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Training
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Online Museum Classes
Description:
As we march boldly toward the 22nd century, artifact collecting includes that most fragile of materials - plastic. Not only is it in our collections, but it's used to house our collections, too. What problems have you seen? What problems have others seen? What materials are best? What can we, as caretakers, do to minimize long-term damage? Join Helen for in this mini-course for discussing care and deterioration of plastics. Bring any questions you have about plastics in your museum.
Logistics:
Participants in The Problem with Plastics will read literature and participate in two one-hour chats to discuss plastics deterioration and preservation. Each student should read course materials and prepare questions or comments to share with the other students in the chat. This is a mini-course and takes no more than 10 hours of a student's time.
To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
Description:
As we march boldly toward the 22nd century, artifact collecting includes that most fragile of materials - plastic. Not only is it in our collections, but it's used to house our collections, too. What problems have you seen? What problems have others seen? What materials are best? What can we, as caretakers, do to minimize long-term damage? Join Helen for in this mini-course for discussing care and deterioration of plastics. Bring any questions you have about plastics in your museum.
Logistics:
Participants in The Problem with Plastics will read literature and participate in two one-hour chats to discuss plastics deterioration and preservation. Each student should read course materials and prepare questions or comments to share with the other students in the chat. This is a mini-course and takes no more than 10 hours of a student's time.
To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.museumclasses.org and pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
Description:
Disaster planning is overwhelming. Where do you start? Talk to Terri about how to get going. Use her checklist to determine your level of preparedness. What do you already have in place? Are you somewhat prepared? What can you do next? Help clarify your current state of readiness and develop future steps to improve it.
Logistics:
Participants in Collection Protection will read literature and participate in two one-hour chats to discuss their institutions disaster preparedness. Each student should read course materials and prepare questions or comments to share with the other students in the chat. This is a mini-course and takes no more than 10 hours of a student's time.
To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Terri Schindel, graduated from the Courtauld Art Institute, University of London with a concentration in textile conservation. Since 1988 she has taught collections care and preventive conservation to museum staff. She has assisted museums in writing disaster plans for more than a decade and helped develop national standards for disaster-preparedness materials. Ms. Schindel specializes in collection care and preventive conservation and works regularly with small, rural and tribal museums. She is familiar with the many challenges and lack of resources facing these institutions. Ms. Schindel is committed to maintaining the uniqueness of each museum while ensuring that they serve as a resource for future generations.
Description:
Disaster planning is overwhelming. Where do you start? Talk to Terri about how to get going. Use her checklist to determine your level of preparedness. What do you already have in place? Are you somewhat prepared? What can you do next? Help clarify your current state of readiness and develop future steps to improve it.
Logistics:
Participants in Collection Protection will read literature and participate in two one-hour chats to discuss their institutions disaster preparedness. Each student should read course materials and prepare questions or comments to share with the other students in the chat. This is a mini-course and takes no more than 10 hours of a student's time.
To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.museumclasses.org and pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Terri Schindel, graduated from the Courtauld Art Institute, University of London with a concentration in textile conservation. Since 1988 she has taught collections care and preventive conservation to museum staff. She has assisted museums in writing disaster plans for more than a decade and helped develop national standards for disaster-preparedness materials. Ms. Schindel specializes in collection care and preventive conservation and works regularly with small, rural and tribal museums. She is familiar with the many challenges and lack of resources facing these institutions. Ms. Schindel is committed to maintaining the uniqueness of each museum while ensuring that they serve as a resource for future generations.
Description:
Little dirty feet in your museum? Join Gretchen to discuss preventing mice from entering your museum and causing damage. Topics include what works and what doesn't work. Discuss the dangers of hanta virus and lighter moments such as colleagues standing on chairs and shrieking or uninvited guests crashing your opening gala.
Logistics:
Participants in Building a Better Mousetrap will read literature and participate in two one-hour chats to how to monitor for, catch and eliminate rodents. Each student should read course materials and prepare questions or comments to share with the other students in the chat. This is a mini-course and takes no more than 10 hours of a student's time.
To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Objects conservator Gretchen Anderson learned her craft at the American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian's Conservation Analytical Lab, the Canadian Conservation Institute, Getty Conservation Lab, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Minnesota Historical Society. She established the conservation department at the Science Museum of Minnesota in 1989. She is the co-author of A Holistic Approach to Museum Pest Management, a technical leaflet for the American Association for State and Local History and established a rigorous IPM program for the Science Museum. She was a key member in the planning team that designed and built a new facility for the Science Museum of Minnesota. This endeavor resulted in not only a state of the art exhibition and storage facility, but also a major publication about the experience of building a new museum and creating the correct environments: Moving the Mountain. In 2009 she accepted the position of conservator and head of the conservation section at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Ms. Anderson is a member of the American Institute for Conservation and the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections. She lectures and presents workshops on preventive conservation, IPM, cleaning in museums, and practical methods and materials for storage of collections.
Description:
Sticky, gooey, messes every time you try to number your collection? Participants in When Collection Numbering Goes Bad will discuss everything from big blobs of ink to the difference between B-72 and B-67. Do you avoid numbering? Then you need to join our first mini-course about collection labeling. We won't talk position, just materials in an understanding environment.
Logistics:
Participants in When Collection Numbering Goes Bad will read literature and participate in two one-hour chats to discuss problems they have seen or experienced with artifact numbering. Each student should read course materials and prepare questions or comments to share with the other students in the chat. This is a mini-course and takes no more than 10 hours of a student's time.
To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
This short seminar meets the requirements of the Virginia
Association of Museum's Certificate in Museum Management.
Description:
The heart of every museum is its collection and a mission statement is critical to preserving that collection. Participants in the Mission Statement will discuss their mission statements and whether they really make a difference. Peggy has seen and heard it all as a consultant to small and large museums. She will help you figure out ways to make your mission statement work for you.
Logistics:
Participants in The Mission Statement will read literature and participate in two one-hour chats to discuss how a museum's mission statement may or may not impact the daily operations. Each student should read course materials and prepare questions or comments to share with the other students in the chat. This is a mini-course and takes no more than 10 hours of a student's time.
To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Peggy Schaller, founded Collections Research for Museums in 1991 to provide cataloging, collection-management training and services. She has worked with a large variety of museums and collections for more than 18 years. Peggy, who lives in Denver, Colorado, has a bachelor's degree in anthropology with minors in art history and geology from the University of Arizona in Tucson. She has a master's degree in anthropology with a minor in museum studies from the University of Colorado in Boulder and is a Certified Institutional Protection Manager II. She provides workshops and project services to museums and historical societies all across the country. The mission of Collections Research for Museums is to inspire museums to improve their professional standards, collections stewardship and service to their constituency through training in, and assistance with, documenting, preserving, protecting and managing their collections. For more information visit her web site Collections Research for Museums
Description:
To get anything done in your museum, you often need to get other staff to support the idea. All too often, preservation is left to one or two staff members and others believe it doesn't apply to them. For example, it is hard to successfully implement a pest management plan without full staff support. Everyone must buy into the notion of preservation. But how? Readings will introduce some ideas and participants in this course will brainstorm with Helen about what works, what might work - and what doesn't.
Logistics:
Participants in Buy-In will read literature and participate in two one-hour chats to discuss how to get other staff to support preservation. Each student should read course materials and prepare questions or comments to share with the other students in the chat. This is a mini-course and takes no more than 10 hours of a student's time. This is an opportunity to brain-storm with colleagues about what works and what doesn't work.
To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
Description:
Considering supplementing staff for your next exhibition with an independent curator or outside expert? Many museums work with guest curators who are knowledgeable about a particular topic or who will enhance limited staff. What is the relationship of this "outsider" to the staff? How do you agree upon expectations and duties that are best for both parties? This short course will cover the basics of working with guest curators - who they are, establishing clear expectations, and developing a successful collaboration.
Logistics:
Participants in Guest Curators will read literature and participate in two one-hour chats to discuss how an outside curator works within your museum. Each student should read course materials and prepare questions or comments to share with the other students in the chat. This is a mini-course and takes no more than 10 hours of a student's time. This is an opportunity to brain-storm with colleagues about what works and what doesn't work.
To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Lin Nelson-Mayson, with over 25 years of museum experience at small and large institutions, is director of the University of Minnesota's Goldstein Museum of Design. Prior to that, she was the director of ExhibitsUSA, a nonprofit exhibition touring organization that annually tours over 30 art and humanities exhibitions across the country. For five years, she was a coordinator or judge for the American Association of Museums' Excellence in Exhibitions Competition. She currently serves on the exhibition committee for the National Sculpture Society. Ms. Nelson-Mayson has extensive experience with the planning, preparation, research and installation of exhibitions. Ms Nelson-Mayson's experience includes teaching museum studies and museology courses. Her particular interest is the needs of small museums.
Her credentials include the following;
- An MFA from The Ohio State University in sculpture and critical writing
- A BFA from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in painting.
- Work as a curator for the Ross County Historic Society (Chillicothe, Ohio), the Art Museum of South Texas (Corpus Christi), the Columbia Museum of Art (South Carolina), and the Minnesota Museum of American Art.
Description:
Self-guided brochures, exhibit labels, docent led tours, guest speakers, and audio tours are only a few of the methods available to guide visitors through an exhibit. Explore the strengths and challenges of many different methods and garner resources for further information. Learn how to determine which method works best with which exhibits and how to provide variety to enhance the visitor experience.
Course Outline:
1. Experiences with Gallery Guides
2. Exhibit interpretation (labels, rolling photo displays)
3. Live human guides (docents, first person, guest speakers)
4. Written guides (self-guided brochures, books)
5. Audio guides (headphones, directional speakers, cell phone tours)
6. Special programs (workshops, field trips)
Logistics:
Participants in Gallery Guides will read literature and participate in four one-hour chats to discuss what is in an effective guide. Each student should read course materials and prepare questions or comments to share with the other students in the chat. This is a mini-course that lasts two weeks and takes no more than 20 hours of a student's time. This is an opportunity to brain-storm with colleagues about what works and what doesn't work.
To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Karin Hostetter has over thirty years experience with
museum education. With a career that includes natural
history museums, cultural history museums (including first
person interpretation), nature centers, and zoos, Ms.
Hostetter is experienced in interpretive writing, program
and curriculum development, and staff and volunteer
training. As a museum educator, she was Curator of
Education for the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife
Sanctuary (McKinney, TX). Among her award-winning
education curricula are several programs she developed for
the education departments during her five years at the
Heard Museum and her twelve years on staff at the Denver
Zoo. As an interpretive writer, Ms. Hostetter has written
text for exhibits, wayside exhibits, visitor brochures, and
professional magazines. Her skill is in making technical
information understandable and meaningful to visitors.
Karin has worked with volunteers throughout her career,
becoming the first paid volunteer coordinator at the Denver
Zoo. Ms. Hostetter taught the National Association for
Interpretation's two-day volunteer management course for
volunteer coordinators and served on their panel about
volunteer programs. She authored a series of articles for
the National Association for Interpretation's Legacy
magazine, providing guidelines for developing and
maintaining a volunteer organization. Ms. Hostetter now
consults with organizations on structuring and improving
volunteer programs.
Over the years, Ms. Hostetter has been
responsible for small animal exhibits and animal care at
both the Heard Museum and the Denver Zoo. She worked with
wild animal rehabilitation and public education animals,
work that included training volunteer animal handlers.
Karin co-founded the Zoos, Wildlife Parks, and Aquaria
special interest section of the National Association for
Interpretation.
