Collection Management Policy and Procedures

Acquisitions

Acquisitions

Procedures for an asset, given, bought or obtained by a museum to accession and record into the collection  When a museum acquires objects for its collections, it can be obtained in a variety of methods.  Most often objects are either given by donors or purchased from galleries, private collections or other vendors of objects. Other […]

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Deaccession, disposal via auction, sale, transfer or destruction

Deaccession, disposal via auction, sale, transfer or destruction

  Process and procedures used to remove permanently an object from a museum’s collection and to document the reasons for removal. As a common practice for museums and sometime controversial, deaccessioning objects from the collection occurs when the object is outside the scope of the institution’s mission, deteriorating so that it can no longer be […]

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Insurance

Insurance

  Coverage for loans, exhibitions and permanent collection objects Insurance is important for risk management and protection for your collection.  This provides financial protection for the collection to so that you are protected from large and even catastrophic monetary loss. The extent of the coverage can be determined by the museum or private collector and […]

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Loan Processing

Loan Processing

  Outgoing and incoming form and procedure guidance for museum custody When museums bring in objects for exhibitions or possible acquisition, the objects are usually treated as loans, if not owned by the institution. Loans can be between museums, private individuals, commercial galleries or other collections.  Paperwork is required to obtain information on the objects, […]

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Records management

Records management

  Preparation and paper filing systems Creation and maintenance of transactions and object documentation are the essential tasks of a museum registrar. This information has traditionally been stored in either paper or electronic files. The logical understanding of how the files relate to one another, to the object and the history of the museum is […]

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Collection care and protection

Collection care and protection

  Preserving and protecting collections and responsibilities associated with object safety One of the responsibilities that a registrar’s duties include can be as a collections manager. This person oversees the physical protection of the objects in storage. Methods of storage, object handling, condition reporting of the object, marking of numbers, knowing of climate and environmental […]

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Storage

Storage

Methods of collection care when not on exhibition When objects are not on display, the most common method of protection and safety is to keep them in storage. Storage of the collection should be treated with as much care as when the object is on display, either in your museum or home. Storage can be […]

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Collection use and access

Collection use and access

Who has access and any regulations concerning use of objects Access for use of the collection, whether to staff or outside scholars and visitors should be part of the museum’s collections policy. Each museum can set their own regulations.  Someone should always be present if someone needs to go into high security areas, such as […]

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Forms

Forms

Creation for the documentation and processing of accession, deaccessions, loans and exhibitions Within the museum registration office, forms are created for the processing of accessioning, deaccessioning loans and exhibitions. These provide information for the staff in terms of what is arriving or leaving the museum such as loan agreements and incoming/outgoing receipts, in-house forms such […]

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SERVICES

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