Welcome to Collections Management Workshop
Workshop topics
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Collection policy
Acquisition process
Accession numbers
Cataloguing
Object handling
Storage and care of collections
Collection policy
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Collection management policy defines the scope
and limits of museum’s collection and establishes
standards and guidelines for its acquisition,
deaccession, documentation, preservation, loans,
security and management.
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Museums, archives, libraries
Based on the institutional mission statement
Relationships with key stakeholders
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Acquisition policy
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Formal statement outlining the scope of material that a
museum will acquire for its permanent collection
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Establishes the criteria for acquisitions
In addition to the scope of collecting additional criteria:
legal title, significance, provenance, condition, duplication,
storage requirements, use in exhibitions and education,
legal and ethical considerations
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Procedure for acquisition of collection items
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Decision making authority
Deaccession policy
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Deaccessioning – the formal procedure involved
when a decision has been made to remove an
item from the museum collection
Criteria for deaccessioning
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Procedure for deaccessioning and disposal
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Decision making authority
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Would you accept or reject for your
collection ?
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The wedding suit of your town’s first mayor ?
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The wedding suit of your current mayor ?
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The wedding suit of an ordinary person of your
country of
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A hundred years ago ?
Twenty five years ago ?
Last week ?
Would you accept for your
collection ?
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A left shoe of the present day ?
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A pair of shoes with both heels missing ?
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A valuable antique chair used in an other part of
the country and brought to your town by
newcomers last year ?
Would you accept for your
collection ?
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A painting by a great artist who has no
connection with your locality ?
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A painting of poor quality of a local scene ?
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A magnificent, mounted deer head ?
Would you accept for your
collection ?
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An old piano used for many years by local
piano teacher ?
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A miscellaneous collection made over the
years by a prominent citizen of your
community from his travels around the world
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Would you accept for your
collection ?
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Old bottles ?
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A family Bible ?
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The donor’s great-great grandmother’s wedding dress ?
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A refrigerator ?
Benefits of having collection policy
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Sets the focus and criteria for collecting
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Directed collecting vs. passive accumulation
Collections that the museum has resources to care for
Collections that museum has use for
Procedure for acquisitions
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Avoid ownership disputes in the future
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Criteria and procedures for deaccessioning
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Justify decisions to public, your staff, the community
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Well defined procedures bring consistency to collection
management tasks
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Cataloguing, preservation, loans, access, security
How to develop collections policy?
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Starting point is your mission statement
Knowledge of your collections
Consult other museums in your area
Obtain copies of collection policies
Te Papa National Services Resource Guide
“Acquisition and Deaccession Policies”
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Acquisition methods
Gift
Purchase
Bequest
Exchange/ transfer
Field collection
Acquisition decisions are the most important
decisions !
Guiding principles
Collection policy
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Scope of collecting
Criteria to consider
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Legal and ethical considerations
Obtaining legal title
Provenance
Significance
Condition of object
Storage requirements
Duplication
Usefulness for exhibitions, education, research
Price
Acquisition Process
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Proposal / Significance assessment
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Help work out reasons why an object should be collected
Good resource for significance assessment at
Collections Australia Website
www.collectionsaustralia.net
Approval – who has authority to approve ?
Obtaining legal title
Keep all documentation of the acquisition process
including correspondence, invoices, receipts, deposit
records, gift agreements, copies of bequest, permissions
Compliance to legislation and
international conventions
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Protected Objects Act (Previously Antiquities Act) 1975
– Administered by The Ministry of Culture and Heritage
– Regulates
 The export of protected New Zealand objects
 The illegal export and import of protected New Zealand and
foreign objects
 The sale, trade and ownership of taonga tuturu
– Also incorporates UNESCO Convention and UNDROIT
Convention
Historic Places Act
CITES convention
Wildlife Act
Firearms license
Obtaining legal title
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Museum gets the actual title and possession of the
object
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Person transferring the object to the museum by selling,
gifting or by exchange must have free and unrestricted
title to the object and right to transfer the object to the
museum
The museum should ensure that there are not other
family members who have a vested interest
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Make sure all parties understand the finality of transfer
of title !
Purchases
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Receipt from the sale is proof of ownership
Makes sure the vendor has the right to sell
Ensure all documentation is kept together and is
numbered with the objects accession number
Gift offer - Do you want it?
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Check against the criteria on your
collection/acquisition policy
Give as much consideration as for a purchase
In accepting a gifts the museum is under
obligation to care and preserve the objects and
keep the associated stories intact
If you don’t want it
– how to decline a gift ?
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Be open about the decision and explain the decision
based on your collection/acquisition policy
Acceptance of gifts is on approval by the
board/director/acquisitions committee – joint
responsibility
Suggest other institutions for the gift
How do you return it?