Karin Hostetter is owner of Interpret This,
a consulting company specializing in interpretive writing,
program and curriculum development, and volunteer program
management. When she is not consulting with other museums,
she likes to volunteer and contract teach at them with a
special love for preschool and family programs.
Description:
Set aside some blocks of time and end up with a strong rough draft of a self-guided gallery guide for the exhibit of your choice. Learn about the power of themes and universals. Develop techniques for layering information. Empower readers to do more on their own after leaving the exhibit. Create information that really "sticks" with the guest. Karin shares her 30 years experience with you as you develop a useful document for your exhibit.
Course Outline:
1. Why Use a Gallery Guide
2. Determining the Audience
3. Determining and Writing the Big Idea
4. Tangibles, Intangibles and Universals in Writing
5. Information versus Take Home Message
6. Outlining a Draft Guide
7. Design Considerations
Logistics:
Participants in Gallery Guides will read literature and participate in four one-hour chats to discuss what is in an effective guide. Each student should read course materials and prepare questions or comments to share with the other students in the chat. This is a mini-course that lasts two weeks and takes no more than 20 hours of a student's time. This is an opportunity to brain-storm with colleagues about what works and what doesn't work.
To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.museumclasses.org and pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Karin Hostetter has over thirty years experience with
museum education. With a career that includes natural
history museums, cultural history museums (including first
person interpretation), nature centers, and zoos, Ms.
Hostetter is experienced in interpretive writing, program
and curriculum development, and staff and volunteer
training. As a museum educator, she was Curator of
Education for the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife
Sanctuary (McKinney, TX). Among her award-winning
education curricula are several programs she developed for
the education departments during her five years at the
Heard Museum and her twelve years on staff at the Denver
Zoo. As an interpretive writer, Ms. Hostetter has written
text for exhibits, wayside exhibits, visitor brochures, and
professional magazines. Her skill is in making technical
information understandable and meaningful to visitors.
Karin has worked with volunteers throughout her career,
becoming the first paid volunteer coordinator at the Denver
Zoo. Ms. Hostetter taught the National Association for
Interpretation's two-day volunteer management course for
volunteer coordinators and served on their panel about
volunteer programs. She authored a series of articles for
the National Association for Interpretation's Legacy
magazine, providing guidelines for developing and
maintaining a volunteer organization. Ms. Hostetter now
consults with organizations on structuring and improving
volunteer programs.
Over the years, Ms. Hostetter has been
responsible for small animal exhibits and animal care at
both the Heard Museum and the Denver Zoo. She worked with
wild animal rehabilitation and public education animals,
work that included training volunteer animal handlers.
Karin co-founded the Zoos, Wildlife Parks, and Aquaria
special interest section of the National Association for
Interpretation.
Karin Hostetter is owner of Interpret This,
a consulting company specializing in interpretive writing,
program and curriculum development, and volunteer program
management. When she is not consulting with other museums,
she likes to volunteer and contract teach at them with a
special love for preschool and family programs.
Description:
Whether by design or accident, many museums find themselves with small collections of small animals - sometimes for exhibit, sometimes not; sometimes for educational program use, sometimes not. Determine which animals work best for your purposes. Know how to care for the animals considering healthy diets, appropriate exhibit or non-exhibit caging, guest safety, veterinary care, and needed permits.
Course Outline:
1. Pros and Cons of Live Animal Exhibits
2. Role of Live Animals in Museums
3. Good and Not-So-Good Animals for Small Exhibits
4. Cages, Feeding, Enrichment Considerations
5. Training Animals and People in Handling
Logistics:
Participants in Keeping Small Animals will read literature and participate in two one-hour chats to discuss problems they have experienced with keeping small animals. Each student should read course materials and prepare questions or comments to share with the other students in the chat. This is a mini-course and takes no more than 10 hours of a student's time. This is an opportunity to brain-storm with colleagues about what works and what doesn't work.
To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Karin Hostetter has over thirty years experience with
museum education. With a career that includes natural
history museums, cultural history museums (including first
person interpretation), nature centers, and zoos, Ms.
Hostetter is experienced in interpretive writing, program
and curriculum development, and staff and volunteer
training. As a museum educator, she was Curator of
Education for the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife
Sanctuary (McKinney, TX). Among her award-winning
education curricula are several programs she developed for
the education departments during her five years at the
Heard Museum and her twelve years on staff at the Denver
Zoo. As an interpretive writer, Ms. Hostetter has written
text for exhibits, wayside exhibits, visitor brochures, and
professional magazines. Her skill is in making technical
information understandable and meaningful to visitors.
Karin has worked with volunteers throughout her career,
becoming the first paid volunteer coordinator at the Denver
Zoo. Ms. Hostetter taught the National Association for
Interpretation's two-day volunteer management course for
volunteer coordinators and served on their panel about
volunteer programs. She authored a series of articles for
the National Association for Interpretation's Legacy
magazine, providing guidelines for developing and
maintaining a volunteer organization. Ms. Hostetter now
consults with organizations on structuring and improving
volunteer programs.
Over the years, Ms. Hostetter has been
responsible for small animal exhibits and animal care at
both the Heard Museum and the Denver Zoo. She worked with
wild animal rehabilitation and public education animals,
work that included training volunteer animal handlers.
Karin co-founded the Zoos, Wildlife Parks, and Aquaria
special interest section of the National Association for
Interpretation.
Karin Hostetter is owner of Interpret This,
a consulting company specializing in interpretive writing,
program and curriculum development, and volunteer program
management. When she is not consulting with other museums,
she likes to volunteer and contract teach at them with a
special love for preschool and family programs.
Description:
Whether by design or accident, many museums find themselves with small collections of small animals - sometimes for exhibit, sometimes not; sometimes for educational program use, sometimes not. Determine which animals work best for your purposes. Know how to care for the animals considering healthy diets, appropriate exhibit or non-exhibit caging, guest safety, veterinary care, and needed permits.
Course Outline:
1. Pros and Cons of Live Animal Exhibits
2. Role of Live Animals in Museums
3. Good and Not-So-Good Animals for Small Exhibits
4. Cages, Feeding, Enrichment Considerations
5. Training Animals and People in Handling
Logistics:
Participants in Keeping Small Animals will read literature and participate in two one-hour chats to discuss problems they have experienced with keeping small animals. Each student should read course materials and prepare questions or comments to share with the other students in the chat. This is a mini-course and takes no more than 10 hours of a student's time. This is an opportunity to brain-storm with colleagues about what works and what doesn't work.
To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.museumclasses.org and pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Karin Hostetter has over thirty years experience with
museum education. With a career that includes natural
history museums, cultural history museums (including first
person interpretation), nature centers, and zoos, Ms.
Hostetter is experienced in interpretive writing, program
and curriculum development, and staff and volunteer
training. As a museum educator, she was Curator of
Education for the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife
Sanctuary (McKinney, TX). Among her award-winning
education curricula are several programs she developed for
the education departments during her five years at the
Heard Museum and her twelve years on staff at the Denver
Zoo. As an interpretive writer, Ms. Hostetter has written
text for exhibits, wayside exhibits, visitor brochures, and
professional magazines. Her skill is in making technical
information understandable and meaningful to visitors.
Karin has worked with volunteers throughout her career,
becoming the first paid volunteer coordinator at the Denver
Zoo. Ms. Hostetter taught the National Association for
Interpretation's two-day volunteer management course for
volunteer coordinators and served on their panel about
volunteer programs. She authored a series of articles for
the National Association for Interpretation's Legacy
magazine, providing guidelines for developing and
maintaining a volunteer organization. Ms. Hostetter now
consults with organizations on structuring and improving
volunteer programs.
Over the years, Ms. Hostetter has been
responsible for small animal exhibits and animal care at
both the Heard Museum and the Denver Zoo. She worked with
wild animal rehabilitation and public education animals,
work that included training volunteer animal handlers.
Karin co-founded the Zoos, Wildlife Parks, and Aquaria
special interest section of the National Association for
Interpretation.
Karin Hostetter is owner of Interpret This,
a consulting company specializing in interpretive writing,
program and curriculum development, and volunteer program
management. When she is not consulting with other museums,
she likes to volunteer and contract teach at them with a
special love for preschool and family programs.
Description:
The United States is blessed with more than 10,000 museums. We can only guess at the world's total. While most people think of a well-staffed, professionally run institution, the vast majority of museums are started and run by people with little or no basic training in museum studies or preservation. Introduction to Museums is crafted to change that. The course introduces basic concepts, terminology and the role of various staff members, including curators, registrars and directors. Introduction to Museums is aimed at board members, interns and volunteers, as well as anyone interested in becoming a museum professional or learning more about the profession.
Course Outline
Week 1. Introduction
Week 2. What is a Museum?
Week 3. The History and Future of Museums
Week 4. Models of Museums
Week 5. Models of Museums (cont.)
Week 6. Roles in the Museum
Week 7. Conclusion
Text Book:
Alexander, Edward & Mary, Museums in Motion, Alta Mira Press (2007)
(FYI portions of this book are available at Google books; you may also use the new version from 2007)
Logistics:
Participants in Introduction to Museums work through sections at their own pace. Instructor John Simmons is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Introduction to Museums runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
John E. Simmons runs Museologica, an independent consulting company, and serves as Adjunct Curator of Collections at the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum and Art Gallery at Pennsylvania State University. He has a B.S. in Systematics and Ecology and a Master's degree in Historical Administration and Museum Studies. Simmons began his professional career as a zoo keeper, then worked as collections manager at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of the University of Kansas, where he also served as Director of the Museum Studies Program until 2007. He received 2011 Carolyn L. Rose Award for outstanding commitment to Natural History Collections Care and Management from the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, the Superior Voluntary Service Award from the American Association of Museums and the Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Mentoring of Graduate Students from the University of Kansas. Simmons' publications include three books, Herpetological Collecting and Collections Management (2002), Cuidado, Manejo y Conservación de las Colecciones Biológicas (2005, with Yaneth Muńoz-Saba), and Things Great and Small: Collections Management Policies (2006). He consults, teaches, and does field work in the US, Latin America and Asia. For more information visit his web site MUSEOLOGICA
Description:
The United States is blessed with more than 10,000 museums. We can only guess at the world's total. While most people think of a well-staffed, professionally run institution, the vast majority of museums are started and run by people with little or no basic training in museum studies or preservation. Introduction to Museums is crafted to change that. The course introduces basic concepts, terminology and the role of various staff members, including curators, registrars and directors. Introduction to Museums is aimed at board members, interns and volunteers, as well as anyone interested in becoming a museum professional or learning more about the profession.
Course Outline
Week 1. What is a Museum?
Week 2. History of Museums
Week 3. Museum Models
Week 4. Roles in the Museum
Logistics:
Participants in Introduction to Museums work through sections at their own pace. Instructor Kiersten F. Latham is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Introduction to Museums runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Kiersten F. Latham teaches museum management for the Michigan State University MS program as well as museum studies courses in the Bowling Green State University (Ohio) Public History program. Recently, she was the acting coordinator of the museum studies program at the University of Kansas. She has nearly 20 years of experience working in museums including as the curator of collections at the Kansas Cosmosphere & Space Center. Her interests include the meaning of objects, philosophy and history of the museum, and psychology of visitor experiences. She has worked in history, art, anthropology, science and children's museums as an academic and professional.
Description:
By some estimates there are more than 10,000 museums in the
United States alone. While most people think of a
well-staffed, professionally run institution, the vast
majority of museums are started and run by people with
little or no basic training in museum studies or
preservation. Introduction to Museums is crafted to change
that. The course introduces basic concepts, terminology and
the role of various staff members, including curators,
registrars and directors. Introduction to Museums is aimed
at board members, interns and volunteers, as well as anyone
interested in becoming a museum professional or learning
more about the profession.
