| It might still be 2018, but it's time to start thinking about the TAM 2019 conference in Clarksville, Tennessee! This year’s theme is Connect, Cultivate, Sustain. Here's what you need to know so far: Call for proposals TAM 2019 will focus on the question: How can museums in Tennessee better cultivate valuable community resources, connect to new audiences in our backyard, and use them to become more sustainable institutions? In 2019 as we gather near the river in Clarksville, the sessions and evening outings to local museums will allow time to discuss issues related to using our local resources to advance our missions within our communities. You'll be able to get ideas on how to cultivate and connect to your community, which is critical for sustainability for cultural institutions, and you can share successes, learn from failures, and gain valuable information on how to make our institutions critical community assets. If you have a proposal for a conference session within this year's theme, we want to hear your idea – click here to submit your session proposal! The deadline for session proposals is October 15. Note: This is a new online submission system. You will need to create a user name and password to submit your proposal. You can start it, save it, and go back to it prior to submitting. TAM Awards
Last month we hopefully put a bug in your ear about the TAM Awards of Excellence! Have you started thinking about what you want to brag about? If so, now is the time to start thinking about TAM Awards!!! Your Awards Committee is working on some tweaks to the nomination form and guidelines, and we will have those available for you next month. But a couple of things we can tell you about now… We WILL be doing away with our traditional deadline extension. This is important! We will have a DROP DEAD DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES of JANUARY 25. No exceptions! This is your second notice; we’ll give you plenty of others. We want to make the application process fair across the board, and sticking with one deadline date does that. Nominations for Volunteers will also change; instead of filling out the form like you would for exhibits or programs, we will be asking you to write a narrative for your nominee, much like what is done for Emerging Museum Professional nominations. We’re creating a new category, Digital Media, which will include things like web pages, social media, podcasts, and more. And we are tweaking the guidelines for exhibit entries to take into account exhibits that open at the end of the prior year (for example, November 2017) to take holiday exhibits, and others, into account. It will all be explained in the revamped guidelines coming in October. The current nomination form is located here for you to work off of for now. But please remember it will change! And watch for examples of good, better, and best nomination forms to help guide you as you craft your own nominations. Your TAM Awards committee is always available to hear your feedback, thoughts, ideas, and suggestions on the process. Feel free to email Tori Mason, Awards Committee Chair, at tmason@nashvillezoo.org. Good luck to you all as summer winds down and the busy fall season begins! And think: Awards! Location, Location, Location! The conference hotel for TAM 2019 is now finalized: the Riverview Inn in Clarksville! The TAM Conference group rate is $98 per night if you make your reservation by February 19, 2019. Call 931-552-3331 for reservations; you must use the group code: TAM Annual Conference to receive the discount. The hotel will require a credit card or deposit to hold the reservation. And finally... The Tennessee Association of Museums is pleased to announce our joint scholarship program with Humanities Tennessee for the 2019 Annual TAM conference. Check out this link to learn more about eligibility, what the scholarships cover, deadlines, and how to apply. 
Bells of PeaceThe United States World War One Centennial Commission is calling on communities to participate in Bells of Peace: A World War I Remembrance. This project is encouraging individuals and institutions to mobilize their communities for the national bell tolling on November 11, which honors the centennial of the armistice and acts as a mark of respect for the 4.5 million Americans who answered the call during World War I, prevailing against the forces of tyranny a century ago. For more information about Bells of Peace and to sign up to participate, check out this link. 
IMLS Grants for Museums Museums across the United States have six opportunities in the coming months to apply for grants from the nation’s primary source of federal museum funding. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is now accepting applications for five current grant programs, as well as a new opportunity targeted to small museums. The museum funding opportunities and their deadlines are: For more information, go to this link. | 
