Collections Management (Leicester Readers in Museum Studies)

Book Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 2
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Figures......Page 9
Tables......Page 10
Series preface......Page 11
Acknowledgements......Page 12
Introduction......Page 14
The development of standards......Page 15
CULTURAL PROPERTY CONCERNS......Page 18
THE COSTS OF COLLECTING......Page 19
REFERENCES......Page 20
Part I Collections management policies......Page 22
A. WHY A COLLECTION MANAGEMENT POLICY?......Page 24
1 General comments......Page 25
3 Drafting the policy......Page 26
C. THE ROLE OF INSURANCE......Page 31
D. SELECTING A POLICY......Page 32
NOTES......Page 33
Coverage features*......Page 34
Endorsements......Page 35
Museum Collections Reporting Endorsement......Page 39
International Coverage Endorsement......Page 40
2 Evolving a policy manual......Page 42
DE-ACCESSION AND LOAN POLICIES......Page 43
UNITED STATES AND INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS......Page 44
SELLING OBJECTS IN THE MUSEUM GIFT SHOPS......Page 45
CONCLUSION......Page 46
INTRODUCTION—THE ADVANTAGES AND KEY REQUIREMENTS OF REGISTRATION......Page 48
DEFINITION OF A MUSEUM......Page 49
DLY BASED MUSEUM SERVICE .........Page 50
LEGAL, SAFETY AND PLANNING REQUIREMENTS......Page 51
Acquisition and disposal policy......Page 52
Documentation of the collection......Page 53
STAFFING AND ACCESS TO PROFESSIONAL CURATORIAL ADVICE......Page 54
REGISTRATION AND APPEALS PROCEDURE......Page 55
MUSEUM REGISTRATION: GUIDANCE NOTES FOR MUSEUMS......Page 56
Notes on the application form......Page 58
MUSEUM REGISTRATION: GUIDANCE NOTES FOR MUSEUMS IN SCOTLAND......Page 65
Notes on the application form......Page 67
APPENDIX 1......Page 75
Acquisition costs......Page 78
Operating cost categories......Page 79
Indirect operating costs of collecting......Page 80
Total direct and indirect cost of collecting......Page 81
Condition of the collection......Page 82
Museum governance......Page 83
Opportunity cost......Page 84
A framework of costs......Page 85
Capitalized costs......Page 86
The need for standards development......Page 87
The need for further study......Page 88
Part 2 Acquisitions and protecting cultural property......Page 90
THE DEFENCES OF CULTURE......Page 92
RECENT IMPORTS......Page 94
ANNEXE A......Page 95
ANNEXE B......Page 96
Background......Page 98
7 Convention on the means of prohibiting and preventing the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural prop......Page 100
ARTICLE 3......Page 101
ARTICLE 6......Page 102
ARTICLE 10......Page 103
ARTICLE 15......Page 104
ARTICLE 20......Page 105
ARTICLE 25......Page 106
ARTICLE 26......Page 107
8 Law and diplomacy in cultural property matters......Page 108
Cultural nationalism......Page 109
Cultural internationalism......Page 110
International law on cultural property: Unesco......Page 111
II LAWS AND TREATIES OF THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT......Page 112
Cultural Property Act......Page 113
Bilateral agreements......Page 115
III CASE STUDIES......Page 116
Statutes of limitations......Page 118
New York cases......Page 119
Background......Page 120
The decision of the court......Page 122
VI CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS......Page 124
NOTES......Page 125
REFERENCES......Page 126
APPENDIX......Page 128
Definition......Page 132
Poor documentation......Page 133
Availability of material......Page 134
NOTES FOR EDITORS......Page 136
ALLOCATION OF THE OBJECT......Page 138
USEFUL ADDRESSES......Page 139
THE MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES COMMISSION......Page 140
Protection of Wrecks Act, 1973......Page 142
Import, Export and Customs Powers (Defence) Act, 1939......Page 143
STATUTES RELATING TO SPECIFIC MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES......Page 144
British Museum Act, 1963......Page 145
Museums and Galleries Act, 1992......Page 146
Museum of London Acts, 1965 and 1986......Page 147
LOCAL ACTS......Page 148
County of Lancashire Act, 1984......Page 149
Education (Scotland) Act, 1980......Page 150
Museums (Northern Ireland) Order, 1981......Page 151
REFERENCE......Page 152
FINANCIAL STRATEGY......Page 154
PRESS LAUNCH OF APPEAL......Page 155
JUNIOR FRIENDS......Page 156
EFFECTS ON NORMAL MUSEUM WORK......Page 157