Course Outline
Week 1. What is a Museum?
Week 2. History of Museums
Week 3. Museum Models
Week 4. Roles in the Museum
Participants in Introduction to Museums work through sections at their own pace. Instructor Kiersten F. Latham is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Introduction to Museums runs four weeks.. Please sign up at http://www.museumclasses.org and pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Kiersten F. Latham teaches museum management for the Michigan State University MS program as well as museum studies courses in the Bowling Green State University (Ohio) Public History program. Recently, she was the acting coordinator of the museum studies program at the University of Kansas. She has nearly 20 years of experience working in museums including as the curator of collections at the Kansas Cosmosphere & Space Center. Her interests include the meaning of objects, philosophy and history of the museum, and psychology of visitor experiences. She has worked in history, art, anthropology, science and children's museums as an academic and professional.
Description::
Discover why museums use those little bitsy numbers on artifacts. Master the ABCs of museum record keeping in the Basics of Museum Registration. Participants learn about registration, accession, common numbering systems and how to craft a mission statement for their museum. Finally, the course reviews the importance of having - and using - a registration manual and what it should contain.
Each participant will write a mission statement, as well as collection and acquisition policies for a "new" museum. The curriculum also requires written commentary on museum missions, an accessioning exercise and drafting a sample registration manual.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. The Museum Mission Statement
3. Accessioning and Numbering
4. Registration Manual
5. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in the Basics of Museum Registration work at their own pace through five sections and interact through online forums and chats. Instructor Peggy Schaller will be available at scheduled times for email support. The course covers everything you need to know to process a collection. Materials include online readings and lecture notes, slide shows, quizzes and links to relevant web sites.
Basics of Museum Registration runs for four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS103: The Basics of Museum Registration
"I have enjoyed many of the classes offered through NSCC and really learn a lot. … The class was taught extremely well and provided grateful information. Peggy was an inspiring person!"
" I liked the exercise where we chose the different items we would have in the museum. That one was hard because I didn't always know how to justify something I wanted or didn't want … I was even asking my family at the dinner table and we were all talking about what we would keep and what we wouldn't! I would definitely take another class."
This course was a great quick course … I will look forward to taking more in the future … The instructor was very helpful and available.
"The class was set up so that someone with very little time could learn a lot in a short period. It provided information that was useful in the actual context of work."
"I have enjoyed many of the classes offered through NSCC and really learn a lot. … The class was taught extremely well and provided grateful information. Peggy was an inspiring person with so much to learn from!
The Instructor:
Peggy Schaller, founded Collections Research for Museums in 1991 to provide cataloging, collection-management training and services. She has worked with a large variety of museums and collections for more than 18 years. Peggy, who lives in Denver, Colorado, has a bachelor's degree in anthropology with minors in art history and geology from the University of Arizona in Tucson. She has a master's degree in anthropology with a minor in museum studies from the University of Colorado in Boulder and is a Certified Institutional Protection Manager II. She provides workshops and project services to museums and historical societies all across the country. The mission of Collections Research for Museums is to inspire museums to improve their professional standards, collections stewardship and service to their constituency through training in, and assistance with, documenting, preserving, protecting and managing their collections. For more information visit her web site Collections Research for Museums
Description:
Every museum professional needs a solid foundation in preservation principles and techniques. Introduction to Collections Preservation provides an overview of current preservation issues from environmental monitoring to collection cleaning, exhibit mounts and storage furniture. Participants learn about every aspect of the modern museum and how the building, staff and fixtures affect preservation. Subjects include the agents of deterioration, risk management, object handling and transport, object labeling, exhibit lighting, security, emergency preparedness, materials for storage and display, storage and exhibit philosophies, and condition assessments.
Course Outline:
1. Preservation Principles
2. Agents of Deterioration
3. Monitoring
4. Collection Handling
5. Collection Labeling
6. Collection Cleaning
7. Storage Principles
8. Exhibit Principles
9. Emergency Preparation
10. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in An Introduction to Collections Preservation work at their own pace through 10 sections and interact through online forums and chats. Instructor Helen Alten will be available at scheduled times for email support. Materials include online readings and lecture notes, slide shows, quizzes and links to relevant web sites. The course is limited to 20 participants.
An Introduction to Collections Preservation runs for four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS104: An Introduction to Collections Preservation:
"An online course like this is very convenient for people who cannot attend classes in another city."
"I didn't really know what to expect because I had never taken an online class before, nor had a taken any sort of collections/preservation class. I definitely learned a lot; I now understand the overall goals and practices of collections preservation."
"I particularly liked seeing images in the PowerPoint slides. They really can add to the understanding of a topic."
"I really enjoyed the excellent course reading material. It has really helped me understand so much more about the work I do."
"I've been working as a collection manager for 10 years. I have no formal training in museum techniques …I thought this class would solidify everything I've learned. I didn't think I would learn anything new, but I did. Great course. I would recommend it to anyone starting out in the museum field."
"My experience with the MS104 online course has been exceptional, a 10! … Thank you! Thank you for such a high quality and demanding workshop!"
"I AM THE ONE WHO SHOULD THANK YOU! EUREKA! I REALLY GAINED ALOT AND REALLY ENJOYED STUDYING WITH YOU."
"It may have been an on-line course, but I feel like I've got a textbook. And one written by many different sources, two heads being better than one."
The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
Description:
Every museum professional needs a solid foundation in preservation principles and techniques. Introduction to Collections Preservation provides an overview of current preservation issues from environmental monitoring to collection cleaning, exhibit mounts and storage furniture. Participants learn about every aspect of the modern museum and how the building, staff and fixtures affect preservation. Subjects include the agents of deterioration, risk management, object handling and transport, object labeling, exhibit lighting, security, emergency preparedness, materials for storage and display, storage and exhibit philosophies, and condition assessments.
Course Outline:
1. Preservation Principles
2. Agents of Deterioration
3. Monitoring
4. Collection Handling
5. Collection Labeling
6. Collection Cleaning
7. Storage Principles
8. Exhibit Principles
9. Emergency Preparation
10. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in An Introduction to Collections Preservation work at their own pace through 10 sections and interact through online forums and chats. Instructor Helen Alten will be available at scheduled times for email support. Materials include online readings and lecture notes, slide shows, quizzes and links to relevant web sites. The course is limited to 20 participants.
An Introduction to Collections Preservation runs for four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS104: An Introduction to Collections Preservation:
"An online course like this is very convenient for people who cannot attend classes in another city."
"I didn't really know what to expect because I had never taken an online class before, nor had a taken any sort of collections/preservation class. I definitely learned a lot; I now understand the overall goals and practices of collections preservation."
"I particularly liked seeing images in the PowerPoint slides. They really can add to the understanding of a topic."
"I really enjoyed the excellent course reading material. It has really helped me understand so much more about the work I do."
"I've been working as a collection manager for 10 years. I have no formal training in museum techniques …I thought this class would solidify everything I've learned. I didn't think I would learn anything new, but I did. Great course. I would recommend it to anyone starting out in the museum field."
"My experience with the MS104 online course has been exceptional, a 10! … Thank you! Thank you for such a high quality and demanding workshop!"
"I AM THE ONE WHO SHOULD THANK YOU! EUREKA! I REALLY GAINED ALOT AND REALLY ENJOYED STUDYING WITH YOU."
"It may have been an on-line course, but I feel like I've got a textbook. And one written by many different sources, two heads being better than one."
The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
Description:
Nearly every museum develops exhibits, but how can we improve communication with visitors while taking care of our objects? Exhibit Fundamentals explores exhibits from idea to final installation in a variety of settings. Topics include exhibit theory, the role of the museum's mission, creating a timeline, accessibility and script writing. Also covered are design elements, installation techniques, object safety and security, visitor safety and evaluations. Each student develops an exhibit plan for his or her museum.
Course Outline
1. Introduction: Exhibition Theory and the Museums Mission
2. Intellectual and Physical Accessibility & Exhibition Evaluations
3. Creating a Timeline and Writing Texts
4. The Role of Design Elements and Basic Installation Techniques
5. Object and Visitor Safety
6. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Exhibit Fundamentals work at their own pace through six sections and interact through online chats. Instructor Lin Nelson-Mayson is available at scheduled times during the course for email support. Exhibit Fundamentals includes online literature, slide lectures and student-teacher/group-teacher dialog. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Required texts are:
(1) Lord, Barry and Gail Dexter. The Manual of Museum Exhibits. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press (A Division of Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc), 2002.
(2) Serrell, Beverly. Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 1996.
(Both are good resources; if you don't have them in your library, they can be ordered on line from Alta Mira at http://www.altamirapress.com/)
Exhibit Fundamentals runs six weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS106 Exhibit Fundamentals: Ideas to Installation:
"The lectures were clearly written and understandable, and the readings (Lord & Lord, Serrell) were surprisingly readable! The Powerpoints provided a great summary for each section … I enjoyed the course thoroughly and have gained some valuable (and somewhat sobering) insight. "
"Great teacher, Great technology, Great peers/other students! Enjoyable reading. Very helpful for now and in the future. Great reading. Great Text.
A++ and THANK YOU!!!"
"I liked having the content presented multiple ways. I read the lectures, viewed the Powerpoint slides, and completed the readings. With each presentation of the materials I found I learned more."
"The content could be adapted to a project we are working on … Rather than spending time planning and working on an exhibit I would never complete in my facility, I could instead focus on a dream (a big dream) of an exhibit and actually apply what I was learning to something that I will use in my museum.
The technology was quite easy to work with. I didn't need help with the technology, but support seemed readily available."
"I enjoyed hearing about plans, experiences and challenges from professionals at other museums, and getting their feedback - it was nice to have a 'virtual community' of people working on similar things."
"The readings/assignments made me think about my exhibit in ways I hadn't. Made me realize that there were more things to keep in mind than I realized.
I'll be on the lookout for future courses offered by NSCC. I feel like I really got my money's worth from it."
The Instructor:
Lin Nelson-Mayson, with over 25 years of museum experience at small and large institutions, is director of the University of Minnesota's Goldstein Museum of Design. Prior to that, she was the director of ExhibitsUSA, a nonprofit exhibition touring organization that annually tours over 30 art and humanities exhibitions across the country. For five years, she was a coordinator or judge for the American Association of Museums' Excellence in Exhibitions Competition. She currently serves on the exhibition committee for the National Sculpture Society. Ms. Nelson-Mayson has extensive experience with the planning, preparation, research and installation of exhibitions. Ms Nelson-Mayson's experience includes teaching museum studies and museology courses. Her particular interest is the needs of small museums.
Her credentials include the following;
- An MFA from The Ohio State University in sculpture and critical writing
- A BFA from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in painting.
- Work as a curator for the Ross County Historic Society (Chillicothe, Ohio), the Art Museum of South Texas (Corpus Christi), the Columbia Museum of Art (South Carolina), and the Minnesota Museum of American Art.
Description:
Nearly every museum develops exhibits, but how can we improve communication with visitors while taking care of our objects? Exhibit Fundamentals explores exhibits from idea to final installation in a variety of settings. Topics include exhibit theory, the role of the museum's mission, creating a timeline, accessibility and script writing. Also covered are design elements, installation techniques, object safety and security, visitor safety and evaluations. Each student develops an exhibit plan for his or her museum.
