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Digital Collections Stewardship 2: Preparing��Rachael A. Storm, Ph.D.�Head of Curatorial Services & Curator of Business & Industry

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Today’s agenda

Creating Collection Plans & Policies
Identifying key policies, forms, & documents
Why it matters

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Collection Plan

External communication

Mission

Intellectual framework

Collections care (physical)

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Communicating the Collections

Advocate for your institution

Interpretation

Media
Exhibits
Loans
Educational materials
Scholarly or academic engagement

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The Mission

History Colorado (institution)

Curatorial Services & Collections Access (department)

Strategic Goals (mid-term goals)

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(Intellectual) Evaluation

Equity

Underrepresented
Misrepresented
Excluded

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Organizational framework

Domestic Life
Business & Industry
Community Life
Natural Realm & the Environment
Leisure & the Arts

Government & the Military

We decided to move away from historical curator types – that is collecting by format (archives, photographs, material culture). We still have some of those, but are increasingly hiring new curators based on themes, because that is how MUSEUM GUESTS understand collection. Rarely do guests come to visit a particular type of format. They do come for themes and ideas.

We already knew of five thematic groups we wanted, and that is how we organized our evaluation.

What we came to realize was that we actually had a sixth theme that needed to stand on its own, which we added at the end of our evaluation period. [click]

We also like new donations to fit more than one category because, in that way, it will be able to tell more than one story in the future. (ex: a baking soda can will address domestic life, but also business & industry)

This give us intellectual focus in the present because otherwise there is TOO much to collect!

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Strengths & Weaknesses

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Growth

Sustainability

Accessibility

Targeted collecting

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Appendices

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Five-year collecting plans��Three themes

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Collection Management Policy

Internal use

Responsibility

Legal requirements & ethical guidelines

Collections care

Accessibility

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Donor Relationships

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Community Engagement

Equity & justice (vs. equality)

Confronting the past

Building trust

Asking + listening
Reciprocity

Equity [click]

Confronting the past: (ex: Sand Creek Massacre exhibit 15 years ago – having those hard conversations and transparent in communicating that past to the public)

INSTITUTIONAL TRUST: they need to trust you but they also need to trust the institution and they may know nothing about you to start, but they almost always have a stance toward your institution.

Building trust:

Connecting with community leaders and asking, listening; community events (more asking & listening & learning)
Reciprocity – masks as a thank you for those who engaged with us (they are sharing their story, we want to support their needs)

Outcomes:

Better relationships with that community

More guests/members – people will go to museums and historical sites where they see themselves represented in the exhibits

You will earn the trust needed to collect what THEY want representing them in a museum.

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Donor Paperwork

Receipt for Deposit

Institution takes possession

Deed of Gift

Institution takes ownership

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Why it matters

Public trust

Transparency

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Q&A time!��rachael.storm@state.co.us