Collections Review Seminar Perth - Stockport Museum Service Case Study - Katie Cavanagh

Katie CavanaghCollections Officer

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

Stockport’s Museums

• Stockport Story Museum – Social History• Staircase House – Historic House• Bramall Hall – Historic House • Chadkirk Chapel – Historic Chapel • Stockport Art Gallery • Air Raid Shelters• Vernon Park Museum and Park• Hat Works – Museum of Hatting and Headwear

Stockport’s Museum Collections

• Social History

• Industrial History and machinery

• Fine and Decorative Art

• Costume

• Natural Sciences

• Archaeology and Ethnography

• Hatting and Headwear

Factors Influencing Review of Collections

• New Curatorial Team

• Projects

• Collections Store move

• Inventory of collections

• Increased use of collections

New Curatorial Team

• Knowledge and experience

• No baggage

• Fresh approach

Projects

• Opening of Staircase House – 2005 An historic house with room settings

• Opening of Stockport Story Museum – 2006Local history museum

Collections Store MoveFrom To

Inventory of Collections

• Systematic inventory – box by box

• Entry of information onto collections database

• Increased access to collections

Use of Collections

• Temporary Exhibition spaces

• Active Education programme

• Increased outreach and informal learning workshops

Methodology

Categorisation of objects:

• Entry backlog

• Unknown provenance objects

• Accessioned objects

Methodology

Report to Council Committee:

• Short report

• Detailing areas in need of attention

• Information on how review is being carried out

Methodology

Procedures for backlog items:

• Letter to donor

• Consent form for accessioning, transfer, handling or disposal

• Regular decision making meetings

Methodology

Criteria for disposal:

Outside collecting policy or not suitable for thecollections.

Methodology

Criteria for disposal:

Not suitable for handling collections

Methodology

Criteria for disposal:

Poses a threat to the collections

Methodology

Criteria for disposal:

Poses a Health & Safety risk

Methodology

Criteria for disposal:

Is a duplicate

Methodology

Criteria for disposal:

Beyond reasonable repair

Methodology

Procedures for disposal:

• Follow SPECTRUM procedures

• Photograph everything

• Document it to within an inch of its life

Methodology

Transparency of decision making:

• Be open about what you’re doing and why

• Involve Councillors, Executive Members and senior management

• Produce regular updates

Outcomes

• Improved collections care• Refined Acquisition and Disposal policy• Improved handling collections• Good relations with Councillors and Executive

Members• Valuing new members of staff• Appreciation of procedures• Rationalisation / disposal of objects

Outcomes

3228

1309

86

Entry BacklogUnknown ProvenanceAccessioned

Objects disposed of: