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Protecting Your Treasures: Introduction to Collections Management

Protecting Your Treasures: Introduction to Collections Management . Ohio Local History Alliance Zone 8 Meeting March 23, 2013. Aleia Brown Curator National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center. National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center. -Wilberforce, Ohio -Founded 1988

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Protecting Your Treasures: Introduction to Collections Management

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  1. Protecting Your Treasures:Introduction to Collections Management Ohio Local History Alliance Zone 8 Meeting March 23, 2013

  2. Aleia BrownCurator National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center

  3. National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center -Wilberforce, Ohio -Founded 1988 -The first African American museum to focus on the national African American experience -Closed in 2011 for mold remediation and HVAC repairs -Reopened Jan. 26, 2013 (mold free!)

  4. Collections Management Your decisions impact, or the way you manage your collections, impacts many different aspects of your institution.

  5. Protecting Your Treasures: Collections Policy Having a strong COLLECTIONS POLICY is the first step to protecting your collection. Collecting institutions are charged with being good stewards of history and culture. A collection policy that aligns with AAM standards, consistently enforced and accessible is absolutely necessary. The collections policy offers an institution guidance, instructions, and protection.

  6. What’s In the Collections Policy? Purpose Scope Accessioning Deaccessioning Conservation Incoming/Outgoing Loans Access and Security Maintenance Forms Disaster Plans Data Management Take a look at some collections policies online. Also, consider the benefits of putting a copy of your collections policy online.

  7. What Happens If You Place Your Collections Policy on Your Website? • It will make your institution more accountable • It makes your policy more accessible… No one is in the dark about what you collection and how you take care of it • Donors often appreciate openness and honesty…Residents in your community have many treasures, but they will not give them to your institutions if they don’t know or trust your object handling

  8. Protecting Your Treasures: Storage

  9. Protecting Your Treasures: Inventory • Conducting a consistent inventory will ensure that you have complete intellectual control over the collection • Inventories can occur once every 5 years, with small collections being spotted tested during those years. • Cataloguing is valuable because it often gives the object meaning.

  10. Catalog the Quilt!

  11. Apply the Accession Number Be sure to assign each object with an accession number. It provides you with a great deal of information and helps you keep track of artifacts. There are many different methods for applying the accession number. Some using a tag, others involve writing directly on the object. Use a pencil and B-72 solution if you must write on the object.

  12. Collections Management Software Most popular and user-friendly- PastPerfect As soon as the bugs are fixed, the entire Ohio Historical Society will use CuadraStar. Until then, we are using an access database. We also have a paper copy of our inventory. Always keep a paper copy!

  13. Final Words Caring for collections is an ongoing project- it never ends. The key to successful collections management is vigilance. Use your resources: NPS Conserve-o-grams American Alliance for Museums LinkedIn group Colleagues

  14. Thank You Aleia Brown abrown@ohiohistory.org 937.376.4944, ext. 2110

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