Closing Address
at the Connecting to Collections National Conservation
Summit
Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture
Francie Alexander, Senior Vice
President & Chief Academic Officer, Scholastic Inc.
June 27, 2007
 |
| Click
here to download accompanying PowerPoint slides
(12.3 MB). |
• Slide 1 (title)
• Slide 2 (Thank you. I love you. …)
Many of us have recently attended a graduation –
or more than one, as even the end of pre-school is celebrated.
Ending this conference has the same emotional resonance.
We have shared an incredible learning experience with
valued friends and colleagues. Now it is time to go
out and change the world.
Before you go, I want to share some parting thoughts.
The only graduation speech I really remember was one
given by the late Kurt Vonnegut at Syracuse University.
He reminded us of the simple truth that all human interaction
could be enhanced if we said “thank you,”
“I’m sorry,” and “I love you”
more often. You will hear these sentiments expressed
today.
• Slide 3 (Thank you for persevering…)
First and foremost, thank you for all that you do to
persevere and to preserve our national treasures. For
all of that, you are national treasures, too. Personally,
I collect books that have been used to teach children
to read or to help teachers teach reading. So I certainly
appreciate books on exhibits such as Young America –
Childhood in 19th-Century Art and Culture (Claire Perry).
These portraits are representative of the exhibit and
serve to remind us of how the past informs the present.
• Slide 4 (I’m sorry that not everyone…)
*Note* A video of children explaining the term “conservation”
was played here.
These very articulate young people could all explain
the importance of conserving the natural world. However,
they did not express any sentiments about preserving
and protecting the human experience.
• Slide 5 (Image of “National Treasure”
movie poster)
Perhaps movies like National Treasure starring Nicolas
Cage will help. I’m so glad that there will be
a sequel this fall as I hope that viewers will be better
able to understand how intellectually stimulating and
exciting your work is. Let’s not just rely on
Hollywood for a solution to our dilemmas. If you didn’t
do the important work you do, and if we don’t
get well-deserved public support, here is a headline
that may describe the future …
• Slide 6 (Without you, here are the headlines…)
I have been reading the Monday edition of USA Today
and find their lists of the top 25 – catch phrases,
people, sports moments, inventions, etc. – informative
and interesting. The paper will celebrate its 25th anniversary
this September so they, too, are looking back as they
move ahead. Using their format, I reflected on what
is at stake for all of us if we don’t continue
to strive and thrive in our work.
• Slide 7 (6 Strategies for Success)
To paraphrase the Nicolas Cage character from the first
National Treasure movie as he explained the Declaration
of Independence: if something isn’t working, fix
it. So here are six strategies for success that will
build on the important work that has been accomplished,
and relationships that have been established at this
conference.
• Slide 8 (1: Develop…)
Social marketing applies the principles of classic
marketing to changing human behavior. The social marketing
campaign to limit smoking has been hugely successful.
A campaign to get us all eating more veggies and fruits
– strive for five – is underway. Scholastic
is working with Target to prevent the “summer
slide” – kids losing ground in school because
they don’t read during vacation – by encouraging
them to read four or more books during the summer vacation.
These campaigns have a “hook” or clear message,
use a variety of media, and provide specific actions
to be taken to achieve pro-social goals.
• Slide 9 (2: Create…)
One of the best outcomes of this conference is to see
all of the new connections being established. As a follow-up,
be sure you have a plan for maintaining and sustaining
the contacts you have made. Also, be creative about
potential private and public partnerships. According
to the hotel where I stayed last night, I helped people
in distressed situations, saved the planet and more
while I slept. You may find “angels” who
will support your good works, too.
• Slide 10 (3: Capture…)
We are living in a digital world, and we need to exploit
the new technologies in service of our goals. When most
young people going to college report that they have
participated in a “multi-player” game or
engaged in social networking online, we need to tap
into online resources to keep the conversation we have
started here going. We also need to continue to use
technology to preserve our treasures. Of course, this
isn’t a substitute for direct, in-person interactions
with our collections – and with each other.
• Slide 11 (4: Communicate…)
Social psychologists and others describe the importance
of “third spaces” for learning. It is estimated
that our students spend 9% of this time in school. That
means that it is important for us to engage them and
ourselves in some form of informal learning during the
other 91% of their lives. Museums and libraries are
critical to that effort. As previously indicated, most
young people have access to online activities. Librarians,
you have been at the forefront of the online movement.
Museum staff, you have done an amazing job of providing
the opportunities for online visits to your institutions.
Together, you are the most important contributors of
high-quality online content. As places like Starbucks
get more involved in arts and entertainment, you may
want to find new venues for sharing the museum and library
experiences.
• Slide 12 (5: Educate …classroom shot)
*Note* A video of children describing their personal
collections was played here. In the kids’ own
words, the 1970s seemed like the good old days.
There is only going to be a happy ending to our work
if we get the public involved. All that you do is for
our children, and theirs, and for generations…
we will only speak to them through what we preserve.
I served on the IMLS Youth Action Committee and all
of us need to make engaging and educating our children
and young people a priority.
• Slide 13: (6: Declare…)
This conference has been so rich in recommendations
and resources that it can be a challenge to take action.
None of us can do everything, but all of us can do something.
Choose what will mean the most to the community you
serve, and take the first step next Monday. My action
will be to work on the book I’m writing to explain
the work you do to young children. Here is a “sneak
peak” of my book:
• Slide 14: (image of book)
*Note: the quilt was done by my K-3 class to celebrate
our national bicentennial.
Well, my time with you and our time together are up.
Yet, I still haven’t said I love you. It is a
good thing that I have one more slide.
• Slide 15: (I love you, Anne Radice…)