The importance of the incoming receipt / deposit record
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Shows proof of ownership and if the donor doesn’t want the
object back what to do with it
Procedure for accepting gifts
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Obtain a signed Deed of Gift
Use a standard form
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Must include a statement of the right to transfer the item
Description of the object
Any terms and conditions
Credit line used in acknowledging the gift
Signature of the donor and date
Signature of the museum representative and date
Sample forms
Importance of signatures
Procedure for accepting gifts continued...
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Two copies – donor & museum
All documentation of the gift kept together and
numbered with the objects accession number
Receipt
Acknowledgement of the gift - letter
You might also list gifts in your newsletter and
display them - publicity
Bequests
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No obligation to accept a bequest
Obtain a copy of the will
Be wary of conditions
Negotiate with the executor if conditions are too
onerous
Receipt
Ensure all documentation is kept together and
numbered with the objects accession number
Collection in the Field and
Exchanges
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Need the relevant permits or letters of
permission before collecting takes place
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Need to be able to establish you have full
ownership title of the object you are going to
exchange before the exchange takes place
Museum should acquire these rights
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The right to display the object as suits its exhibition
programme
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The right to break up collections and dispose of objects
as it sees fit and according to its policies
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Right to reproduce for internal documentation, research,
non-commercial purposes – standard copyright
clearance form
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Copyright might not belong to the donor
Important to document all rights acquired
Easiest to acquire at acquisition
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As much information of the collected object as possible
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Who made it - where and when and how ?
Who owned/used it - where, when & how ?
What was the significance of the object ?
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These connect the object to an individual, family,
community, wider region
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Acquisition form, interviews, newspaper clippings,
letters, photographs relating to the object
Discussion,
share your experiences
Accessioning – the formal process
of registering an object as part of
the museum’s permanent collection
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The object and legal title have been transferred
to the museum
Unique accession number is assigned to the
object
Accession number links the object to all the
information held about it
Acquisition register
Primary document, listing key information
about each object in museum’s collection
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Acquisition register
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Is proof of museums ownership of its collections
together with acquisition documents
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A sturdy well bound book / computer file /
function of your collection management software
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Write in permanent ink/pen
Take good care of the register / file / database
Each entry should have this
information
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Source name and contact details
Receipt number and date
Object name, maker and brief description
Acquisition method
Acquisition reason and authority
Acquisition date
Price paid
Accession number
Purpose of the accession number
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Unique accession number for each object
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Marked on the object and written on all relating
documents
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receipts
deed of gift, copy of bequest, copyright clearance form
correspondence
photographs, condition reports, loan agreements etc.
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Accession number identifies the object
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Accession number is a link between the object and all
the information about the object. Never break this link !
Numbering systems
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Single number systems
– Number only 1 .... 100340
– Prefix GH1 ....GH 5200
Two part system
– 2004.1 ... 2004.2
Three part system
– 2004.20.1
Parts of an object
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For parts of an object a
suffix can be used
Rose medallion teapot in
a basket with two extra
cups
2003.8.1.1- 6
Teapot 2003.8.1.1
Lid
2003.8.1.2
Cups
2003.8.1.3
2003.8.1.4
2003.8.1.5
Basket 2003.8.1.6
http://www.chinesecol.com/
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If you have an existing numbering system and it works
stick with it
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Renumbering a collection is not generally recommended
– danger of breaking the link between object and
documentation
– time and resource consuming
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Think VERY carefully of pros and cons if you decide to
change the system !
Marking objects with accession
numbers
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Marking should not damage the object
Reversible – can be removed
Clearly visible and legible
Unobtrusive when on display
Should not obscure makers marks, signature
etc.
No not apply on damaged or fragile areas
Be consistent and mark similar objects in the
same place
Where and how would you mark or
label ?
Ceramic teapot ? A glass bottle ? A metal iron ?
Photographic print ? Postcard ?
Embroidery sampler ? Dress ?
Pair of shoes ? Pair of gloves ?
Piupiu ? Kete ? Kakahu ?
Framed oil painting ? Unstretched canvas ?
A telephone ?
Mounted bird ?
Machinery kept in a shed ?
Materials and techniques
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B 72 and permanent ink - metal, stone, ceramic, glass
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Japanese tissue attached with methyl
cellulose or wheat starch - leather, fibre, tapa cloth
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2B pencil - paper, photographic prints, books
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Cotton/linen tape and textile pen – costumes,
textiles, basketry
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Swing tags - some textiles, plastic, rubber
If in doubt use a swing tag or label the support
or the enclosure !!!!
Applying numbers
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Do not use B72 for
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plastic
rubber
vax
laquer surface
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Instead use swing tags or mark the support or
container
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Do not use pressure sensitive tape, correction
liquid, pen on paper objects !
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Numbering kit with all required materials
Mark accession numbers on
documentation
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Mark accession number on any documentation
relating to the object in pencil
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File in an accessions file organised by year and
number sequence or object file depending on
what is practical for your museum
Questions & share experiences
Numbering exercise
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B 72 and ink
Try numbering pebbles, sea shells and small ceramic objects
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Cotton tape and marking pen
Try making a cotton tape label