Collaboration just comes naturally

This month, the York County Culture & Heritage Museums in Rock Hill, South Carolina, a Smithsonian Affiliate since 2002, will open a permanent addition to its exhibitions and galleries:  The Naturalist Center will offer visitors a new way to access the collections.

Modeled after the Naturalist Center at the National Museum of Natural History, CHM’s center is funded, in part, by a $148,875 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. “We change how people view the educational potential of collections,” said Richard Efthim, director of the NMNH Naturalist Center. “Naturalist centers make collections more accessible, like a library.” Efthim was a key advisor to CHM, offering advice on how to build the center, how to maximize the use of resources, and how to build school partnerships. Since 1995, the Naturalist Center has maintained a strong partnership with the Loudoun County School System in Virginia, offering workshops that train teachers in object-based learning and show them how to use these collections in their classrooms.

Renelda Peldunas-Harter has been a volunteer at MNH's Naturalist Center in Leesburg, Va., for more than 10 years. She is repairing a cast of a human skeleton that is studied at the Center each day by students and the general public. (Photo by Helene Lisy)

“Richard presented a workshop last year to a broad cross-section of teachers, representing a variety of grades and subject matters. It was an introduction to what they will be able to do with our Naturalist Center,” said Nancy Crane, CHM director of education. Crane is planning a range of teaching opportunities, including multiple-day workshops, as well as monthly meetings with a team of teachers selected by their local school districts. She hopes to connect the South Carolina teachers with Efthim’s Virginia teachers via videoconferencing.

CHM’s Naturalist Center will differ from the Smithsonian’s in that it will be a dedicated space within the museum, open to all visitors during regular hours. However, it will offer similar access to diverse natural history specimens, from taxidermy mounts to animal bones, rocks, minerals and plants. CHM Curator Steve Fields has been acquiring new collections for the Naturalist Center, while also evaluating those already at the museum. “As a curator, I am happy to get these collections out of storage and into the light,” he said. “The public can see the value of our collections and how they can be used. Every rock and specimen has a story to tell.” Dioramas that line the perimeter of the room will be re-installed with selected natural history specimens that illustrate topics like migration or adaptation, or focus on regional geology and biology. An interpreter will be stationed in the room to offer guidance to visitors, and a special section will be devoted to early learners. The CHM Naturalist Center is designed to meet the needs of the community, “both the school and public audiences,” said Crane. Fields and Crane agree that the association with the Smithsonian has been an instrumental part of this project. “Our being an Affiliate affords us the chance to bridge and make connections between our institution and the Smithsonian,” said Crane. “It’s a wonderful, mutual opportunity,” added Fields.

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