NOTE......Page 158
Who is eligible to apply?......Page 160
Eligible costs......Page 161
How much grant-aid is available?......Page 162
Standards of care and access......Page 163
Further details......Page 164
15 The Science Museum Fund......Page 166
WHAT IS ELIGIBLE FOR GRANT-AID?......Page 170
THE FUND’S CONTINUING INTEREST IN ITEMS ACQUIRED WITH GRANT-AID......Page 171
2 Auction sales......Page 172
3 Offer and payment of grants......Page 173
Part 3 De-accessioning and disposal......Page 174
STATUTORY CONTROL......Page 176
THE COTTESLOE REPORT......Page 177
THE CHARITABLE TRUST......Page 178
SPECIAL ISSUES FOR INDEPENDENT MUSEUMS......Page 179
SPECIAL ISSUES FOR LOCAL AUTHORITY MUSEUMS......Page 180
NOTES......Page 181
18 Infamous de-accessions......Page 184
Historical......Page 188
North America......Page 189
Other countries......Page 190
United States......Page 191
Europe......Page 192
SOME CONCLUSIONS......Page 193
NOTES......Page 194
REFERENCES......Page 196
PROTECTING TRUSTS......Page 198
REFERENCES......Page 200
Part 4 Documentation......Page 202
21 Why museum computer projects fail......Page 204
COMPUTER PROJECTS: A BRIEF HISTORY......Page 205
FINDINGS......Page 206
THE MUSEUM ENVIRONMENT......Page 207
COLLECTION DOCUMENTATION......Page 208
USING COMPUTERS......Page 211
REFERENCES......Page 212
INTRODUCTION......Page 214
PLANNING FOR COMPUTERIZATION......Page 215
CHARACTERISTICS OF SOFTWARE......Page 216
TERMINOLOGY CONTROL......Page 217
Geographical information......Page 218
Subject access to content of images......Page 219
AUTOMATED SYSTEMS IN SOME UK MUSEUMS......Page 220
THE BRITISH MUSEUM11......Page 221
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY: SCIENCE MUSEUM13......Page 222
MODES15......Page 223
NOTES......Page 224
REFERENCES......Page 225
23 Cataloguing collections–erratic starts and eventual success: a case study......Page 226
Part 5 Research......Page 230
‘FOREIGN WHAT MATERIAL?’......Page 232
DO YOU HAVE A PRIVATE COLLECTION OF ETHNOGRAPHIC MATERIAL?......Page 233
25 Scholarship and the public......Page 234
26 Collections research: local, national and international perspectives......Page 238
RESEARCH POLICY AND PERSPECTWES......Page 239
COMMON GOALS: SAMDOK, SHIC, INTERPRETATION......Page 241
NOTES......Page 244
REFERENCES......Page 245
Part 6 Security......Page 248
MUSEUM SECURITY......Page 250
INTERNAL SECURITY......Page 251
OTHER POINTS TO CONSIDER......Page 252
28 Museum and gallery security......Page 254
TIMETABLE OF EVENTS......Page 258
THE APPROACH......Page 259
THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION......Page 260
THE LESSONS FOR MUSEUM SECURITY......Page 261
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 262
POSTSCRIPT......Page 263
30 Protection, security and conservation of collections......Page 264
PRIMARY COLLECTION SECURITY AND PROTECTION......Page 265
RECORD-KEEPING......Page 266
INVENTORIES......Page 269
NUMBERING, MARKING AND OTHER METHODS OF IDENTIFICATION......Page 270
INTERNAL COLLECTION PROTECTION......Page 271
SAFE AND SECURE HANDLING......Page 272
CONSERVATION PROTECTION......Page 273
INSURANCE, RISK MANAGEMENT AND LOANS......Page 276
REFERENCES......Page 277
APPENDIX I:......Page 278
A collecting policy......Page 279
De-accession by proper authorities and by proper manner......Page 280
Avoidance of personal advantage......Page 281
APPENDIX III:......Page 282
NOTE......Page 283
APPENDIX IV:......Page 284
NOTE......Page 285
Part 7 Insurance and indemnity......Page 286
THE INSURANCE CRISIS AND MUSEUMS......Page 288
A PRIMER ON INSURANCE......Page 289
Two kinds of risk......Page 290
Implementing a risk programme......Page 291
Consistency of response......Page 292
CONCLUSION......Page 293
3 AVOIDANCE OR REDUCTION OF RISK......Page 294
National museums......Page 295
GOVERNMENT INDEMNITY SCHEME......Page 296
VALUATION......Page 297
INTRODUCTION......Page 298
Security arrangements......Page 299
Period of indemnity......Page 300
CONDITIONS OF INDEMNITY COVER......Page 301
PAYMENT OF COMPENSATION......Page 302
Organizations involved......Page 303
ANNEXE B: GENERAL CONDITIONS FOR THE TRANSPORT OF ITEMS TO BE COVERED BY THE GOVERNMENT INDEMNITY SCHEME......Page 304
ANNEXE C: GENERAL SECURITY CONDITIONS WHICH APPLY UNDER THE GOVERNMENT INDEMNITY SCHEME......Page 305
Further reading......Page 308
Index......Page 310