UA Museums Goes Online to Provide Educational Content

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – University of Alabama Museums will begin livestreaming educational content starting March 27.

The videos will be on the Facebook pages of the Alabama Museum of Natural History, Gorgas House Museum, Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum and Moundville Archaeological Park.

While UA museums are closed because of COVID-19, each museum will continue to provide educational outreach through daily programming featuring experts in various fields, offering Q&A time for those watching at home.

Dr. William Bomar, executive director of UA Museums, understands people are looking for quality online content that is both educational and entertaining during this time.

“While our four public museums are closed, we will be using a variety of platforms such as daily livestreams by scientists, historians, archaeologists and naturalists from UA Museums,” said Bomar. “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.”

In addition to the introduction of Facebook livestreaming, UA Museums will create short video and social media content, which 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 Mary Beth Prondzinski, manager of the Natural History Collection, as she takes morning walks and discusses apiaries, blueberries and blackberries.

Lindsey Gordon, education outreach coordinator at Moundville Archaeological Park, will share information about artifacts found at Moundville.

The Gorgas House Museum also started a “Gorgas House Artifact Series,” which is social media posts with facts about artifacts found inside the Gorgas House Museum.

All livestreams start at 10 a.m. Once finished, Facebook archives livestreams so they will be available to view anytime.

The livestream schedule, subject areas and links are:

• Moundville Archaeological Park on Mondays
  • https://www.facebook.com/moundvillepark/
• History on Tuesdays
  • https://www.facebook.com/GorgasHouse/
  • https://www.facebook.com/mwwtm/
• Archaeology on Wednesdays
  • https://www.facebook.com/Office.Of.Archaeological.Research/
• Natural history on Thursdays
  • https://www.facebook.com/ALMNH/
• Family Fridays
  • https://www.facebook.com/ALMNH/