Oregon Museums Association

OMA has a free advocacy webinar coming up August 20th at 11am PT!

Museums and historical societies across Oregon regularly encounter collection objects without deeds of gift or adequate documentation, unsolicited materials left at their doors, and long-term loans whose owners can no longer be reached. Oregon law provides a process for resolving these situations, but the current requirements can involve significant time, expense, and paperwork. As a result, many objects remain in legal limbo, making it difficult for museums to manage their collections responsibly.

Join us for this FREE webinar to learn about a museum-led effort to modernize Oregon’s museum property law. Presenters will introduce a plain-language proposal developed after researching laws in other states, explain how the proposed changes could benefit museums and donors, and answer questions from participants.

You’ll also learn how to provide feedback on the proposal and advocate for legislation that supports responsible collections stewardship across Oregon.

Learn more and sign up here: https://www.oregonmuseums.org/event-6793499

Did you know that OMA members can post and reply to posts on our Members Forum? It's a great place to ask questions and get support from fellow museum professionals, students, and volunteers.

Become an OMA member and connect with your Oregon museum community. Visit oregonmuseums.org/Join to join today!

Did you know your Fred Meyer shopping trips can help benefit OMA, at no added cost to you?

Through Fred Meyer Community Rewards, just link your Fred Meyer account to Oregon Museums Association, then shop at Fred Meyer and swipe your Shopper's Card to benefit OMA! With Fred Meyer Community Rewards, Fred Meyer donates a percentage of your purchases back to OMA, so it doesn't cost you anything.

When you support OMA through Fred Meyer Community Rewards, you aid us in our mission to empower Oregon's museums to thrive. We greatly appreciate your support - we couldn't do this without you!

Learn more and link your Shopper's Card today: https://www.fredmeyer.com/i/community/community-rewards

Humanities is hosting Reflective Conversation Training in Astoria on September 17th and 18th from 9am-4pm. Reflective Conversation Training is for anyone who wants to get people talking about difficult topics in their workplace. Over two days, you will learn facilitation techniques and learn how to plan and lead conversations about challenging questions across differences of belief and experience.

Trainings are offered on a pay-what-you-are-able basis. Email [email protected] to learn more.

Join Averie Foster, Health Consultant at Oregon OSHA, to learn about what heavy metal dangers may be lurking in your museum's collection. Our upcoming webinar happens next Wednesday, August 5th, at 12:00PM!

Save your spot today -- you won't want to miss this one!

Eastern Oregon Museum Professionals: Connect with your local community! Join us at the Umatilla County Historical Society Museum Heritage Station for a free OMA meet up on Thursday, August 27th at 4:30 pm!

Located in Historic Downtown Pendleton, Heritage Station is housed in the 1909 train depot. Explore two galleries and outdoor exhibits which include a schoolhouse, log cabin, signal house, a caboose, and barn. Connect with other museum professionals from around the region over refreshments.

Let us know you'll be there -> https://oregonmuseums.org/event-6766411

Current Oregon statute (ORS 348.415- 358.440) outlines the legal process by which a museum can gain title to collection materials in their possession that are “loans,” defined as “all deposits of property with a museum that are not accompanied by a transfer of title to the property.” This definition includes all unsolicited deposits and objects found in collection, in addition to documented loans. The law as currently written creates significant time, cost, and paperwork burdens for museums. This often results in museums opting not to claim title to collections objects, and instead leaves the objects in limbo.

Members of Oregon’s museum community seek to update the statute. A small group of museum community-members have spent the past 6 months researching other state laws and have drafted a plain language proposal for new legislation. This group consists of representatives from Oregon Museums Association, Oregon Historical Society, the Oregon Heritage Commission, and a museum volunteer and consultant.

The group has outlined a number of proposed changes to the statute. They now seek feedback from the greater community to identify any issues or concerns, and to prepare for introduction of the legislation in the 2027 session.

Visit https://oregonmuseums.org/Statute-Change to learn more about the proposed changes and submit feedback.

We are happy to share an upcoming event from OMA member, Coos History Museum & Maritime Collections!

The Coos History Museum will host “Discovery Day” on Saturday August 8, 2026, from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM.

Join CHM for a hands-on program for families to learn about different jobs in the sciences and museums from professionals in those fields! This includes CHM’s Collections Manager who will be talking about photo archiving, a taxidermist who helped create our new exhibit Feathers in Flight, an archaeologist at the Bureau of Land Management, and more! This program features educational and engaging activities and opportunities to interact with and ask questions to real professionals. All ages are always welcome.

This program is part of CHM's FREE drop-in Second Saturday Explorer’s Club, a program open to all families and kids with no registration required. Explorer’s Club is free of charge and sponsored by the Coquille Animal Hospital.

Discovery Day is hosted in-person in the lobby of the Coos History Museum, 1210 N. Front Street.

Meet Averie Foster, presenter for our upcoming webinar, Hidden Heavy Metal Dangers in Your Collection!

Averie Foster has been an Industrial Hygienist for the past 15 years. She currently works as a Health Consultant at Oregon OSHA evaluating museum and cultural heritage hazards. Prior to joining OR-OSHA, Averie worked for an environmental company, where she evaluated a wide variety of industrial inhalation hazards. She then worked at a Superfund site evaluating and sampling for historic Beryllium contamination to characterize current employee risks. Averie holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Washington University and has completed advanced Industrial Hygiene coursework through the University of Washington and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Join Averie Foster on August 5th at 12:00PM to learn more about Hidden Heavy Metal Dangers in Your Collection.

Save your spot for this webinar -> https://oregonmuseums.org/event-6753307