Wednesday 8 August 2012

We're Hiring! Marketing and Visitor Services


Job Title: Marketing and Visitor Services
Closing Date: August 24, 2012
E-mail: goulbmus@rogers.com
Salary: $18.00 per hour, 37.5 hours per week (six month contract, with the possibility of extension)
Web link to Museum: www.goulbournmuseum.ca

The Goulbourn Museum is home to interactive and hands-on exhibitions including The 100th Regiment of Foot – about the soldiers who settled Goulbourn Township in 1818 after the War of 1812; The Village Store where kids can dress up as pioneers & shop or barter for supplies; as well as exhibits about early Goulbourn settlers, the communities in the Township, and local services. The Museum has over 8000 artefacts in its collections, and offers over 35 programs and events each year. The Museum has three fulltime staff members and is supported by 30 volunteers. The Marketing and Visitor Services job title is a new position.

Position:
The Marketing and Visitor Services employee is responsible for developing the Museum’s overall marketing and promotion strategy.  He/she will strive to attract a new and wider audience within the context of the Museum’s Community Policy. 

The Marketing and Visitor Services employee will strive to:
·         Increase  the number of Museum and History Centre visitors
·         Increase  the number of participants in Museum programs and services
·         Increase  the number of Museum members
·         Increase  internally generated revenues i.e. gift shop, donations, memberships

Responsibilities Include:
·         Promoting the Museum’s public education programs, services, and special events through a variety of means including print media, promotional brochures, social media accounts and the website
·         Developing community contacts that serve to promote the activities of the Museum and History Centre
·         Managing the Museum’s membership program
·         Design and produce two quarterly newsletters
·         Assisting researchers in the History Centre and complete online research requests as required.
·         Ensuring all visitors to the Museum & History Centre are greeted and assisted
·         Assisting with the delivery of the Museum’s public education programs, craft programs/workshops and special events held both on and off-site
·         Assist with the installation of Museum exhibitions both on and off-site

Qualifications:
·      Minimum of two years’ experience in marketing and/or media communications
·      Minimum of two years of post-secondary education
·      Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines
·      Strong organizational & communications (verbal and written) skills
·      Excellent English language skills
·      Interest, enthusiasm and affinity for marketing and working with people
·      Energetic, resourceful, pro-active, independent
·      Ability to collaborate in a team environment
·      Knowledge of database programs, content management systems and social media
·      Experience using the Adobe Creative Suite, including Illustrator and InDesign
·      Strong computer competency
·      Flexibility and keen attention to detail
·      Personal transportation required
·      French language skills an asset


How to Apply:
Resume and cover letter can be mailed, emailed or dropped off in person to Kathryn Ward, Curator-Manager, 2064 Huntley Road, Stittsville, Ontario, K2S 1B8 goulbmus@rogers.com


Goulbourn's 100th war dead honoured at memorial service


Photo by Kurt Johnson
Military and civilian representatives break ground Saturday for a War of 1812 memorial monument to honour the war dead from the 1813 Battle of Sackets Harbor.


We could feel the emotion of the moment all the more strongly as a Canadian piper played a lament Saturday for the war dead from the Battle of Sackets Harbor. The names of those 49 Canadian and British soldiers who were killed in the War of 1812 raid and buried on the battlefield were read aloud during the special memorial service attended by military re-enactors, regular armed forces and civilian representatives.

Grenadiers of Goulbourn’s 100th Prince Regent’s Regiment of Foot had participated in the May 29, 1813 raid on the strategic military target. The 100th soldiers killed in action included Sgt. William McGarry, Pte. John Carvin, Pte. James Murphy, Michael O’Brian, Pte. Michael Quinn and Pte. John Short. Goulbourn Museum sent me as our representative while William Sinka represented the Friends of the 100th, a proposed living history re-enactors group.

Other regiments include 1st Regiment (Royal Scots), 8th Regiment, 104th (New Brunswick) Regiment, Glengarry Light Infantry, Royal Newfoundland Fencibles, Voltigeurs Canadiens, Nova Scotia Fencibles and Royal Navy.

Saturday’s memorial service was very much an international affair, between friends across the border, as officials from Canada and United States attended the event organized by the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site; the Sackets Harbor Battlefield Alliance Inc. and the community of Sackets Harbor. A ground-breaking ceremony was also held to mark commencement of the construction of a granite monument and individual soldier’s stones to honour the sacrifices of the Crown Forces in the battle.

Standing at the site in a farmer’s clover field, I was struck by the solemn nature of the service that paid tribute to the sacrifice of these soldiers for king and country. I was also touched by the congeniality of the Americans and Canadians who have shared 200 years of peace.

Thursday 2 August 2012

#MuseumOlympics


Today the #MuseumOlympics are trending in Twitter, so we decided to take part in the fun! Do you think this surveyor's chain (aka Gunter's Chain - in the tall skinny cabinet in the centre) could be used in a fun version of  a relay game in the #PioneerOlympics? We think so! In fact, we may design a scavenger hunt style game using a modern replica of this tool.



Wednesday 1 August 2012

New travelling exhibit: the 100th Regiment of Foot


Today we installed a new bilingual and portable version of our exhibit all about the 100th Regiment at the Stittsville Library. This exhibit features a life-size silhouette of a soldier so you can see if you "measure-up" and meet one of the enlistment requirements, as well as information about the War of 1812 and the soldier's transition from Northern Ireland to Canada. And just to make sure the panel was working, we asked a few children (and staff) to pose with the silhouette :) On display at the Library from August 1-31.

After checking this exhibit, why not stop by the Museum and learn the rest of the story - we have a new exhibit about the Exceptional Women in the War of 1812 on now, as well as an exhibit called Voyage of Goulbourn's 100th Regiment :)