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Museum Property Overview
for
Interagency Committee of Property Managers
Ann Hitchcock, Chief Curator
National Park Service
January 26, 2006
What is museum property?
• Personal property
• Acquired according to rational scheme
• Preserved, studied, interpreted for public benefit.
How is museum property classified?
• Archeology• Art• Ethnography• History• Archives
(documents, excluding official records)
• Botany
• Zoology• Paleontology• Geology• Environmental
samples
Personal or Museum Property?
• Personal and museum property can look the same (e.g., a chair)
• Determination depends on
– Agency mission and authority
– Function of the property
– Long-term preservation goals
Agency Mission and Authority
• Is a museum function identified in authorizing legislation?
• Does a museum function support the agency mission?
• How might an agency establish a museum function where none exists?– Seek authorizing legislation– Add to mission statements and plans
Example of Evolving AuthorityNational Park Service
• 1904 Yosemite establishes first park museum collection
• 1906 Antiquities Act authorizes President to establish national monuments and protect objects of historic or scientific interest
• 1916 NPS Organic Act establishes NPS to conserve scenery and natural and historic objects..therein…and provide for enjoyment of future generations.
Example of Evolving Authority(NPS continued)
• 1935 Historic Sites Act authorizes NPS to establish and maintain museums
• 1955 Museum Act authorizes donations, bequests, exchanges, loans
• 1996 Museum Act amendment authorizes transfer, conveyance, and destruction (but not sale)
Example of Evolving AuthorityDepartment of the Interior
• Bureaus with varying authority– NPS– DOI Museum– Indian Arts and Crafts Board– USGS
• 1990 IG audit of accountability and control over artwork and artifacts
Example of Evolving Authority(DOI continued)
• 1990 DOI asks NPS to lead response to audit
• Interior museum property committee established
• 1993 Departmental Manual established standards for managing museum property
– Planning and reporting
– Documenting acquisitions and disposals, preserving, and protecting
Museum Plans and Reports • Scope of Collection Statement• Collection Management Plan• Housekeeping Plan• Integrated Pest Management Plan• Emergency Operations Plan• Collection Condition Survey• Required Reports
– Collection Management Report– Checklist for Preservation and Protection– Annual Inventory
Acquisition
• Acquisition authority• Scope of Collection Statement• Types of acquisitions
– Gift– Purchase– Field Collection– Exchange– Incoming Loan (custody not title)
Acquisition Documentation
• Accession book/log and accession numbers• Ownership transfer document (signed by
parties)– Deed of Gift– Purchase document– Exchange agreement
• Custody document– Receipt for property (field collection)– Loan agreement
Acquisition Documentation(continued)
• Accession Receiving Report
• Accession folder
• Accession database
• Accession documentation provides data on source, items acquired, type and terms of acquisition
Cataloging• Catalog numbers for all items• Cataloging in lots acceptable for certain
similar items• Catalog record provides
– Identification – Physical data– Historical data
• Catalog database facilitates management and research
Disposal (Deaccessioning)• Deaccessioning authority• Scope of Collection Statement• Types of deaccessions
– Return to rightful owner (legal opinion required)– Loss, theft, damage, involuntary destruction– Outside scope (transfer, exchange, conveyance,
voluntary destruction/abandonment)– Destructive analysis– NAGPRA compliance (repatriation)
Deaccession Documentation
• Deaccession book/log and numbers
• Deaccession form for review and approval
• Catalog records
• Appraisals
• Public notice
• Deaccession database facilitates management
Deaccession Documentation(continued)
• Disposition documents– Receipt for property– Report of survey– Exchange agreement– Transfer of property– Conveyance agreement– Repatriation agreement
Remember!
• Acquire carefully, according to plan.
• Deaccessioning is more difficult and often controversial.
Preservation• Monitor and control the environment
– Temperature– Relative humidity– Light– Pests– Air quality
• Ensure good housekeeping• Assess and document condition of items• Provide conservation treatment for items
Protection
• Secure storage and exhibit spaces
• Control access to museum spaces and museum property
• Establish emergency management plan
• Install and maintain fire detection and suppression systems
Access and Use
• Ensure public benefit
• Provide exhibits and publications
• Offer education programs
• Provide outgoing loans
• Provide access for researchers
• Consider legal issues (copyright, FOIA, reproductions)
Remember!
• Display ideas not things.
• Capitalize on the power of context.
Resources: Guidance and Forms• NPS Director’s Order #24, Collections
Management http://www.nps.gov/policy/DOrders/DOrder24.html
NPS Museum Handbook, Parts I-III http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/publications/handbook.html
• DOI Museum Property Management Standards and Handbook (Departmental Manual Part 411) http://www.doi.gov/museum/policy.htm
More Guidance on the Web
• NPS Conserve O Gramhttp://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/conserv.html
• NPS Automated collections management system user manualhttp://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/publications/ancs.html
NPS and DOI Museum and Collections Web Sites
• http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum Overview• http://www.museum.nps.gov Web Catalog• http://www.nps.gov/hfc Harpers Ferry Ctr• http://science.nature.nps.gov/research/ac/
ResearchIndex Scientific Permitting and Collecting
• http://www.doi.gov/museum/program.htm Interior Museum Program
NPS Policies and Laws
• Management Policies http://data2.itc.nps.gov/npspolicy/index.cfm
• Laws http://data2.itc.nps.gov/npspolicy/getlaws.cfm
Contact Information
Ann Hitchcock
Chief Curator
National Park Service
1849 C Street, NW (2202)
Washington, DC 20240-0001
202-354-2271 Fax: 202-371-2422
Museum Property is Our Heritage
