President’s Message #1
Fellow Masonic Library & Museum Association members,
Welcome to another year of the Masonic Library & Museum Association! We recently completed the annual MLMA meeting in Washington DC, carried out our yearly business with fellow colleagues and enjoyed spirited discussions on where we go from here! Afterwards, we toured the George Washington Masonic Memorial and Smithsonian and even had an opportunity for a moonlight visit to the Southern Border stone where Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia Meet. A truly “enlightened” experience!
The MLMA are looking to find ways to stay relevant in your Library & Museum lives, as well as the lives of our Parent Grand Lodges and Masonic organizations. To that end, we will be starting a series of Video Get togethers (Teams or Zoom) to share our experiences with each other on a regular basis. These will be on Sunday evenings and last about an hour – They could include talks by experts on subjects or just time for us to relax and chat together. We are also looking to increase our presence on Social Media, to get our face out to the public more! To make this most effective – we need YOUR help and support – What do YOU want to hear / chat about during these times? How can we get new faces and Libraries/Museums involved with the MLMA. Who should we target?
As we move through these days of mercurial interest in Museums & Libraries, we would like to understand what YOU need of the MLMA – how can we continually help you. How can we bring new faces and new voices into the discussion. Your voice is valuable, and we want to hear it! Please don’t hesitate to drop me an email (gvisscher@aol.com) to discuss further. Looking forward to hearing from you!
As an Introduction – I am the Director of the Museum of Masonic Culture in the Grand Lodge of New Jersey (Trenton, NJ). Though I am not a Museum Professional, I’ve been involved in our Grand Lodge and Scottish Rite Museums for over 25 years (starting with my Father). Most recently, we have joined the ranks of Masonic Videos on YouTube through “Masonic Unity – The Rite Stuff”. Everyone can be involved in the work – Professionals, Skilled Volunteers, Amateurs – we all learn from each other!
Our updated Executive Board for the MLMA has some new faces and some experienced ones. We welcome Brother Dirk Hughes, Director of the Michigan Masonic Museum, as our new Vice President. Brother Tyler Vanice, our Immediate Past President, will take over as Secretary and Brother Eric Trosdahl will continue as Treasurer. Working together, we will be streamlining how we do our business. The Board is excited for new things and new experiences as we take the MLMA through the next few years! We thank Mark Tabbert for all of his guidance and experience as he joins the other Past Presidents & Past Secretaries to provide guidance to us moving forward.
Thank YOU for being involved in sharing and saving our Masonic History. Take a part and Get Involved. There is much for us to do, but Together we can work wonders!
Best Fraternal Regards,
G.
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Glenn T. Visscher
Director ~ Museum of Masonic Culture (Grand Lodge of New Jersey)
President – Masonic Library & Museum Association