Course Outline
1. Introduction: Exhibition Theory and the Museums Mission
2. Intellectual and Physical Accessibility & Exhibition Evaluations
3. Creating a Timeline and Writing Texts
4. The Role of Design Elements and Basic Installation Techniques
5. Object and Visitor Safety
6. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Exhibit Fundamentals work at their own pace through six sections and interact through online chats. Instructor Lin Nelson-Mayson is available at scheduled times during the course for email support. Exhibit Fundamentals includes online literature, slide lectures and student-teacher/group-teacher dialog. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Required texts are:
(1) Lord, Barry and Gail Dexter. The Manual of Museum Exhibits. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press (A Division of Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc), 2002.
(2) Serrell, Beverly. Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 1996.
(Both are good resources; if you don't have them in your library, they can be ordered on line from Alta Mira at http://www.altamirapress.com/)
Exhibit Fundamentals runs six weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS106 Exhibit Fundamentals: Ideas to Installation:
"The lectures were clearly written and understandable, and the readings (Lord & Lord, Serrell) were surprisingly readable! The Powerpoints provided a great summary for each section … I enjoyed the course thoroughly and have gained some valuable (and somewhat sobering) insight. "
"Great teacher, Great technology, Great peers/other students! Enjoyable reading. Very helpful for now and in the future. Great reading. Great Text.
A++ and THANK YOU!!!"
"I liked having the content presented multiple ways. I read the lectures, viewed the Powerpoint slides, and completed the readings. With each presentation of the materials I found I learned more."
"The content could be adapted to a project we are working on … Rather than spending time planning and working on an exhibit I would never complete in my facility, I could instead focus on a dream (a big dream) of an exhibit and actually apply what I was learning to something that I will use in my museum.
The technology was quite easy to work with. I didn't need help with the technology, but support seemed readily available."
"I enjoyed hearing about plans, experiences and challenges from professionals at other museums, and getting their feedback - it was nice to have a 'virtual community' of people working on similar things."
"The readings/assignments made me think about my exhibit in ways I hadn't. Made me realize that there were more things to keep in mind than I realized.
I'll be on the lookout for future courses offered by NSCC. I feel like I really got my money's worth from it."
The Instructor:
Lin Nelson-Mayson, with over 25 years of museum experience at small and large institutions, is director of the University of Minnesota's Goldstein Museum of Design. Prior to that, she was the director of ExhibitsUSA, a nonprofit exhibition touring organization that annually tours over 30 art and humanities exhibitions across the country. For five years, she was a coordinator or judge for the American Association of Museums' Excellence in Exhibitions Competition. She currently serves on the exhibition committee for the National Sculpture Society. Ms. Nelson-Mayson has extensive experience with the planning, preparation, research and installation of exhibitions. Ms Nelson-Mayson's experience includes teaching museum studies and museology courses. Her particular interest is the needs of small museums.
Her credentials include the following;
- An MFA from The Ohio State University in sculpture and critical writing
- A BFA from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in painting.
- Work as a curator for the Ross County Historic Society (Chillicothe, Ohio), the Art Museum of South Texas (Corpus Christi), the Columbia Museum of Art (South Carolina), and the Minnesota Museum of American Art.
Description:
World events continually remind us just how important security is. The FBI and Interpol databases record thefts from small rural museums and world renowned art collections. The prevalence of collections lost to theft is brought home to us with regular sensational newspaper stories. And then there are the internal thefts, fires, and collection vandalism that also result in loss. Security must be a priority for every museum, regardless of size. Introduction to Security teaches basic, practical approaches to protecting against threats such as theft, vandalism, violent acts, natural disasters, fire and environmental hazards. Topics include selecting security systems, determining security needs and how to build affordable security systems. Screening, hiring, firing, workplace violence, policies and procedures and emergency management planning are covered as well.
Course Outline:
- Introduction
- Fire Protection
- Internal Theft
- External Theft
- Retail Theft
- Policies and Procedures
- Selection of Electronic Systems
- Emergency Preparedness
- Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Introduction to Security work at their own pace through sections and interact through online chats. Instructor Steve Layne is available at scheduled times during the course for email support. Introduction to Security includes online literature, slide lectures and student-teacher/group-teacher dialog. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Introduction to Security runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS107: Introduction to Security
Quality information and resources, discussions, and it gave me food for thought.
I liked not having to sit in a classroom, the depth some of the material offered, and being able to work on assignments when I had the time at work.
I liked a lot of the extra reading. As we know finding some of this material can take awhile during a general search on the web. The lecture material was also a great review for somebody like myself who has been in security for some time.
I think this course is on the right track, and should be presented to as many security pros as possible. It would be a great tool to get museum security personel to think outside the box while they are inside their box. It is important to make sure our countries treasures are well protected, so the better educated we are the better we can work to make this a reality.
I LIKED THE VARIETY OF "VOICES" IN THE MATERIALS; I ESPECIALLY VALUE THE LISTS OF OTHER RESOURCES.
The Instructor:
Stevan P. Layne is the principal consultant and chief executive of Layne Consultants International, a leading provider of cultural property protection advice. Steve is a former police chief, public safety director and museum security director. He is the author of The Cultural Property Protection Manual, and the Business Survival Guide. Steve regularly presents to professional associations and has consulted with more than 400 museums and other institutions. Steve is the founding director of the International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection and responsible for the professional training and certification of more than 1,000 museum professionals. For more information visit his web site Layne Consultants International
Description:
World events continually remind us just how important security is. The FBI and Interpol databases record thefts from small rural museums and world renowned art collections. The prevalence of collections lost to theft is brought home to us with regular sensational newspaper stories. And then there are the internal thefts, fires, and collection vandalism that also result in loss. Security must be a priority for every museum, regardless of size. Introduction to Security teaches basic, practical approaches to protecting against threats such as theft, vandalism, violent acts, natural disasters, fire and environmental hazards. Topics include selecting security systems, determining security needs and how to build affordable security systems. Screening, hiring, firing, workplace violence, policies and procedures and emergency management planning are covered as well.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. Fire Protection
3. Internal Theft
4. External Theft
5. Retail Theft
6. Policies and Procedures
7. Selection of Electronic Systems
8. Emergency Preparedness
9. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Introduction to Security work at their own pace through sections and interact through online chats. Instructor Steve Layne is available at scheduled times during the course for email support. Introduction to Security includes online literature, slide lectures and student-teacher/group-teacher dialog. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Introduction to Security runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS107: Introduction to Security
Quality information and resources, discussions, and it gave me food for thought.
I liked not having to sit in a classroom, the depth some of the material offered, and being able to work on assignments when I had the time at work.
I liked a lot of the extra reading. As we know finding some of this material can take awhile during a general search on the web. The lecture material was also a great review for somebody like myself who has been in security for some time.
I think this course is on the right track, and should be presented to as many security pros as possible. It would be a great tool to get museum security personel to think outside the box while they are inside their box. It is important to make sure our countries treasures are well protected, so the better educated we are the better we can work to make this a reality.
I LIKED THE VARIETY OF "VOICES" IN THE MATERIALS; I ESPECIALLY VALUE THE LISTS OF OTHER RESOURCES.
The Instructor:
Stevan P. Layne is the principal consultant and chief executive of Layne Consultants International, a leading provider of cultural property protection advice. Steve is a former police chief, public safety director and museum security director. He is the author of The Cultural Property Protection Manual, and the Business Survival Guide. Steve regularly presents to professional associations and has consulted with more than 400 museums and other institutions. Steve is the founding director of the International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection and responsible for the professional training and certification of more than 1,000 museum professionals. For more information visit his web site Layne Consultants International
Description:
Volunteers are essential for most non-profit institutions. But good volunteers aren’t born – they are made. Even though they don’t get paychecks, it takes time and money to have effective volunteers. Fundamentals of Museum Volunteer Programs teaches the basics of a strong volunteer program. Topics include recruiting, training and rewarding volunteers, as well as preparing staff. Instruction continues through firing and liabilities. Participants will end up with sound foundational knowledge for starting a new or strengthening an existing volunteer program based on a nine-step process.
Course Outline
Week One
1. Introduction
2. Laying the Foundation: preparing staff, job descriptions
3. Determining Program Structure: who's in charge
Week Two
4. Recruiting Volunteers
5. Selecting Volunteers
Week Three
6. Training Volunteers
7. Evaluating Volunteers
8. Saying "Thank You"
Week Four
9. Keeping Records
10. Communicating Information: including handling change
11. Liability
12. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Fundamentals of Museum Volunteer Programs work at their own pace through sections and interact through online chats. Instructor Karin Hostetter is available at scheduled times during the course for email support. Fundamentals of Museum Volunteer Programs includes online literature and student-teacher/group-teacher dialog. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Fundamentals of Museum Volunteer Programs runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.orgStudent Comments for MS108: Fundamentals of Museum Volunteer Programs:
I feel that this course was an excellent experience that will help start my volunteer program in the right direction, thanks.
Articles were useful. Chats were useful times where you could talk out ideas.
I definitely liked taking the class online and being able to schedule my time around it. The assignments were a good foundation for putting what I learned into action. The resources were terrific. And I really enjoyed "Hostetter-Outlaw" Commentaries as a "getting to the point" outline. I am happy that you have filled a special niche for museum personnel who are interested in learning to be the best they can be.
It made me realize that there is more to volunteer policy than just asking them to participate. The chat time was really helpful as to the direction our policy should follow. (I liked) The availability of the instructor and the prompt feedback she gave.
Everything I read and did was helpful and only hope the "people who do not like change" can be convinced sometime down the road that we need to implement some if not all these procedures. I liked the forums and quick problem solving ideas best.
The Instructor:
Karin Hostetter has over thirty years experience with
museum education. With a career that includes natural
history museums, cultural history museums (including first
person interpretation), nature centers, and zoos, Ms.
Hostetter is experienced in interpretive writing, program
and curriculum development, and staff and volunteer
training. As a museum educator, she was Curator of
Education for the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife
Sanctuary (McKinney, TX). Among her award-winning
education curricula are several programs she developed for
the education departments during her five years at the
Heard Museum and her twelve years on staff at the Denver
Zoo. As an interpretive writer, Ms. Hostetter has written
text for exhibits, wayside exhibits, visitor brochures, and
professional magazines. Her skill is in making technical
information understandable and meaningful to visitors.
Karin has worked with volunteers throughout her career,
becoming the first paid volunteer coordinator at the Denver
Zoo. Ms. Hostetter taught the National Association for
Interpretation's two-day volunteer management course for
volunteer coordinators and served on their panel about
volunteer programs. She authored a series of articles for
the National Association for Interpretation's Legacy
magazine, providing guidelines for developing and
maintaining a volunteer organization. Ms. Hostetter now
consults with organizations on structuring and improving
volunteer programs.
Over the years, Ms. Hostetter has been
responsible for small animal exhibits and animal care at
both the Heard Museum and the Denver Zoo. She worked with
wild animal rehabilitation and public education animals,
work that included training volunteer animal handlers.
Karin co-founded the Zoos, Wildlife Parks, and Aquaria
special interest section of the National Association for
Interpretation.
Karin Hostetter is owner of Interpret This,
a consulting company specializing in interpretive writing,
program and curriculum development, and volunteer program
management. When she is not consulting with other museums,
she likes to volunteer and contract teach at them with a
special love for preschool and family programs.
Description:
Volunteers are essential for most non-profit institutions. But good volunteers aren't born - they are made. Even though they don't get paychecks, it takes time and money to have effective volunteers. Fundamentals of Museum Volunteer Programs teaches the basics of a strong volunteer program. Topics include recruiting, training and rewarding volunteers, as well as preparing staff. Instruction continues through firing and liabilities. Participants will end up with custom forms tailored to their institutions, an understanding of liability issues and a nine-step process to troubleshoot an existing volunteer program or create the best one for a particular institution.
