HomeMy WebLinkAbout02.14.20 Attachment 1
1331 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh WI 54901 • 920.236.5799 • oshkoshmuseum.org
MEMO TO THE MUSEUM BOARD
February 14, 2020
To the Board,
I know everyone has been concerned about the impact of the cyberattack and I appreciate your
support and patience. The Museum had a severely limited ability to communicate; even our
telephone system was problematic, as service would come and go or simply cut out. The staff used
their own resources at times, took it all in stride and worked together. I am proud of their dedication
and resilience. Today staff are pretty much able to work as normal, although we have limited access
to some computer functions.
The IT Division is doing superb work and the City continues to recover from the attack. The good
news is that our Past Perfect collection database is o.k. Staff did not know if the Museum lost its
collection records and photographs in Past Perfect, or even if the database was safe or recoverable.
The database represents 30 years of work by literally hundreds of people, and it comprises the
Museum’s core function, so we of course had anxiety over it. Unfortunately, we missed deadlines
with Split Rock Studios for the sporting and recreation exhibition but once we know when the
Museum will be totally operational, I’ll establish a new schedule.
My priority concern, however, was not Past Perfect or the sporting and recreation exhibition.
Rather, it is the fact that the Museum has been without fire detection since January 28 because the
system uses the Internet to communicate. I rebuilt the Museum building, its exhibitions and
collections, and its database once as a result of fire; I do not intend to do it again! We anticipate fire
coverage soon.
If there was any type of silver lining for the Museum in this God-awful mess, it was that we finally
accomplished some long-standing projects that were awaiting “free time.” Projects of note during
the weeks of the computer outage include repainting the Museum Store and refinishing the store’s
worn hardwood floor, along with associated work planning new store fixtures. The store will have
a new counter, which I reported earlier. The store has needed a general refurbishment for some
time. Anna Cannizzo and Emily Rock undertook a thorough cleaning of second floor collections
storage areas in the Carriage House, which were impacted by the autumn roof replacement work.
They also cleaned the moose head (it was filthy), and did some limited research for exhibitions and
publications. Scott Cross assessed recently acquired military collections, and then completed
manual catalog worksheets that will be transferred to Past Perfect when it is operational. Military
uniforms and equipment are an area of expertise for Scott. I was busy with reviewing, weeding,
and doing a general reorganization of all administrative files, policies, and project binders. While
this might seem inconsequential, it is not. Museum administrative records have to be in a
systematic, concise, and easily understood format for a well-ordered transition to happen. In the
process, I found policies that require work. As well, I had been considering whether we should
continue retaining paper copies of documents because everything was considered safe on the City’s
server. Given the experience of the last few weeks, we will maintain copies.
1331 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh WI 54901 • 920.236.5799 • oshkoshmuseum.org
Page Two
In spite of the lack of computers, work continued on Then & Now, which opens on February 23.
Unfortunately, the marketing of Then & Now was greatly limited. The exhibition includes some
awesome images, as well as a cool selection of cameras used through the decades, including one
used by the famous Lewis Hine. Of course, given our recent computer experiences, the images
made us think that in our digital world the photographic record of an event, place, or person can
be lost forever in an instant, never to be recovered or recreated. Those situations can be a major step
backward in the recording and preservation of our collective memory.
In the miscellaneous category, last Saturday’s program on Wisconsin Lighthouses attracted almost
50 people and was well-received. It is always gratifying when the public responds positively to an
event. The last few weeks reminded me of the era when the Museum had no computers at all, and
in fact the Museum was one of the first departments to purchase a computer (1990), an HP mini-
mainframe purchased with earnings from the Behncke Trust. The Museum was on its own for any
computer, software, and support. In fact, until the cyberattack, I had forgotten that we did not have
an inter-departmental mail box at City Hall and the City mainly communicated with the Museum
by first class mail. How times have changed.
That ends this week. It is satisfying to be back in the loop, even if it is only a partial loop, and there
is now a backlog of tasks facing us. Things will slowly return to operation and it might be some
time before staff can confidently say that everything is “back to normal.”
I hope you have a pleasant weekend.
Brad Larson