcast wherever you find your podcasts (and if it's not there, let me know!) or listen directly at Exhibitsmith....

Exhibitsmith the Podcast is back! I'm bringing new voices to the podcast, to have engaging discussions about the roles museums, archives, and libraries play in our world. We talk about how and why these institutions matter, and how everyone can do their part to both support them and benefit from them. Please subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform so you don't miss an exciting new episo...

Do you know what a school librarian does all day? How about a Librarian in charge of *four* school libraries? District Library Media Specialist Jill Sullivan-Bennin joined me on the podcast to talk about the many (many) hats she wears every day at the Sherrard Community School District in Western Illinois. Jill has overseen the library activities for all four buildings in her rural school district...

Today I am relaunching the third episode. I hope you enjoy it. [This episode originally aired on March 1, 2024.] Today, I'm sharing a story about a day that changed my perspective on museum behind the scenes tours forever. All it took were some hard-to-please kids, a few old typewriters, and a little unexpected museum magic. Exhibitsmith the Podcast is back! I'm working behind the scenes to bring...

Art Museum Director Nathan Kemler joined me on the podcast to talk about why museums matter and how museums can be leaders in community engagement. We discuss the inspiring ways Nathan and his staff make their collection accessible to throughout the Grand Valley State University campus, as well as how they collaborate with the community at large to fulfill their mission. I hope you enjoy the episo...

Exhibitsmith the Podcast is back! I'm working behind the scenes to bring new voices to the podcast, to have engaging discussions about the roles museums, archives, and libraries play in our world. We talk about how and why these institutions matter, and how everyone can do their part to both support them and benefit from them. Please subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform so you don't...

Archivist Dave Hofer joined me on the podcast to talk about his mid-life career change, the transferable skills he didn't realize he had, and how to leverage yourself to reach your career goals. We also chat about digitization and recording technology and how things have changed in the archives over the past 20+ years. I hope you enjoy the episode! Dave Hofer is an Archivist and Librarian with exp...

Surprise - the podcast is back and it's better than ever. We have some fantastic interviews to share, from colleagues who work in museums, archives, and libraries. We'll talk about why these jobs - and institutions - are important, how to deal with family heirlooms and "stuff", how to leverage yourself for career success, and so much more. We will also be re-releasing our episodes from Season One...

Exhibitsmith the Podcast is back! Or at least it will be soon. I'm working behind the scenes to bring new voices to the podcast, to have engaging discussions about the roles museums, archives, and libraries play in our world. We talk about how and why these institutions matter, and how everyone can do their part to both support them and benefit from them. Please subscribe to the podcast on your fa...

As we look ahead to the new year, which will, no doubt, be filled to the brim with tabloid images and talking heads, this episode encourages you take a moment to think about life before photos changed the world, and how (for better and worse) it has changed our lives. Photography has meant very different things to us collectively since its debut in 1839. This episode explores the different ways ph...

Fall is in full force and kids are busy making masterpieces at school and home. So what do you do with it all? 🍁 October is American Archives Month and to celebrate, this episode focuses on you, the unofficial family archivist. That's right! It's up to you to decide whether to organize, curate, or toss the stuff that walks through the door. Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Give this episode a listen an...

Here’s the scenario: you’ve been invited to donate a garment that represents you to your local museum. You’ve been given carte blanche to select something that is personal and important to you, and that reflects your daily life. What would you choose? You might be surprised by what I’d pick.  This month’s episode challenges you to think about the different ways in which an item can become “museum-...

History is in the eye of the beholder. What might feel old to one person, seems like yesterday to another. This episode encourages us to think about this, as I share a real-life story of how museum staff and volunteers spanning three generations approached a collection of "old papers" - and how I managed it all.    

Sometimes the objects that are important to you aren't the prettiest. Sometimes they're best left in a box, but that doesn't mean they're unimportant or forgotten. In this episode, hear the heartwarming story about an unfortunate-looking bank and its sweet history, and learn three important questions to ask yourself about the past, present, and future of your possessions, as you decide what to kee...

Wow! It’s May already? That means wedding season is almost upon us. Yay! Or… yikes! To each their own I suppose.  Anyhow, no matter how you feel about it, wedding dresses often hold a lot of power. They're special symbols of a special day - and are often expensive. But what happens to a wedding dress after the wedding? Well, that's up to you. In this episode I talk about wedding dresses and the ma...