Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Daryn Glassbrook. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Daryn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
One of the biggest challenges of my career as a museum professional was keeping a small, privately operated nonprofit museum afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools were no longer doing field trips. Most of our face-to-face programming had to be cancelled due to public health concerns and regulations. The Mobile Medical Museum had to reimagine how we could remain relevant while people were dealing with so much trauma and disruption. I felt strongly that our collections and educational resources could be valuable in helping people to better understand virus transmission and vaccination and to cope with the emotional challenges of isolation and quarantine. With the support of an American Recovery Act grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, we produced an eight-part educational video series, “Living Through COVID-19,” starring teenage actors talking directly to their peers. The series was launched on our new YouTube channel in June 2022 and it remains available to viewers anywhere in the world. Even though the pandemic is winding down now, the video series remains a valuable resource. It contains first-hand testimonies from young people about their experiences with COVID-19 as well as perspectives from health care professionals who were charged with saving lives and promoting good preventive measures.
Daryn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I have been the Executive Director of the Mobile Medical Museum since 2016. I came to this position after completing a Ph.D. program in American Literature and working mainly in the museum sector for several years. Medical museums are very rare these days. Ours has been privately operated and supported since its founding in 1962. With a staff of two, a relatively small facility, and an annual budget of less than $100,000, we have nevertheless been able to push against these limitations and offer programs that are innovative, impactful and engaging for people of all ages. Since 2016, we have developed an artist residency program, a community herb garden, special exhibitions, video and lecture series, STEM tours and activities for K-12 students, and the annual Mobile Community Health Leadership Awards. We want to keep moving forward and reimagining what a museum can offer people as we make our way through the third decade of the twenty-first century.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
When I started as Executive Director, we were on a single social media platform, Facebook. We have since added an Instagram page and a YouTube channel. Our total social media following has grown by 273% over seven years. We post on Facebook and Instagram about three times per week, while our YouTube channel currently has eleven videos, three of them added in the past month. Each platform has its own unique design and optimal use and it takes some time to learn how to communicate effectively on it. In general, though, we try to avoid low-effort posting. Our posts are planned in advance. Because we are a mission-driven organization dedicated to medical history, many of our posts require original research. Other posts require photo editing and graphic design elements. When we are promoting a campaign or an event, we do spend money to boost posts to a target audience, usually about once or twice a month. If you craft your social media presence with care and intention, you will be rewarded with higher engagement.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I was not planning on a career as a museum professional when I was in school, so I never took any courses in museum studies. Everything that I have learned was learned on the job, from building budgets to managing accounting software to drafting grant proposals and press releases. I do think a course or program in museum studies can be good preparation for this kind of career and sometimes wish I had had that experience. On the other hand, I don’t want anyone to think that having a background in museum studies is a surefire way to land a museum job–it is an extremely competitive field. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mobilemedicalmuseum.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mobilemedicalmuseum/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MobileMedicalMuseum/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daryn-glassbrook-680474b8/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mobilemedicalmuseum663
- Other: [email protected]
Image Credits
Mobile Medical Museum