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Museum of Ventura County seeks local partners as it expands presence in Camarillo
Summary
The Museum of Ventura County told the Camarillo City Council it has digitized more than 8,000 items, made admission free through sponsorships and seeks partners and oral-history participants as it explores a larger research presence in Camarillo.
Elena Brokaw, the Barbara Barnard Smith CEO of the Museum of Ventura County, told the Camarillo City Council on April 8 that the museum is expanding its outreach and collections work and is exploring a larger research presence in Camarillo.
Broakaw said the museum now has four sites, has digitized more than 8,000 items for public access and provides free tours for Title I schoolchildren, including bus subsidies to remove a major barrier to visits. “Our mission is to engage participants in meaningful experiences,” she said, and the museum has made admission free through sponsorships to boost attendance.
Council members welcomed the museum's new office in Camarillo and praised its education and internship programs; Brokaw said the museum has paid internships that provide a living wage and career pathways for students, including partnerships with Cal State Channel Islands. She told the council the museum currently occupies about 4,000 square feet of office space in Camarillo and may expand collections and a research center into as much as 18,000 square feet.
Brokaw asked the council and the public to help identify oral-history participants and local partners, and said museum staff are in conversations with the Camarillo Ranch House Foundation to accession archives into climate-controlled storage. “We would love to partner with you formally, informally, whatever it might be, to help share the story of this city and of our entire region,” she said.
Council members signaled support and asked about specific partnerships. Vice Mayor Martinez Bravo asked whether the museum has formed partnerships with KidsStream Emerging Children's Museum and the Pleasant Valley Historical Society; Brokaw said tours and preliminary conversations have occurred but no formal partnership agreements were in place yet.
The presentation concluded with council appreciation for the museum's work and an offer to pursue follow-up discussions and workshops to explore how the city and the museum might collaborate on oral histories and research resources.