Course Outline
Week One
1. Introduction
2. Laying the Foundation: preparing staff, job descriptions
3. Determining Program Structure: who's in charge
Week Two
4. Recruiting Volunteers
5. Selecting Volunteers
Week Three
6. Training Volunteers
7. Evaluating Volunteers
8. Saying "Thank You"
Week Four
9. Keeping Records
10. Communicating Information: including handling change
11. Liability
12. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Fundamentals of Museum Volunteer Programs work at their own pace through sections and interact through online chats. Instructor Karin Hostetter is available at scheduled times during the course for email support. Fundamentals of Museum Volunteer Programs includes online literature and student-teacher/group-teacher dialog. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Fundamentals of Museum Volunteer Programs runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS108: Fundamentals of Museum Volunteer Programs:
I feel that this course was an excellent experience that will help start my volunteer program in the right direction, thanks.
Articles were useful. Chats were useful times where you could talk out ideas.
I definitely liked taking the class online and being able to schedule my time around it. The assignments were a good foundation for putting what I learned into action. The resources were terrific. And I really enjoyed "Hostetter-Outlaw" Commentaries as a "getting to the point" outline. I am happy that you have filled a special niche for museum personnel who are interested in learning to be the best they can be.
It made me realize that there is more to volunteer policy than just asking them to participate. The chat time was really helpful as to the direction our policy should follow. (I liked) The availability of the instructor and the prompt feedback she gave.
Everything I read and did was helpful and only hope the "people who do not like change" can be convinced sometime down the road that we need to implement some if not all these procedures. I liked the forums and quick problem solving ideas best.
The Instructor:
Karin Hostetter has over thirty years experience with
museum education. With a career that includes natural
history museums, cultural history museums (including first
person interpretation), nature centers, and zoos, Ms.
Hostetter is experienced in interpretive writing, program
and curriculum development, and staff and volunteer
training. As a museum educator, she was Curator of
Education for the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife
Sanctuary (McKinney, TX). Among her award-winning
education curricula are several programs she developed for
the education departments during her five years at the
Heard Museum and her twelve years on staff at the Denver
Zoo. As an interpretive writer, Ms. Hostetter has written
text for exhibits, wayside exhibits, visitor brochures, and
professional magazines. Her skill is in making technical
information understandable and meaningful to visitors.
Karin has worked with volunteers throughout her career,
becoming the first paid volunteer coordinator at the Denver
Zoo. Ms. Hostetter taught the National Association for
Interpretation's two-day volunteer management course for
volunteer coordinators and served on their panel about
volunteer programs. She authored a series of articles for
the National Association for Interpretation's Legacy
magazine, providing guidelines for developing and
maintaining a volunteer organization. Ms. Hostetter now
consults with organizations on structuring and improving
volunteer programs.
Over the years, Ms. Hostetter has been
responsible for small animal exhibits and animal care at
both the Heard Museum and the Denver Zoo. She worked with
wild animal rehabilitation and public education animals,
work that included training volunteer animal handlers.
Karin co-founded the Zoos, Wildlife Parks, and Aquaria
special interest section of the National Association for
Interpretation.
Karin Hostetter is owner of Interpret This,
a consulting company specializing in interpretive writing,
program and curriculum development, and volunteer program
management. When she is not consulting with other museums,
she likes to volunteer and contract teach at them with a
special love for preschool and family programs.
Description:
Sound business practices are critical for a museum to fulfill its mission. Sounds like vegetables, right? Museum Management is complex. A museum exists to preserve collections and educate, but it is also an institution that must employ sound business practices while being accountable to the public as a non-profit organization. Instructor Sue Near teaches participants how to administer a successful museum efficiently and effectively. Participants will engage in discussions about the changing cultural climate and its effect on museum operations.
Course Outline
1. Introduction
2. Legal and Planning Documents
3. Staff Responsibilities, Organization, & Personnel Management
4. Strategic Planning
5. Budget Management and Accountability
6. Collections Management
7. Facilities Management
8. Marketing and Community Relations
9. Development and Membership
10. Public Programs and Evaluation
11. Overview Future Trends
Course Book:
Museum Administration: An Introduction By Hugh H. Genoways (University of Nebraska State Museum) and Lynne M. Ireland
(Nebraska State Historical Society), Series: American Association for State and Local History, AltaMira Press, 2003
Logistics:
Participants in Museum Management work through sections the above sections on their own. Instructor Susan Near is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature and references, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Museum Management runs six weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS109: Museum Management:
The instructor was very helpful and informative. She did a great job.
The diversity of topics within the course were well selected. It covered a broad enough scope to really educate without being too much.
The textbook selection was very good. It is an easy to read text and not too long. With this particular course, I found some of the additional readings more useful than the PowerPoint or lectures.
This is a really good course.
I found it informative and felt my knowledge of the subject increased quite a bit.
It was a great experience. I look forward to taking more courses in the future.
I enjoyed learning through my classmates, being able to ask questions regarding things I deal with at work, and discovering new sources of information.
I enjoyed the course a lot. I felt very satisfied when I completed it, I am looking forward to furthering my education more through online courses.
I liked that Sue provided a wide range of reading and learning material for most of the sections in addition to the required text and any powerpoint or lecture notes. It allowed me to pick and choose the ones that were most useful and meaningful to me.
I enjoyed the class and learned new things and confirmed my knowledge on other things. Sue was a great teacher and kept the ball rolling. Thanks Sue, Eric and Helen.
The Instructor:
Susan Near is special projects manager at the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Prior positions at the Historical Society include director of museum services (1989-2007), curator of collections (1984-1989), and registrar (1982-1984). She also worked as collections research specialist at the Valley Forge Historical Society in Pennsylvania. She has been curator for more than 20 major exhibitions ranging from western art to decorative arts, and has conducted material culture research covering a broad range of collections. Near co-authored Montana's State Capitol:The People's House, Montana Historical Society Press, 2002. Near has extensive administrative experience especially in grant-writing, heritage tourism, educational outreach, public relations, marketing, planning for new museum construction, and project and event management. She is an accreditation visiting committee member for the American Association of Museums, has conducted peer reviews for the Museums Assessment Program, and has reviewed and served on grants panels for the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Ms. Near is a graduate of the Museum Studies Program at the University of Delaware and the Getty's Museum Management Institute.
Description:
Sound business practices are critical for a museum to fulfill its mission. Sounds like vegetables, right? Museum Management is complex. A museum exists to preserve collections and educate, but it is also an institution that must employ sound business practices while being accountable to the public as a non-profit organization. Instructor Sue Near teaches participants how to administer a successful museum efficiently and effectively. Participants will engage in discussions about the changing cultural climate and its effect on museum operations.
Course Outline
1. Introduction
2. Legal and Planning Documents
3. Staff Responsibilities, Organization, & Personnel Management
4. Strategic Planning
5. Budget Management and Accountability
6. Collections Management
7. Facilities Management
8. Marketing and Community Relations
9. Development and Membership
10. Public Programs and Evaluation
11. Overview Future Trends
Course Book:
Museum Administration: An Introduction By Hugh H. Genoways (University of Nebraska State Museum) and Lynne M. Ireland
(Nebraska State Historical Society), Series: American Association for State and Local History, AltaMira Press, 2003
Logistics:
Participants in Museum Management work through sections the above sections on their own. Instructor Susan Near is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature and references, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Museum Management runs six weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS109: Museum Management:
The instructor was very helpful and informative. She did a great job.
The diversity of topics within the course were well selected. It covered a broad enough scope to really educate without being too much.
The textbook selection was very good. It is an easy to read text and not too long. With this particular course, I found some of the additional readings more useful than the PowerPoint or lectures.
This is a really good course.
I found it informative and felt my knowledge of the subject increased quite a bit.
It was a great experience. I look forward to taking more courses in the future.
I enjoyed learning through my classmates, being able to ask questions regarding things I deal with at work, and discovering new sources of information.
I enjoyed the course a lot. I felt very satisfied when I completed it, I am looking forward to furthering my education more through online courses.
I liked that Sue provided a wide range of reading and learning material for most of the sections in addition to the required text and any powerpoint or lecture notes. It allowed me to pick and choose the ones that were most useful and meaningful to me.
I enjoyed the class and learned new things and confirmed my knowledge on other things. Sue was a great teacher and kept the ball rolling. Thanks Sue, Eric and Helen.
The Instructor:
Susan Near is special projects manager at the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Prior positions at the Historical Society include director of museum services (1989-2007), curator of collections (1984-1989), and registrar (1982-1984). She also worked as collections research specialist at the Valley Forge Historical Society in Pennsylvania. She has been curator for more than 20 major exhibitions ranging from western art to decorative arts, and has conducted material culture research covering a broad range of collections. Near co-authored Montana's State Capitol:The People's House, Montana Historical Society Press, 2002. Near has extensive administrative experience especially in grant-writing, heritage tourism, educational outreach, public relations, marketing, planning for new museum construction, and project and event management. She is an accreditation visiting committee member for the American Association of Museums, has conducted peer reviews for the Museums Assessment Program, and has reviewed and served on grants panels for the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Ms. Near is a graduate of the Museum Studies Program at the University of Delaware and the Getty's Museum Management Institute.
Description:
Storage for Infinity covers everything you need to know to limit damage to stored collections. Participants will learn about building new storage areas and retrofitting existing space. Other topics include constructing support mounts and storage security. The material emphasizes philosophy and planning, handling, materials and techniques.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. Storage Philosophy
3. Agents of Deterioration and Preservation Planning
4. Storage Facilities
5. Storage Furniture
6. Preparing Collections for Storage
7. Storage Materials
8. Storage Mounts
9. Storage of Specific Collections
10. Funding Improvements
11. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Storage for Infinity work at their own pace through 11 sections. Instructor Lori Benson is available at scheduled times during the course for email support. Materials include PowerPoint lectures, reading materials and lecture notes. Supporting resources include message forums, weekly online chats, projects, quizzes and links to relevant web sites. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Storage for Infinity runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments from MS201: Storage for Infinity: An Overview of Museum Storage Principles:
My first online class. I plan to do more.
I am so glad that you offered this course. I found it very beneficial.
The most valuable part of the class will be the reference book I compiled with all the lectures, forums, assignments, additional readings, etc. This class contained a staggering amount of information … Something like this is much more accessible, no travel expenses or 'lost' work time.
The layout of the web site made perfect sense to me. The flow of it was easy to follow and it was nice to be able to see what things had transpired/been posted.
You seem very approachable and knowledgeable, Helen. This was a good opportunity for meeting new colleagues and networking.
You could not have decided to offer a course any more relevant to the precise issues that our institution is currently dealing with. Tons of detailed info. and a lot of practical help that will actually be useful in daily operations.
This was my first online class and I believe that it was quite a success thanks to the organization that was provided by yourselves. I did not know what to expect but both of you have surely set a very high standard of excellence in online courses.
The Instructor:
Lori Benson is an independent museum professional based in Maine. Ms. Benson has a B.A. in biology and a Masters of Library and Informational Science specializing in rare books and archives. She started working at the Minnesota Historical Society in 1990, finishing a grant funded position as the Preservation Outreach Representative. After a series of project positions at the Historical Society, including Assistant Moving Coordinator, she was hired by the Science Museum of Minnesota as their first Collections Manager in 1994. She was Project Director in the Research and Collections Division for the new facility planning and move. The project was published as Moving the Mountain, the Science Museum of Minnesota Guide to Moving Collections. In addition to her position at the Science Museum, Ms. Benson was adjunct faculty at Dominican University/College of St. Catherine Department of Library Science teaching Preservation and Conservation of Library Materials and Archives Administration in 2000-2001. In 2003, she was hired by Texas Natural Science Center, University of Texas at Austin (formerly Texas Memorial Museum) to de-accession their entire cultural collection. She continues to be a University of Texas Affiliate. She has taught museum studies to undergraduates and given many talks and lectures on preservation, deaccessioning, project planning and moving. She is a member of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections and the Registrars' Committee of the American Association of Museums. In her second life, she teaches handweaving.
