Starting on Friday, March 27, 2020, UA Museums will begin live streaming educational content from the Facebook pages of the Alabama Museum of Natural History, the Gorgas House Museum, the Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum, and Moundville Archaeological Park.
Due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 Coronavirus, the museums of the University of Alabama have had to close their doors, but that isn’t stopping them from providing educational outreach. They will have daily programing (Mondays through Fridays) at 10:00 AM Central that will include experts in various fields, offering Q&A time for those watching at home.
Since their audience is unable to visit the museums during this effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, UA Museums’ Executive Director, Dr. William Bomar, understands that people are looking for quality online content that is both educational and entertaining.
“While our four public museums are closed, we will be using a variety of platforms such as daily live streams by scientists, historians, archaeologists, and naturalists from UA Museums. It is my hope that during this difficult time, our audiences across Alabama and beyond will take advantage of our educational resources and see our museums as a source of enrichment and comfort”, Dr. Bomar said.
In addition to the introduction of Facebook live streaming, UA Museums will be creating short video and social media content. This will include museum staff recording “Isolation Observations” of the nature they encounter in their own backyards and neighborhoods. The first of this series comes from Natural History Collection Manager, Mary Beth Prondzinski, as she takes morning walks during Quarantine and discusses apiaries, blueberries, and blackberries. Lindsey Gordon, Education Outreach Coordinator at Moundville Archaeological Park, will be sharing information about artifacts that can be found at Moundville. The Gorgas House Museum has also started a “Gorgas House Artifact Series”, which will be a series of social media posts sharing facts about artifacts that can be found inside The Gorgas House Museum.
Live Stream Schedule and Where to Watch
- Mondays at 10 AM: Moundville Archaeological Park
- Tuesdays at 10 AM: History
- Wednesdays at 10 AM: Archaeology
- Thursdays at 10 AM: Natural History
- Fridays at 10 AM: Family Friday
The live streams will be archived by Facebook and available for viewing even after the they have ended.
For more information, visit: museums.ua.edu/museumsfromyourhome.