City Council Study Session Summary 2012 10 23

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City Council Study Session Summary October 23, 2012 Page 4of7 ➢ Visitor Statistics — As of July of this year, the historical museum had 1,335 visitors. ➢ Archives and Research — Bridget completed 100 historical reports on historical properties in the Jefferson Place subdivision in Louisville. Volunteers scanned County assessor cards for Louisville properties. Volunteers have given 2,100 hours of their time in support of the museum in 2011. The volunteers are so important, and the museum couldn't manage things without them. ➢ Louisville Historian — 4,200 distributed annually and also available on -line. The Historian is well- received and provides great content. Bridget and other contributing members write the articles. ➢ Events and Exhibits — Participated in Labor Day Parade, Parade of Lights, Taste of Louisville, held an Open House, provided an exhibit to the Louisville Library on the great depression and how it impacted Louisville, and held the 25n Anniversary Celebration. ➢ The "Louisville" book was released and sales have done well. Sales of merchandise benefits the museum. ➢ Pioneer Award — the Pioneer Award Winner for 2012 was George Brown. ➢ Facility Upgrades — New museum sign installed, ceiling lights replaced in the Jacoe Store, upgrades made to the security system, new back door installed and a remodeled restroom. The improvements to the restroom were necessary to bring the plumbing inside so as not to freeze during the winter months. A flood of a broken pipe would be devastating to the museum contents. Present Programs: ➢ Oral History Project (Preserving the story of Louisville from those who lived it) — 25 oral histories have been completed since 2011. These are administered by the museum and funded by the City and the Historical Commission. The oral histories are only available to listen to at the museum at this time. ➢ Walking Tours — Four walking tours this summer were well- received. The last walking tour was held on October 6th and was attended by 20 people. ➢ Luncheons and Other Programs — Brown Bag presentations fantastic and provide great living history. ➢ Pursue Creation of a Foundation — The Commission is looking into the addition of a separate foundation and what benefits a foundation would provide to the museum. Future Planning: ➢ 135th Anniversary of the founding of Louisville coming up in 2013. ➢ Due to Bridget's hours being increased the total open hours for the museum went from 25 per month to 65 per month. We're still below the average of other City -run museums. Daniel thanked the City for increasing Bridget's hours.