Description:
Building a new storage facility? Retrofitting an old one? This course provides the blueprint for how to approach architects and engineers as well as redesigning your facility yourself. The course covers the philosophy of storage, the construction requirements, security, fire and water prevention, types of furniture, and how to plan for collections growth.
Course Outline:
1. Storage Philosophy
2. Agents of Deterioration and Preservation Planning
3. Storage Facilities
4. Storage Furniture
5. Conclusion
6. Storage Mounts (bonus section)
Logistics:
Participants in Museum Storage Facilities and Furniture work at their own pace through 5 sections and one bonus section if they choose. Instructor Lori Benson is available at scheduled times during the course for email support. Materials include PowerPoint lectures, reading materials and lecture notes. Supporting resources include message forums, weekly online chats, projects, quizzes and links to relevant web sites. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Museum Storage Facilities and Furniture runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS202: Museum Storage Facilities and Furniture:
The content was perfect for what I was looking for. Though my class participation as minimal, the materials and information are here, there are links and lots of jumping off points that provide direction in areas I'm more interested in, and I can interact as time permits.
I liked the course content, the online nature of the course, the online chat and the self-paced work. I also liked the upload feature and the ability to re-submit after uploading for a period of time. . I would rate my online experience as a 10
I like that the material is at accessible, and I like being able to look ahead, or review the materials without having to go two or three places (book at home, papers on desktop, lessons in a deskfile). I like the journal feature.
I appreciated how thorough the information in the lectures were and enjoyed the slides which gave "real-life" images.
The chats were the highlight of the course - great to have give-and-take with colleagues and an experienced conservator like Helen. I felt like my specific questions were answered.
I really enjoyed having all the extra readings and references. I truly feel I can use those heavily in the future. The chats were very useful for having some questions answered.
The Instructor:
Lori Benson is an independent museum professional based in Maine. Ms. Benson has a B.A. in biology and a Masters of Library and Informational Science specializing in rare books and archives. She started working at the Minnesota Historical Society in 1990, finishing a grant funded position as the Preservation Outreach Representative. After a series of project positions at the Historical Society, including Assistant Moving Coordinator, she was hired by the Science Museum of Minnesota as their first Collections Manager in 1994. She was Project Director in the Research and Collections Division for the new facility planning and move. The project was published as Moving the Mountain, the Science Museum of Minnesota Guide to Moving Collections. In addition to her position at the Science Museum, Ms. Benson was adjunct faculty at Dominican University/College of St. Catherine Department of Library Science teaching Preservation and Conservation of Library Materials and Archives Administration in 2000-2001. In 2003, she was hired by Texas Natural Science Center, University of Texas at Austin (formerly Texas Memorial Museum) to de-accession their entire cultural collection. She continues to be a University of Texas Affiliate. She has taught museum studies to undergraduates and given many talks and lectures on preservation, deaccessioning, project planning and moving. She is a member of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections and the Registrars' Committee of the American Association of Museums. In her second life, she teaches handweaving.
Description:
Is your collection stacked, packed and stressed? Museum Storage Techniques has the solution. The course builds on MS 202 and emphasizes the needs of individual objects and collection groupings. Guidelines for specific materials are covered as well. Participants learn about storage materials and mounts and the most effective use of trays, drawers, shelves and cabinets.
Course Outline:
1. Preparing Collections for Storage
2. Storage Materials
3. Storage Mounts
4. Storage of Specific Collections
5. Conclusion
Logistics:
Museum Storage Techniques participants work at their own pace through five sections and interact through online forums and chats. Instructor Helen Alten is available at scheduled times for email support. Materials include PowerPoint lectures, literature and lecture notes and links to relevant web sites. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Museum Storage Techniques runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
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The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
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Description:
One of the great benefits of the 21st century is the abundance of materials for storing and displaying collections. Materials for Storage and Display covers this vast array in detail. Lectures and handouts separate materials by properties: rigid, padding, barrier and attachments. Slide shows illustrate the use of each. The course emphasizes acid-free materials and how to retrofit less appropriate materials. Materials for Storage and Display keeps current with the latest materials available for preservation. Using material testing as a decision making tool is covered. Participants receive notebooks with samples of all of the materials discussed.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. Choosing and Testing
3. Rigid Materials
4. Padding Materials
5. Barrier Materials
6. Tie Materials
7. Bad Materials
8. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Materials for Storage and Display work at their own pace through eight sections. Instructor Helen Alten is available at scheduled times during the course for email support. Students work individually and interact through forums and scheduled online chats. Materials include PowerPoint lectures, readings and lecture notes, as well as message forums, projects, quizzes, and links to relevant web sites. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Materials for Storage and Display lasts four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments from MS204: Materials for Storage and Display:
"The PowerPoint slides were really helpful; I need to visually see what the material looks like and how it is used. Being able to touch the samples also was a plus."
"A high mark because you obviously know the material well, and the lectures and readings have been very informative."
"I enjoyed the format of the lectures, the additional reading lists provided and the feedback from the professor."
The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
Description:
Every museum needs to be prepared for fires, floods, chemical spills, tornadoes, hurricanes and other disasters. But surveys show 80 percent lack trained staff, emergency-preparedness plans for their collections, or both. Disaster Plan Research and Writing begins with the creation of disaster-preparedness teams, the importance of ongoing planning, employee safety, board participation and insurance. Participants will learn everything they need to draft their own disaster-preparedness plans. They also will be required to incorporate colleagues in team-building exercises.
A written disaster-preparedness plan is not only a good idea, it's also a requirement for accreditation. In the second half of the course, instructor Terri Schindel reviews and provides input as participants write plans that outline the procedures to follow in various emergencies. The completed plan prepares museums physically and mentally to handle emergencies that can harm vulnerable and irreplaceable collections. You will have a completed institutional disaster-preparedness and response plan at the end of the course.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction to Disaster Planning
2. Disaster Team
3. Risk Assessment and Management
4. Health and Safety
5. Insurance
6. Documentation
7. Prioritizing Collections
8. Writing the Disaster Preparedness Plan
9. Emergency Procedures
10. Disaster Response
11. Emergency Procedures - Recovery
12. Emergency Procedures - Salvage
13. Emergency Procedures - Salvage Techniques and Guidelines
14. Emergency supplies and location of regional resources
15. Appendices: What to put in them
16. Next steps: planning drills and further resources
17. Conclusion
Required Textbook:
Disaster Planning I uses the required textbook Steal This Handbook! A Template for Creating a Museum's Emergency Preparedness Plan, which is available for purchase at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html
Logistics:
Participants in Disaster Plan Research and Writing work at their own pace. Instructor Terri Schindel is available at scheduled times for email support. Opportunities for interaction include forums and scheduled online chats. Each section includes a written assignment that becomes support material for drafting an actual disaster preparedness plan. Materials include readings, lecture notes, links to relevant web sites and handouts. The course is limited to 20 participants.
MS205/6: Disaster Plan Research and Writing lasts eight weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS205/6 Disaster Plan Research and Writing:
This course was a great motivator to get me to work on the disaster preparedness plan.
The course exceeded my expectations … I am looking forward to developing a plan that will protect the collections. I really enjoyed the course and plan on taking additional courses in the future.
Terri was good at asking little questions about procedures that I had either overlooked or had not considered, and this got me moving in new directions.
To write the disaster preparedness and response plan, you need to set aside a significant amount of time and this class forced me to do that so I completed most of the plan. Hooray!
A great motivator to get me to work on the disaster preparedness and response plan. I really appreciate Terri's time, knowledge, and flexibility.
The Instructor:
Terri Schindel, graduated from the Courtauld Art Institute, University of London with a concentration in textile conservation. Since 1988 she has taught collections care and preventive conservation to museum staff. She has assisted museums in writing disaster plans for more than a decade and helped develop national standards for disaster-preparedness materials. Ms. Schindel specializes in collection care and preventive conservation and works regularly with small, rural and tribal museums. She is familiar with the many challenges and lack of resources facing these institutions. Ms. Schindel is committed to maintaining the uniqueness of each museum while ensuring that they serve as a resource for future generations.
Description:
Every museum needs to be prepared for fires, floods, chemical spills, tornadoes, hurricanes and other disasters. But surveys show 80 percent lack trained staff, emergency-preparedness plans for their collections, or both. Disaster Plan Research and Writing begins with the creation of disaster-preparedness teams, the importance of ongoing planning, employee safety, board participation and insurance. Participants will learn everything they need to draft their own disaster-preparedness plans. They also will be required to incorporate colleagues in team-building exercises.
A written disaster-preparedness plan is not only a good idea, it's also a requirement for accreditation. In the second half of the course, instructor Terri Schindel reviews and provides input as participants write plans that outline the procedures to follow in various emergencies. The completed plan prepares museums physically and mentally to handle emergencies that can harm vulnerable and irreplaceable collections. You will have a completed institutional disaster-preparedness and response plan at the end of the course.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction to Disaster Planning
2. Disaster Team
3. Risk Assessment and Management
4. Health and Safety
5. Insurance
6. Documentation
7. Prioritizing Collections
8. Writing the Disaster Preparedness Plan
9. Emergency Procedures
10. Disaster Response
11. Emergency Procedures - Recovery
12. Emergency Procedures - Salvage
13. Emergency Procedures - Salvage Techniques and Guidelines
14. Emergency supplies and location of regional resources
15. Appendices: What to put in them
16. Next steps: planning drills and further resources
17. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Disaster Plan Research and Writing work at their own pace. Instructor Terri Schindel is available at scheduled times for email support. Opportunities for interaction include forums and scheduled online chats. Each section includes a written assignment that becomes support material for drafting an actual disaster preparedness plan. Materials include readings, lecture notes, links to relevant web sites and handouts. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Required Textbook:
Disaster Planning I uses the required textbook Steal This Handbook! A Template for Creating a Museum's Emergency Preparedness Plan, which is available for purchase at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html
MS205/6: Disaster Plan Research and Writing lasts eight weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS205/6 Disaster Plan Research and Writing:
This course was a great motivator to get me to work on the disaster preparedness plan.
The course exceeded my expectations … I am looking forward to developing a plan that will protect the collections. I really enjoyed the course and plan on taking additional courses in the future.
Terri was good at asking little questions about procedures that I had either overlooked or had not considered, and this got me moving in new directions.
To write the disaster preparedness and response plan, you need to set aside a significant amount of time and this class forced me to do that so I completed most of the plan. Hooray!
A great motivator to get me to work on the disaster preparedness and response plan. I really appreciate Terri's time, knowledge, and flexibility.
The Instructor:
Terri Schindel, graduated from the Courtauld Art Institute, University of London with a concentration in textile conservation. Since 1988 she has taught collections care and preventive conservation to museum staff. She has assisted museums in writing disaster plans for more than a decade and helped develop national standards for disaster-preparedness materials. Ms. Schindel specializes in collection care and preventive conservation and works regularly with small, rural and tribal museums. She is familiar with the many challenges and lack of resources facing these institutions. Ms. Schindel is committed to maintaining the uniqueness of each museum while ensuring that they serve as a resource for future generations.
