collecting “our town” artifacts: collections management murl riedel assistant curator katp...

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Collecting “Our Town” Artifacts:Collections Management

Murl Riedel

Assistant Curator

KATP Workshop


Intent & Agenda

• Intent: To provide you guidance in developing a collections management policy that aid the operations of your institution– Sample Collections Management Policy

– Museum Collecting: Background

– Establishing a collection

– Do’s & Don’ts

– Collection Management Policies

– Scenarios


What is a Museum? Origin

• Early Museums: Cabinets of Curiosity– Unicorn Horns– Mermaid Fins

• Characterizes– Highlights the

extraordinary– Brings the world to the

viewer

• The Artist in His Museum, Charles Willson Peale, 1822


What is a Museum? Modern

• To Preserve– Save fragments of your

community

– Document change

• To Educate– Bring the viewer to

your community

– Part of a bigger picture


American Association of Museum (AAM)

• Museum Collection– Order & Organization

– Valued by people

– Collected with the intent to preserve

– Serves the mission

– Integrity of artifact and associated information

– Sept 11th fragment


What Should We Collect?

• Objects that support your mission

• Common objects & fine objects

• Objects from all cultures and ethnic groups within your mission

• Objects that can be cared for properly


What should we NOT collect

• Human remains & Rare Species– There are better places for

this• Live ammunition

– It goes boom!• Hazardous artifacts

– Poisons & Radioactive stuff: dangerous to staff and visitors

• Looted artifacts– Might be stolen


Important Term: Public Trust

• Non-Profit Organizations– Tax Exempt Status = partial public ownership– Stewards of the public collection

• Obligation to your audience and governing board/elected officials

• Obligated to protect, manage, provide access to, and maintain intellectual control over collections and associated records


Important Term: Intellectual Control

• Documentation– Unique Number

– Legal Ownership

– Object Name

– Location

– Photographs

– Provenance


Collections Management Policy (CMP)

• Written Policy that addresses– Care of collections– Development of collections– Access to collections

• CMP is a set of policies– Acquisitions, Accessions, Registration, Cataloging,

Security, Storage, Exhibition, Ethics

• Don’t be scared– Policies are simply a written instructional “how to”

guide


Acquisitions Policy

• To accept or not to accept

• Most critical decision in the museum business

• Policy is the “how to” instruction for making this decisions


Players in the Game

• Museum Board• Museum Director• Curator• Collections Manager• Registrar• Educator


You Are Not Alone

• Decisions should not be made by one person

• Form a committee– Sub-Committee of

Trustee– Acquisitions

Committee of Staff

• Creates engagement from others and shares responsibilities


Developing Policy

• Write down a few rules– Regular meetings (monthly)– Who attends and who votes?

• Before the Meeting: One person gathers info

• After the Meeting: One person records info


Factors to consider when accepting

• Relevant to mission• Obtain legal title• No extra conditions• Provide proper storage• Good condition• Exhibition/Research

Value• Not duplicated• Artifacts history can be

documented


Additional Tips

• Not everything is important to the museum, but everything is important to the donor

• If you don’t want it, don’t bring it in the house• If its falling apart, or going to fall apart, you won’t

be able to fix it• If one is good, two is NOT better• Write down everything. Without documentation,

an artifact is worthless• Space is your most important commodity.


Things You DON’T Do

• Don’t Accept Permanent Loans – There’s no such thing

• Don’t Accept Conditions – No promises

• Don’t appraise artifacts


Basic Structure of Acquisitions Policy

• Mission• Scope of Collections

– Defines limits

• Acquisitions Committee– Decision Makers– Duties– Meetings

• Criteria for accepting


Scenario 1: Cigar Boxes

• Former Rock Creek School principal is offering 30 cigar boxes

• 5 boxes were made by manufacturers in Riley and Pottawatomie Counties

• 3 boxes display labels of local groceries stores and tobacco shops

• All boxes are worn, some are soggy and some are covered with crayon markings

• What do you accept and why?


Scenario 2: Bear Claw Necklace

• An antique dealer from Denver offers to sell a bear claw necklace that belonged to Chief Wabash, a Pottawatomie Indian incarcerated at Ft Riley in 1870

• The necklace is in perfect condition


Scenario 3: Protest Signs

• A member from a regional extremist organization is offering 2 protest signs. The signs were used in Westmoreland, Kansas, to protest the 2011 funeral of a US Soldier.

• The protest led to a Supreme Court decision

• The signs are made of tape and cardboard and depict graphic images

collecting “our town” artifacts: collections management murl riedel assistant curator katp...

Documents

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public collectionobligation

stolenimportant term

associated informationsept

missionintegrity of

person records infofactors

thislive ammunitionit

better places