We Love Our Members!
The Oklahoma Museums Association’s membership structure is relevant for Oklahoma museums and our profession. OMA is the statewide organization for museum staff, volunteers, board members, museums, museum partners, and other Oklahomans who have an interest in museums.
The information, insight, tools and connections which OMA membership offers allows museums, museum staff, volunteers and board members to be better equipped and motivated to pursue best practices resulting in strong institutions that engage citizens and enhance their communities.
OMA members are an important part of the collective Oklahoma museum voice. Members receive access to a variety of resources helping them feel connected to the museum profession. We know networking is an important part of becoming a close knit museum community.
We offer so much to benefit museum professionals and Oklahoma museums including:
Communications
Receive news you can use with an electronic subscription to the OMA e-list and quarterly online newsletter, MuseNEWS
Connections and Professional Interest Networks (PINS)
Network directly with peers sharing similar interests and concerns through professional interest networks at no additional cost. Professional network information below.
Professional Development
Advance your career with learning opportunities offered at discounted rates and informal resume review
Eligibility
Take advantage of your ability apply for scholarships, submit entries in the OMA Awards Program, and serve on OMA committees and the board of directors.
View of list of programs and services OMA offers here.
Membership in OMA is a valuable investment. With many involved members across Oklahoma, you will want to be a part of what OMA has to offer!
Join or Renew Now
Difficult Times? OMA Can Help!
If you are a current OMA individual or designated member and recently laid off or are having financial difficulty, or if you are a museum member struggling in this economy, OMA can provide some relief. Please contact the OMA office at info@okmuseums.org and let us know so we can extend your membership benefits for three additional months at no cost. A total of one extension per membership allowed. This program is subject to end at OMA’s discretion.
In addition, OMA offers the following:
– Visit the Find a Job page
– Submit your resume to bgranger@okmuseums.org for an informal resume review
Professional Interest Networks
Professional interest networks provide opportunities for OMA members with similar responsibilities to share information and ideas. These online professional networks are FREE to OMA members. To participate in any or all of the online professional networks, sign up here or use the specific network link below.
Oklahoma Museum Educators (OKME)
Provides networking opportunities for those concerned with learning in museums to share information, ideas and materials related to museum education and promotes excellence in museum learning. Subscribe to OKME online network here
Coordinator: Anna Studstill
Gaylord-Pickens Museum, home of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame
Oklahoma Native American Museum Professionals Association (OKNAMPA)
Provides networking opportunities for individuals within the museum community concerned with Native American issues based on Native American approaches, viewpoints, values, histories, cultures, religions and life-ways. Subscribe to OKNAMPA online network here
Coordinator: Interested individuals should contact the OMA office.
Oklahoma Registrars Association (OKRA)
Provides networking opportunities for registrars, collections managers, curators, preparators, volunteer curators, loan professionals and any other interested museum staff or volunteers to address current museum issues, primarily in relation to collections management, at a grassroots level. Subscribe to OKRA online network here
Co- Coordinator: Blake Norton
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center
Co-Coordinator: Peter Kavourgias
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center
Oklahoma Emerging Museum Professionals (OEMP)
Provides networking opportunities for emerging professionals. Emerging professionals are defined as students and professionals in their first ten years of employment in the museum field.
Co-Coordinator: Tori Waldron
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Co-Coordinator: TBD
OMA Scholarship Program
Find information about the OMA Scholarship Program here.
Awards Program
The 2023 award season is about the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, Grammys, and the Oscars to name a few. Now is also a great time to get ready for the OMA Awards.
The OMA awards program recognizes the people and projects that enrich Oklahoma museums and the public they serve. The awards celebrate museum supporters, volunteers, board members, or staff for their impact on Oklahoma museums or the museum profession and Oklahoma museums for their outstanding projects.
This year, the awards program has been streamlined. Budget categories for projects have been removed as has the budget form. All entries will be judged on their own merit based on the nomination materials provided.
Why Should You Submit?
Size doesn’t matter when it comes to the OMA awards. Small, rural museums have just as much chance to win as large, metropolitan museums.
You can honor a valuable volunteer, board member, or funder in a way that is tangible and memorable.
In one word – recognition! Award winners are recognized publicly at the OMA Awards Celebration Dinner on September 14, 2023, promoted on the OMA website and in statewide media outlets, and included in the fall issue of the OMA quarterly newsletter.
Get Ready to Submit
Entries for the 2023 OMA Awards Program are now being accepted. Download all the information here. The deadline to submit an entry is Friday, May 19, 2023.
Contact the OMA office with awards program questions at info@okmuseums.org or 405.424.7757
Discounts
OMA strives to provide discounts to members on a variety of products and services. In some cases, OMA receives financial support through discount partnerships when you use the links below to make purchases. Discounts are available at no additional cost to you or OMA. All discount proceeds we receive are used to support the OMA scholarship fund.
OMA encourages you to independently research all products and services to ensure a perfect fit for you and your museum!
Want to offer OMA members a discount? Read the OMA Business/Vendor Relations Policy and Discount Program Policy here. After reviewing our policy, if your business is interested in participating in the OMA Discount Program, please contact Brenda Granger, OMA Executive Director.
ARCHIVAL AND EXHIBIT SUPPLIES
Gaylord Archival offers OMA members the following discounts and benefits when using the priority code OMA04 while shopping at Gaylord Archival:
18% off Archival Supplies with 50% off shipping on supply orders over $200
10% off Furniture, plus freight (Exhibit cases excluded)
Orders to Gaylord Archival may be placed by telephone by calling 1.800.448.6160 or online at http://www.gaylord.com/ using priority code OMA04.
COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
- A 10% discount on licensing
- 3 free months of hosting and support
Visit Re:Discovery Software or call 434.975.3256.
OMA Member Logos
Demonstrate your membership by downloading a logo and adding to your website or email.