Description:
Cataloging may not be the most exciting museum task, but it is among the most important. Without a clear knowledge of your holdings, you can't protect, care for, research or exhibit them. Without knowledge of an item's history, you can't properly appreciate its value to your museum. Cataloging Your Collection covers all details needed to catalog a collection. Procedures for handling, measuring and describing all types of objects and materials are discussed in detail. Participants receive sample forms and learn the best practices for numbering artifacts, performing inventory and assessing the condition of objects. Participants practice describing everyday objects and cataloging items from their own collections or households.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction: Policy and Mission
2. Cataloging: Why Do We Catalog Our Artifacts?
3. Forms
4. Numbering
5. Handling
6. Conservation and Storage
7. Inventories
8. Cataloging
9. Considerations for Specific Objects
10. Summary
Logistics:
Participants in Cataloging Your Collection set their own pace while working through 10 sections. Instructor Peggy Schaller will be available at scheduled times for email support. Participants interact through forums and scheduled online chats. Materials include online readings and lecture notes, as well as handouts, slide lectures, projects and links to relevant web sites. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Cataloging Your Collection runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS207 Cataloging Your Collection:
I'd give it a 10 out of 10.
I liked the convenience, I liked the chats, I liked the reading material, I liked that there were people from all over the country enrolled.
The technology made sense … It was scary at first, but really was very simple.
The Instructor:
Peggy Schaller, founded Collections Research for Museums in 1991 to provide cataloging, collection-management training and services. She has worked with a large variety of museums and collections for more than 18 years. Peggy, who lives in Denver, Colorado, has a bachelor's degree in anthropology with minors in art history and geology from the University of Arizona in Tucson. She has a master's degree in anthropology with a minor in museum studies from the University of Colorado in Boulder and is a Certified Institutional Protection Manager II. She provides workshops and project services to museums and historical societies all across the country. The mission of Collections Research for Museums is to inspire museums to improve their professional standards, collections stewardship and service to their constituency through training in, and assistance with, documenting, preserving, protecting and managing their collections. For more information visit her web site Collections Research for Museums
Description:
Applying Numbers to Collection Objects covers the materials and methods of object numbering: registration, handling, labeling and marking, number placement, documentation, health and safety, transponders and barcodes, surface marks, inks, paints and barrier coats. Each participant receives a Northern States Conservation Center collections labeling kit and performs experiments using its contents. Participants learn to determine what pen, ink, barrier coat or tag is appropriate for each object and storage or display situation.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. Basic Concepts
3. Associating Numbers and Objects
4. Applying Numbers to Objects: Barrier Coats and Direct Surface Marking
5. Tools of Numbering
6. Recommended Numbering Procedures for Specific Objects
7. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Applying Numbers to Collection Objects work through seven sections at their own pace. Instructor Helen Alten will be available at scheduled times for email support. Participants work individually and interact through forums and online chats. Materials include PowerPoint lectures, readings, lecture notes and a collections labeling kit with sample materials. Additional resources include projects, quizzes and links to relevant web sites.
Applying Numbers to Collection Objects runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS208: Applying Numbers to Collection Objects:
All in all, I learned more than I thought I would. I and my colleagues are eager to have the handouts in a binder for immediate and future reference.
I loved the practical assignments. I loved the feedback from Helen. And I loved the live chat sessions.
The organization of the course was excellent - readings were well-constructed and well-placed within the greater course context … I was pleased that we had homework where we were expected to apply some of the concepts we'd read about.
I liked the ability to receive instruction without having to leave my office or go out of town.
I was able to learn so much about numbering museum items that I did not know. I had tried to do research on the Internet and had found some things, but nothing like what we covered through the course.
The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
Description::
Acquiring and holding collections impose specific legal, ethical and professional obligations. Museums must ensure proper management, preservation and use of their collections. A well-crafted collections management policy is key to collections stewardship. Collections Management Policies for Museums and Related Institutions helps participants develop policies that meet professional and legal standards for collections management.
Collections Management Policies for Museums and Related Institutions teaches the practical skills and knowledge needed to write and implement such a policy. The course covers the essential components and issues a policy should address. It also highlights the role of the policy in carrying out a museum's mission and guiding stewardship decisions. Participants are expected to draft collections management policies.
Course Textbook:
John E. Simmons, Things Great and Small: Collections Management Policies, American Association of Museums, 2006, $40 non-member, $30 member, 208 pages, ISBN: 1-933253-03-7, available from the AAM bookstore
Course Outline:
1. The Principles of Collections Management
2. Collections Stewardship: The Role of a Collections Management Policy
3. Policy Versus Procedure
4. Issues to Consider When Developing a Collections Management Policy
5. Essential Components of a Collections Management Policy
· Statement of Purpose
· Statement of Authority
· Definition and Scope of Collections
· Acquisition and Accessioning
· Deaccessioning and Disposal
· Preservation
· Collections Information
· Inventory
· Risk Management and Security
· Access
· Loans
· Intellectual Property Rights Management
· Staff Responsibility / Ethics
6. Monitoring and Revision
7. Potential Problems
8. Emerging Issues
9. Drafting a Collections Management Policy
Logistics:
Participants in Collections Management Policies work through sections at their own pace. Instructor John Simmons is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, textbook readings, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Collections Policies runs for six weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS209: Collections Management Policies:
The online chat provided a personal touch to the class. Bill's comments were very helpful. The required readings were a good length and complemented the section overview and PowerPoint presentations. The class was extremely flexible for dates and times.
Bill's readings were very helpful, more so than the textbook. The PowerPoint slides provided a nice overview of the section.
I enjoyed the readings, and applying what I read to writing the City policies. The class helped write policies in a logical and practical manner, which will ultimately help in the overall goal - developing policies for our institution.
Bill did a great job and I really enjoyed the chat times and reviewing his comments.
The reading materials, slide shows and feedback given by Bill were outstanding in quality.
Bill's reviews of the assignments were thorough and detailed.
Bill's lecture notes provided a good summary of the topics covered in each section. I found them very helpful when I wrote my cmp.
I learned a great deal about cmps and am confident that I have the tools to put my cmp in good form.
The Instructor:
John E. Simmons runs Museologica, an independent consulting company, and serves as Adjunct Curator of Collections at the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum and Art Gallery at Pennsylvania State University. He has a B.S. in Systematics and Ecology and a Master's degree in Historical Administration and Museum Studies. Simmons began his professional career as a zoo keeper, then worked as collections manager at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of the University of Kansas, where he also served as Director of the Museum Studies Program until 2007. He received 2011 Carolyn L. Rose Award for outstanding commitment to Natural History Collections Care and Management from the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, the Superior Voluntary Service Award from the American Association of Museums and the Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Mentoring of Graduate Students from the University of Kansas. Simmons' publications include three books, Herpetological Collecting and Collections Management (2002), Cuidado, Manejo y Conservación de las Colecciones Biológicas (2005, with Yaneth Muńoz-Saba), and Things Great and Small: Collections Management Policies (2006). He consults, teaches, and does field work in the US, Latin America and Asia. For more information visit his web site MUSEOLOGICA
Description::
Acquiring and holding collections impose specific legal, ethical and professional obligations. Museums must ensure proper management, preservation and use of their collections. A well-crafted collections management policy is key to collections stewardship. Collections Management Policies for Museums and Related Institutions helps participants develop policies that meet professional and legal standards for collections management.
Collections Management Policies for Museums and Related Institutions teaches the practical skills and knowledge needed to write and implement such a policy. The course covers the essential components and issues a policy should address. It also highlights the role of the policy in carrying out a museum's mission and guiding stewardship decisions. Participants are expected to draft collections management policies.
Course Textbook:
John E. Simmons, Things Great and Small: Collections Management Policies, American Association of Museums, 2006, $40 non-member, $30 member, 208 pages, ISBN: 1-933253-03-7, available from the AAM bookstore
Course Outline:
1. The Principles of Collections Management
2. Collections Stewardship: The Role of a Collections Management Policy
3. Policy Versus Procedure
4. Issues to Consider When Developing a Collections Management Policy
5. Essential Components of a Collections Management Policy
· Statement of Purpose
· Statement of Authority
· Definition and Scope of Collections
· Acquisition and Accessioning
· Deaccessioning and Disposal
· Preservation
· Collections Information
· Inventory
· Risk Management and Security
· Access
· Loans
· Intellectual Property Rights Management
· Staff Responsibility / Ethics
6. Monitoring and Revision
7. Potential Problems
8. Emerging Issues
9. Drafting a Collections Management Policy
Logistics:
Participants in Collections Management Policies work through sections at their own pace. Instructor Bill Tompkins is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, textbook readings, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Collections Policies runs for twelve weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS209: Collections Management Policies:
The online chat provided a personal touch to the class. Bill's comments were very helpful. The required readings were a good length and complemented the section overview and PowerPoint presentations. The class was extremely flexible for dates and times.
Bill's readings were very helpful, more so than the textbook. The PowerPoint slides provided a nice overview of the section.
I enjoyed the readings, and applying what I read to writing the City policies. The class helped write policies in a logical and practical manner, which will ultimately help in the overall goal - developing policies for our institution.
Bill did a great job and I really enjoyed the chat times and reviewing his comments.
The reading materials, slide shows and feedback given by Bill were outstanding in quality.
Bill's reviews of the assignments were thorough and detailed.
Bill's lecture notes provided a good summary of the topics covered in each section. I found them very helpful when I wrote my cmp.
I learned a great deal about cmps and am confident that I have the tools to put my cmp in good form.
The Instructor:
William G. (Bill) Tompkins is the national collections coordinator for the Smithsonian Institution. Bill serves as a principal advisor to senior Smithsonian management and staff on collections-management policies, procedures and standards. He develops, implements and interprets Smithsonian collections management standards. This includes reviewing and approving the policies of the Smithsonian's individual museums to make sure collections are maintained according to policy, professional standards and legal obligations. Previously, Bill was assistant director of the Smithsonian's Office of the Registrar. He is also a former collections manager at the National Museum of American History. With nearly thirty years experience in the museum profession, Bill regularly speaks at professional meetings, workshops and university programs.
Description:
The only thing worse than mice or cockroaches in your kitchen, is finding them in your museum collection. Participants in Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives learn low-toxicity methods of controlling infestations. IPM is the standard method for treating incoming items and monitoring holdings. Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives discusses how infestations occur, helps identify risks, provides feasible mitigation strategies, discusses the different techniques of treating infested materials, and helps you complete an IPM plan and monitoring schedule for your institution. The course covers pest identification, insects, rodent, birds, bats, other mammals and mold infestations, as well as other problems raised by participants.
Course Outline:
1. IPM Introduction:
2. Pest Risks / Environmental Causes
3. Monitoring
4. Mitigation Strategies
5. Treatment Strategies
5. Regular review
6. Staff Support
7. Conclusion
Required Text Book
Pinniger, David. Pest Management in Museums, Archives and Historic Houses. Archetype Publications, 2004. Available for purchase from Northern States Conservation Center at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html.
Logistics:
Participants in Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives work through eight sections at their own pace. Instructor Gretchen Anderson is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives runs six weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS210 Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives:
I'd give it a 10 out of 10.
I was able to create plans for my institution and actually put them into action.
This class was exceptional and overall am generally pleased I took this course. The content and material provided were so valuable for research tools and training manuals. Thank you!
