Museum Stuff...or what they didn't teach me in library school

[Kelli]

I'm sure that many of you are in the same position as I am. I have a whole bunch of textiles material (costumes, old school uniforms, etc.) and three-dimensional objects (trophies, china, stuffed animals,...) that are just sitting on shelves waiting to be processed. But I don't know the first thing about processing them. So what I am looking for is any resources out there (classes, handouts, websites) anyone can suggest that can help me to care for these items properly and give them the treatment and housing that they deserve short of having to go out and get my museum studies degree.

[Meghan Jensen]

I'm in the same boat. My "Museum & Archive" is primarily Archive, but Museum is definitely part of my job description. Are your artifacts and objects connected to your archival collections, or are they separate? Do you have existing registration information for your objects?

Something that helped me a lot was a workshop on mount-making given by a conservator at a state historical society. And I also like going to other museums to 'inspect' their method of exhibiting specific types of objects. Maybe you could contact your state historical society or other large institutions around you that have archives and museums in shared spaces, and ask if they could show you how they operate. As a lone arranger at a tribal institution, most of the time when I need help I go to Sherelyn Ogden's "Caring for American Indian Objects" which breaks down recommendations for storage and processing based on format (wood, bone, textile, metals, etc.) It's written at a pretty basic level, and I think any beginner in museum work could benefit from it, even if they're not working with American Indian objects. Most of the time common sense works though: Secure the object and place it in a records center carton, describe it (we use PastPerfect), and label it.

[Kelli]

My artifacts are collected to the archives collection and my predecessor did a pretty good job of accessioning each piece and identifying each piece with its own number but then they just ended up chucked in a cabinet and in some cases piled in a disarray in boxes. I'll take a look at "Caring for American Indian Objects," thanks for the recommendation.

[chela]

This book is a amazing: http://iweb.aam-us.org/Purchase/ProductDetail.aspx?Product_code=I250 It is out of print (not sure if AAM is really reprinting all that soon) but I was able to find a used copy for about $50 through Powell's.

I've also found some of the National Park Service technical pamphlets really useful http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/freepubs.htm and there is some nice basic caring for artifacts info from the conservation staff at The Henry Ford here http://www.thehenryford.org/research/caring.aspx

[Kelli]

Chela,

That book looks amazing and it looks like it was set to be reprinted by March 1, 2009 so maybe I'll hold out a few weeks before picking up a used copy. This looks like exactly what I'm looking for. And the links are fabulous, too. Thanks so much!

[Holly Geist]

Chela provided some great links. I refer to the Conserve O Grams frequently, especially section four.

Do you have a local archival organization that would be willing to address this topic with training or conferences? We, the Society of Rocky Mountain Archivists, did a program last year dealing with material culture (http://www.srmarchivists.org/meetings/SRMA%20Conference%20Brochure%...). The idea was to give general information about storing and caring for objects, and then some practical examples of objects in the archives.

[Meghan Jensen]

I was just at a meeting today where I learned that my state's museum association offers a Museum Accessioning and Registration Course, which I'm very excited to investigate. Maybe this would be another avenue to pursue for continuing education.

[Christina Zamon]

If you are looking for a class in storing and preserving your 3D objects CCAHA in Philadelphia has a great workshop called something like "Preserving and Storing your 3D objects" although I don't see it on their education calendar for this year. I took it back in 2007 and I learned how to make small boxes and how to care for different types of materials such as wood, leather, metals, etc.

You can always look for updates here: http://www.ccaha.org/education/program-calendar
NEDCC also provides good workshops. Check out their link: http://www.nedcc.org/education/offerings.php#t3
again, it doesn't look like they have a 3D objects class listed right now but it's always worth checking in with them.

[Kelli]

These are all great suggestions. Thank you everyone; I am feeling better about it already.