Alameda Museum | Annual City Council Update | 2026 1
ALAMEDA MUSEUM
2025–2026 Annual Update to the Alameda City Council
How the Alameda Museum Serves the Community
Preserves Alameda’s history. Stewards a collection of 21,554 artifacts, including archival materials, recreated rooms, and a historic house.
Expands public access. Over 18,000 collection items are available to the public through the searchable CatalogIt Hub, while providing research assistance, image requests, and in-person appointments.
Connects people to inclusive, diverse local history. We engage approximately 60 volunteers and present exhibits, tours, programs, and partnerships that broaden whose stories are represented and how the public can experience them.
Opening
Good evening, Mayor and Members of the City Council. Thank you for the opportunity to provide the Alameda Museum’s annual update. 2026 marks 75 years since the Alameda Historical Society established a museum in the basement of the Carnegie Library in 1951. Today, we continue that communityled mission by preserving Alameda’s history, expanding public access to the collection, and creating opportunities for residents and visitors to connect with the many stories that shape our city.
Volunteers, Collections, and Resources
• Approximately 60 volunteers support governance, visitor services, docent programs, and archival work at the Alameda Museum and Meyers House. • Last year we welcomed over 4,000 visitors who came from across the US and other countries to view exhibits, do research, and shop in our store. Our busiest weekend is the Art and Wine Faire. This year’s event drew 800 visitors. • Our publications are a resource for visitors and especially new residents interested in the history of their home. Our newsletters tell many stories of this island and the people who live/lived here.
• The Museum’s collection includes 21,554 artifacts, which are documented in the CatalogIt digital database. Over 18,000 items are publicly searchable through the CatalogIt Hub, and the Museum also supports image, research, and in-person appointment requests.
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• Collection work continues through professional cataloging, photography, and documentation.
• Caring for the collection also includes artifact restoration, archival housing, and training in preservation practices especially for City record books.
Exhibits and Interpretation
• Recent exhibits have intentionally broadened the stories presented, including Fleet Fashion in 2025 honoring Fleet Week in the Bay Area and our own Naval Air Station.
• Women of Alameda’s History debuted in March and April of 2026. These displays were developed with support from community partners and family connections.
• Longstanding displays are being refreshed with rotating photographs, maps, audio components, and QR-code access to additional images and information. • The museum continues its Board-designated goal of showcasing the diverse and unique history of Alameda and its residents by highlighting groups, individuals and organizations that are frequently overlooked in traditional historical exhibits or narratives. This is an ongoing goal, accomplished through special exhibits, a speaker series featuring members of these communities, and support for academic research into the individuals that exemplify a diverse Alameda history.
Indigenous Cultural Materials and Repatriation
The Museum has cared for Alameda’s Indigenous cultural materials (which were originally located in the Carnegie Library) since 1981, when the museum relocated.
• The Museum is working with Corrina Gould and the Confederated Villages of Lisjan (CVL) to review the Indigenous cultural materials in the Museum’s stewardship and to develop a mutually agreed-upon framework for repatriation. • The Museum has completed the actions required to facilitate repatriation.
Formal legal repatriation is scheduled in 2026/27 through execution of documentation formally recording transfer and acceptance of the identified cultural materials. The Museum will continue to follow CVL’s direction on any remaining logistical steps.
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• The Museum and CVL have also agreed to collaborate on a future Indigenous peoples exhibit centered on Ohlone voices, perspectives, history, culture, and contemporary community life. The Museum will provide exhibition space, institutional support, and historical context while Indigenous representatives play a central role in shaping content and interpretation.
Programs, Events, and Outreach
• Monthly exhibit tours, neighborhood history walks, art programs, and special events continue to bring Alameda history into direct conversation with the community.
• At the Meyers House, the Museum expanded public engagement through the Music in the Garden and A Walk in the Neighborhood series, combining historic interpretation with arts and place-based programming. • The Museum also provides presentations and private tours for community groups, and has engaged in public outreach at offsite locations.
Plan for the Future
Looking ahead, our priorities are:
• Continue to preserve and digitize our collection while offering opportunities for students, museum professionals, and the public to assist with and learn archival practices.
• Update and refresh exhibits and interpretation.
• Complete the repatriation process and move forward with a collaboratively developed Indigenous exhibit.
• Reintroduce our lecture series with in-person presentations. • We have relationships with the Western Railroad Museum, Frank Bette Center, Alameda Naval Air Museum, and California Historical Radio Society and hope to continue to strengthen our ties on joint projects with further outreach to the community.
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• Engage in the STEPS program (Standards and Excellence Program) a selfpaced assessment program designed specifically for small to mid-sized history organizations to review their policies and practices. • Plan to join the NARM network, which includes a network of cultural institutions including arts, science, history, and more.
Closing
We are grateful to the City, our volunteers, members, partners, and community for helping the Alameda Museum preserve the past while making local history increasingly accessible and relevant to the public. Thank you.