Recent News and Updates
Resignations and Replacements at the GNLM
This past fall, two longstanding museum supporters resigned from the board of directors, Sue Harrington, GNLM Director, and Hubert McDonell, GNLM Vice-President. We wish both these valued community members all the best! In light of this, the GNLM has recruited two new directors who have stood out in the community for their involvement; Linda Sinfield and Connie Newman-Gerdis. We welcome them aboard and look forwards to working with them!
This past fall, two longstanding museum supporters resigned from the board of directors, Sue Harrington, GNLM Director, and Hubert McDonell, GNLM Vice-President. We wish both these valued community members all the best! In light of this, the GNLM has recruited two new directors who have stood out in the community for their involvement; Linda Sinfield and Connie Newman-Gerdis. We welcome them aboard and look forwards to working with them!
Recognized for Recognition....
The museum mounted an exhibit meant to recognize the contribution of agriculture to our community titled "Salute to Farmers." From this event came the publication "Salute to Farmers of South Glengarry" which detailed local farms and farming families who particpated in telling their stories. The exhibit and publication were a great success with hundreds of copies sold. The museum was, in turn, recognized for its recognition of agriculture by the Onatrio Association of Agrciultural Societies by being presented with the meritous Service Award for outstanding and dedciated servie to the St. Lawrence Valley Agricultural Society.
The museum mounted an exhibit meant to recognize the contribution of agriculture to our community titled "Salute to Farmers." From this event came the publication "Salute to Farmers of South Glengarry" which detailed local farms and farming families who particpated in telling their stories. The exhibit and publication were a great success with hundreds of copies sold. The museum was, in turn, recognized for its recognition of agriculture by the Onatrio Association of Agrciultural Societies by being presented with the meritous Service Award for outstanding and dedciated servie to the St. Lawrence Valley Agricultural Society.
Additions to the Board of Directors at the GNLM
The GNLM would like to formally welcome two new directors to its' board; Ian MacDonald, the former building inspector for the Township of South Glengarry and Pierre Roy, past president of the St. Lawrence Valley Agricultural Society heading the Williamstown Fair. With a heavy workload at the museum we are positive that these two community-minded individuals will be a great addition to our board.
The GNLM would like to formally welcome two new directors to its' board; Ian MacDonald, the former building inspector for the Township of South Glengarry and Pierre Roy, past president of the St. Lawrence Valley Agricultural Society heading the Williamstown Fair. With a heavy workload at the museum we are positive that these two community-minded individuals will be a great addition to our board.
Funding From the Ontario Trillium Foundation
The Glengarry, Nor’Westers & Loyalist Museum of Williamstown, Ontario was pleased to welcome MPP Jim McDonell to the museum this past weekend on Saturday, August 27th, 2016. MPP McDonell was invited to host a small event for the Ontario Trillium Foundation in recognition of the generous grant they bestowed upon the GNLM this past spring. In the ceremony, MPP McDonell presented the GNLM board of directors president, Kenneth MacDonald, with a plaque from the Ontario Trillium Foundation acknowledging the awarded funding. The grant was geared towards updating existing and expanding new technology so that museum functions could be performed more efficiently and in an increasingly diverse and effective way, fitting the needs of this digital age.
By applying for this grant, the museum sought to overcome some significant obstacles it had in the relaying, preserving, and presenting museum content to the public. The museum had only one computer set up in their small office space but the grant allowed for them to purchase another computer for their upstairs workroom, enabling multiple volunteers or staff members to work at the same time. The cataloguing software used at the museum was also added to the new computer so that people could access and work in the database simultaneously and have the cataloguing system in better proximity to the artifact room. Additional equipment purchased under the OTF capital grant were a new camera, a blu-ray player, and a laptop. The museum seeks to create audio/visual material with these pieces so that the offerings of the museum and community in general can be broadcast more widely and to an increased audience who might find spending a day or weekend touring Williamstown to be of interest.
