A place where history museum and historical society employees and board members can go to ask questions and get answers from colleagues?

If so, check out the American Association for State and Local History's (AASLH) new online communities.

Two online communities are currently live:

• History News: AASLH's first online community focuses on their quarterly print magazine, History News. This online hub offers a place for readers to discuss in detail key themes touched upon in the pages of the magazine.

The first discussion thread explores Tim Grove's latest History Bytes column and Grappling with the Concept of Radical Trust. Tim asks: "Does user-generated content fit into your mission? Should it? Is it important?"

Everyone is invited to join in the conversation and let their opinion be heard.

For each upcoming issues of History News, a new select article or column will be open for discussion in the online community.

• Nomenclature: AASLH's second community hub is designed for users of Nomenclature 3.0, a resource guide of hierarchically organized object terms used for the cataloging of museum objects. 

This resource is moderated by an ongoing Nomenclature Committee selected by AASLH to promote and assist with the adoption of Nomenclature 3.0 and to keep Nomenclature a dynamic industry standard, responsive to the needs of the profession.

Visitors are encouraged to use this site to learn about Nomenclature 3.0, share news and ask advice, and submit their own proposals for additions and changes for future editions.

And these two hubs are just the beginning!

"We plan on launching new online initiatives in the upcoming years that will connect our members to each other, address our affinity groups and their needs, and provide leadership to the field as a whole," states Bob Beatty, AASLH's Vice President for Programs.

You don't need to be an AASLH member to use the new online communities; simply go to http://aaslhcommunity.org and explore!

Up next: An online community for Project Management--AASLH's series of onsite workshops and webinars that provide formal project management training to history professionals.