Learn how to be a historian at museum
Beginning next week, locals can learn how to conduct research using the same techniques and tools as professional historians during the Master Local Historians pilot program at the Morton Museum of Collierville History.
The program allows participants to learn how professionals interpret and research history using special collections, archives, primary and secondary sources, said Brooke Mundy, museum director.
The museum has slots for 25 participants and six places are still available, Mundy said.
"We wanted it to be a small enough group that it could be interactive and collaborative. We thought if we went any larger than that, it would be harder to facilitate the group," she said. "Less people means it's more conducive to what we're trying to achieve through the program."
The three-hour sessions begin on Monday, with a second session on May 7 and the final meeting on May 14. They are all from 4-7 p.m. at the museum at 196 Main St. in Collierville. Everyone is required to attend all three sessions.
The session topics are: "The Power of Historical Thinking," "Sources and Resources" and "Collections: Their Care and Meaning."
The pilot is in collaboration with the Nashville-based American Association for State and Local History and Humanities Tennessee.
Other pilots sites are the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville and the East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville.
The AASLH received a $12,000 grant from Humanities Tennessee, which will be used with matching funds to buy materials and resources.
After the pilot is completed, the work will be reviewed with the intention of eventually making it a national program.