The museum is also putting this equipment to good use in respect to its educational value. Last fall was difficult for the museum in terms of getting children to visit. Curator, Keleigh Goodfellow, reflects that unfortunately, the teacher’s hands were tied when students sought to visit, as work to rule did not allow for such trips, even if it meant a simple walk down the street as it did for students at Williamstown Public School. With increased technology here at the museum and the ability to create engaging and mobile audio/visual content that could be shared easily, the museum hopes to reach much larger audiences and offer engaging material to all ages. The museum and its members are extremely grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for giving them the necessary resources to overcome these obstacles. A provincial organization, the Ontario Trillium Foundation provides funding to many organizations for projects that align with their values which are organized into ‘action areas.’ In this instance, the GNLM’s project of updating and expanding museum technology in order to reach out to an increased audience as well perform tasks more efficiently aligned with Trillium’s ‘Inspired People’ action area. As expressed by the Ontario trillium Foundation, this area places value on enriching people’s lives through arts, culture, and heritage through connectivity and better quality programming and infrastructure.
A Williamstown resident himself, MPP McDonell was pleased to have the funding granted so locally. Museum personnel behind this project would not only like to thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation itself but also the people behind it such as Trillium representative, Jean-Paul Gagnon who aided the project extensively, providing much guidance and support along the way.
The Glengarry, Nor’Westers & Loyalist Museum of Williamstown, Ontario was pleased to welcome MPP Jim McDonell to the museum this past weekend on Saturday, August 27th, 2016. MPP McDonell was invited to host a small event for the Ontario Trillium Foundation in recognition of the generous grant they bestowed upon the GNLM this past spring. In the ceremony, MPP McDonell presented the GNLM board of directors president, Kenneth MacDonald, with a plaque from the Ontario Trillium Foundation acknowledging the awarded funding. The grant was geared towards updating existing and expanding new technology so that museum functions could be performed more efficiently and in an increasingly diverse and effective way, fitting the needs of this digital age.
By applying for this grant, the museum sought to overcome some significant obstacles it had in the relaying, preserving, and presenting museum content to the public. The museum had only one computer set up in their small office space but the grant allowed for them to purchase another computer for their upstairs workroom, enabling multiple volunteers or staff members to work at the same time. The cataloguing software used at the museum was also added to the new computer so that people could access and work in the database simultaneously and have the cataloguing system in better proximity to the artifact room. Additional equipment purchased under the OTF capital grant were a new camera, a blu-ray player, and a laptop. The museum seeks to create audio/visual material with these pieces so that the offerings of the museum and community in general can be broadcast more widely and to an increased audience who might find spending a day or weekend touring Williamstown to be of interest.
The museum is also putting this equipment to good use in respect to its educational value. Last fall was difficult for the museum in terms of getting children to visit. Curator, Keleigh Goodfellow, reflects that unfortunately, the teacher’s hands were tied when students sought to visit, as work to rule did not allow for such trips, even if it meant a simple walk down the street as it did for students at Williamstown Public School. With increased technology here at the museum and the ability to create engaging and mobile audio/visual content that could be shared easily, the museum hopes to reach much larger audiences and offer engaging material to all ages. The museum and its members are extremely grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for giving them the necessary resources to overcome these obstacles. A provincial organization, the Ontario Trillium Foundation provides funding to many organizations for projects that align with their values which are organized into ‘action areas.’ In this instance, the GNLM’s project of updating and expanding museum technology in order to reach out to an increased audience as well perform tasks more efficiently aligned with Trillium’s ‘Inspired People’ action area. As expressed by the Ontario trillium Foundation, this area places value on enriching people’s lives through arts, culture, and heritage through connectivity and better quality programming and infrastructure.
A Williamstown resident himself, MPP McDonell was pleased to have the funding granted so locally. Museum personnel behind this project would not only like to thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation itself but also the people behind it such as Trillium representative, Jean-Paul Gagnon who aided the project extensively, providing much guidance and support along the way.