Get Involved in the Museum

Thank you for your interest in the Anacortes Museum and the unique history of our community.

Museum Mission

Our mission states: "The Anacortes Museum exists to preserve and interpret the history of Fidalgo and Guemes islands and to nurture in the community an awareness and appreciation of its heritage."

Fulfill the Mission

The museum staff relies on community involvement to fulfill this mission in the following ways:

• Increase and share your Anacortes History Literacy - We realize that most of our community's heritage does not reside in our institutions, but in the memories and knowledge of community members. We would like to invite you to share your memories and knowledge of Anacortes history, and seek it our in friends and family. Read the books that have been written about Anacortes history. Read one or more of the hundreds of oral history interviews that have been recorded and transcribed. Volunteer to record or transcribe an oral history that needs to be done.
• We're writing the Encyclopedia of Anacortes and need your help - Our extensive online database of photographs and artifacts possesses an exciting feature called "send feedback" which allows anyone to add historical detail to photo and artifact descriptions, and correct errors or omissions where they occur.
• Join the Anacortes Museum Foundation - Foundation membership donations and fundraising efforts are responsible for many accomplishments at the Anacortes Museum, including our elevator, the Perfect Port DVD and many of our brochure and book projects.
• Donate photographs and artifacts from your collection - If you see gaps in our collection that you may be able to fill, please contact us about donating such items.
• Research local history and share your stories - Most people can relate to "if only I'd asked grandpa about..." While we can't retrieve what's lost, we can realize that today's stories are tomorrow's history. If you have a memory about the way Anacortes used to be, or a recollection about a person who belongs in the historical record, please write it done and share it with us. We have an extensive research file library (you can now search this index online) that was collected by Terry Slotemaker in collaboration with hundreds of researchers from the community just like you. We're starting a new feature on this website called Anacortes Stories that features some of these contributions. Please read and join in.
• Volunteer and eVolunteer - So many projects need doing, and we are fortunate to have a lot of help. We realize that not everybody is in a position to donate hours currently, but you can still help from home, wherever it may be, by learning and sharing and participating in one of the projects above. Those of you that do have the time and interest to volunteer, please contact us and we'll attempt to match our needs with your interests. And if your interests run toward board involvement, consider applying for a position on one of our associated boards: The Anacortes Museum Foundation, the Museum Advisory Board and the Historic Preservation Board.
• Civic pride and awareness of museum resources - Finally, we thank you for your awareness of what we offer and for encouraging family, friends, and visitors to enjoy our facilities and make use of our resources, from our online exhibits to our galleries, interpretive signs and our community presentations.