The Instructor:
Objects conservator Gretchen Anderson learned her craft at the American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian's Conservation Analytical Lab, the Canadian Conservation Institute, Getty Conservation Lab, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Minnesota Historical Society. She established the conservation department at the Science Museum of Minnesota in 1989. She is the co-author of A Holistic Approach to Museum Pest Management, a technical leaflet for the American Association for State and Local History and established a rigorous IPM program for the Science Museum. She was a key member in the planning team that designed and built a new facility for the Science Museum of Minnesota. This endeavor resulted in not only a state of the art exhibition and storage facility, but also a major publication about the experience of building a new museum and creating the correct environments: Moving the Mountain. In 2009 she accepted the position of conservator and head of the conservation section at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Ms. Anderson is a member of the American Institute for Conservation and the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections. She lectures and presents workshops on preventive conservation, IPM, cleaning in museums, and practical methods and materials for storage of collections.
Description:
EEK! The only thing worse than mice or cockroaches in your kitchen, is finding them in your museum collection. Participants in Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives learn low-toxicity methods of controlling infestations. IPM is the standard method for treating incoming items and monitoring holdings. Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives discusses how infestations occur, helps identify risks, provides feasible mitigation strategies, discusses the different techniques of treating infested materials, and helps you complete an IPM plan and monitoring schedule for your institution. The course covers pest identification, insects, rodent, birds, bats, other mammals and mold infestations, as well as other problems raised by participants.
Course Outline:
1. IPM Introduction:
2. Pest Risks / Environmental Causes
3. Monitoring
4. Mitigation Strategies
5. Treatment Strategies
5. Regular review
6. Staff Support
7. Conclusion
Required Text Book
Pinniger, David. Pest Management in Museums, Archives and Historic Houses. Archetype Publications, 2004. Available for purchase from Northern States Conservation Center at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html.
Logistics:
Participants in Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives work through eight sections at their own pace. Instructor Gretchen Anderson is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives runs six weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS210 Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives:
I'd give it a 10 out of 10.
I was able to create plans for my institution and actually put them into action.
This class was exceptional and overall am generally pleased I took this course. The content and material provided were so valuable for research tools and training manuals. Thank you!
The Instructor:
Objects conservator Gretchen Anderson learned her craft at the American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian's Conservation Analytical Lab, the Canadian Conservation Institute, Getty Conservation Lab, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Minnesota Historical Society. She established the conservation department at the Science Museum of Minnesota in 1989. She is the co-author of A Holistic Approach to Museum Pest Management, a technical leaflet for the American Association for State and Local History and established a rigorous IPM program for the Science Museum. She was a key member in the planning team that designed and built a new facility for the Science Museum of Minnesota. This endeavor resulted in not only a state of the art exhibition and storage facility, but also a major publication about the experience of building a new museum and creating the correct environments: Moving the Mountain. In 2009 she accepted the position of conservator and head of the conservation section at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Ms. Anderson is a member of the American Institute for Conservation and the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections. She lectures and presents workshops on preventive conservation, IPM, cleaning in museums, and practical methods and materials for storage of collections.
Description:
The museum's brick exterior wall is crumbling. The powder coated metal storage shelves have active rust under the foam padding. Objects in fur storage are covered in mold. It is raining in the exhibit hall. This is the damage that occurs to museum buildings or collection when staff do not understand preservation environments. Preservation Environments is essential knowledge for any collecting institution. Everyone should understand how humidity and temperature are controlled by a building and its mechanical system. For museum staff considering a new building - and any institution planning to expand or rebuild an existing one - Preservation Environments provide important information for calculating whether the proposed improvements will actually improve the environmental control of your protective enclosure. Participants learn the advantages and disadvantages of numerous methods of temperature and humidity control. Preservation Environments does not try to turn museum professionals into engineers. Rather, it arms them with the knowledge they need to work with engineers and maintenance professionals. And helps explain why damaged occurred and how to keep it from happening again.
Course Outline:
1 Introduction
2 Climate Control Basics
3 Monitoring and Psychrometrics
4 Water - The Enemy
5 Preservation Today and Tomorrow
6 Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Preservation Environments work at their own pace through six sections and interact through online chats. Instructor Ernest Conrad is available at scheduled times for email support. Preservation Environments includes online literature, slide lectures and student-teacher/group-teacher dialog. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Preservation Environments runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS211: Preservation Environments:
Mr. Conrad did a superb job…the information from the course has helped me professionally, especially in describing the impact of relative humidity on objects and artifacts and paper.
I thought the lectures along with the powerpoint slides were great.
This course helped me to understand quite a bit more as far as the psychometric and maximum room RH without condensation charts. I already had a psychometric chart but made little use of it, since no one had explained how to use it. I also was very interested to hear of digital monitoring systems. This course exceeded my expectations.
The instructor was very knowledgeable, approachable (with probably rather silly questions) and gave straight forward answers to inquiries.
The Instructor:
Ernest A. Conrad's greatest contribution to the preservation field was the development of environmental guidelines for engineers who work on museums, libraries and archives. For over 20 years, Mr. Conrad has focused on environmental issues. He is president of Conrad Engineers and Past Founder of Landmark Facilities Group, Inc., an engineering firm specializing in environmental systems for museums, libraries, archives and historic facilities. A licensed mechanical engineer in several states, Mr. Conrad holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's in environmental engineering from Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For more information visit his web site Landmark Facilities Group, Inc.
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE) publishes standards in the areas of HVAC and refrigeration. Mr. Conrad recently co-authored the ASHRAE Applications Handbook "Chapter 20: Museums, Libraries and Archives." For the first time, there are guidelines specific to our needs in the engineering literature. Mr. Conrad has studied environments and designed special climate control systems throughout the United States for clients as well-known as the National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, The Frick Collection, Getty Conservation Institute, The Pierpont Morgan Library, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and National Park Service. He has a special interest in house museums and how climate affects structures and collections housed within those structures.
Description:
The museum's brick exterior wall is crumbling. The powder coated metal storage shelves have active rust under the foam padding. Objects in fur storage are covered in mold. It is raining in the exhibit hall. This is the damage that occurs to museum buildings or collection when staff do not understand preservation environments. Preservation Environments is essential knowledge for any collecting institution. Everyone should understand how humidity and temperature are controlled by a building and its mechanical system. For museum staff considering a new building - and any institution planning to expand or rebuild an existing one - Preservation Environments provide important information for calculating whether the proposed improvements will actually improve the environmental control of your protective enclosure. Participants learn the advantages and disadvantages of numerous methods of temperature and humidity control. Preservation Environments does not try to turn museum professionals into engineers. Rather, it arms them with the knowledge they need to work with engineers and maintenance professionals. And helps explain why damaged occurred and how to keep it from happening again.
Course Outline:
1 Introduction
2 Climate Control Basics
3 Monitoring and Psychrometrics
4 Water - The Enemy
5 Preservation Today and Tomorrow
6 Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Preservation Environments work at their own pace through six sections and interact through online chats. Instructor Ernest Conrad is available at scheduled times for email support. Preservation Environments includes online literature, slide lectures and student-teacher/group-teacher dialog. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Preservation Environments runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS211: Preservation Environments:
Mr. Conrad did a superb job…the information from the course has helped me professionally, especially in describing the impact of relative humidity on objects and artifacts and paper.
I thought the lectures along with the powerpoint slides were great.
This course helped me to understand quite a bit more as far as the psychometric and maximum room RH without condensation charts. I already had a psychometric chart but made little use of it, since no one had explained how to use it. I also was very interested to hear of digital monitoring systems. This course exceeded my expectations.
The instructor was very knowledgeable, approachable (with probably rather silly questions) and gave straight forward answers to inquiries.
The Instructor:
Ernest A. Conrad's greatest contribution to the preservation field was the development of environmental guidelines for engineers who work on museums, libraries and archives. For over 20 years, Mr. Conrad has focused on environmental issues. He is president of Conrad Engineers and Past Founder of Landmark Facilities Group, Inc., an engineering firm specializing in environmental systems for museums, libraries, archives and historic facilities. A licensed mechanical engineer in several states, Mr. Conrad holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's in environmental engineering from Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For more information visit his web site Landmark Facilities Group, Inc.
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE) publishes standards in the areas of HVAC and refrigeration. Mr. Conrad recently co-authored the ASHRAE Applications Handbook "Chapter 20: Museums, Libraries and Archives." For the first time, there are guidelines specific to our needs in the engineering literature. Mr. Conrad has studied environments and designed special climate control systems throughout the United States for clients as well-known as the National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, The Frick Collection, Getty Conservation Institute, The Pierpont Morgan Library, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and National Park Service. He has a special interest in house museums and how climate affects structures and collections housed within those structures.
Description:
Caring for textiles demands an understanding of how and why they deteriorate. This course offers a simplified explanation of the origin and structure of textile fibers as well as the finished textile object; be it either a piece of whole cloth or a finished garment. Care of Textiles teaches students to identify fibers, fabric structures and finishes, write condition reports, and understand the agents of deterioration that are harmful to various fabrics both in storage on exhibit. Topics include preparing textiles for storage and exhibit, the use of archival materials with textiles, and three dimensional supports.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. Textiles and Their Structures
3. Textile Documentation and Condition Report Writing
4. Textiles and Their Environment
5. Handling of Textiles
6. Treating Textiles
7. Care of Textiles in Storage
8. Care of Textiles on Exhibit
9. Conclusion
Text Book:
Preserving Textiles: A Guide for the Nonspecialist by Harold Mailand and Dorothy Stites Alig. Available for purchase from Northern States Conservation Center at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html.
Optional Text Book (if you can find it):
Conservation Concerns, a Guide for Collectors and Curators by Konstanze Bachmann (out of print)
Logistics:
Participants in Care of Textiles work at their own pace through sections and interact through online chats. Instructor Ann Coppinger is available at scheduled times for email support. Care of Textiles includes online literature, slide lectures and student-teacher/group-teacher dialog. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Care of Textiles runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS212: Care of Textiles:
Course was great & worth the time. I liked how the materials tied in together; the lectures were brief, yet to the point, the powerpoint slides showed images relating to the lectures.
It more than met my expectations. I never realized there was so much involved in textiles. Wow, what a lot of information! Thank you for all the time and effort that goes into providing the services of the Northern States Conservation Center. Your classes, materials, website, publications, etc. are awesome and a real help. I appreciate all that goes into this.
I enjoyed the weekly chats. I found them to be very helpful. I also liked how the course was meant to be a good refresher. Lastly, I enjoyed the fact that all classmates could post comments/suggestions on the forum for all to see. I enjoyed the class and the chats. Ann was very helpful in answering any questions I posed during those chats. Thanks!
Good course and I highly recommend it.
The Instructor:
Ann Coppinger runs the conservation department and teaches conservation at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She has a master's in museum studies specializing in costume and textile conservation from FIT. She is a former NEA master apprentice at the Textile Conservation Workshop. Ms. Coppinger previously worked for 22 years in fashion in New York City. She has degrees in both fashion design and pattern making from FIT.
Description:
Caring for textiles demands an understanding of how and why they deteriorate. This course offers a simplified explanation of the origin and structure of textile fibers as well as the finished textile object; be it either a piece of whole cloth or a finished garment. Care of Textiles teaches students to identify fibers, fabric structures and finishes, write condition reports, and understand the agents of deterioration that are harmful to various fabrics both in storage on exhibit. Topics include preparing textiles for storage and exhibit, the use of archival materials with textiles, and three dimensional supports.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. Textiles and Their Structures
3. Textile Documentation and Condition Report Writing
4. Textiles and Their Environment
5. Handling of Textiles
6. Treating Textiles
7. Care of Textiles in Storage
8. Care of Textiles on Exhibit
9. Conclusion
Text Book:
Preserving Textiles: A Guide for the Nonspecialist by Harold Mailand and Dorothy Stites Alig. Available for purchase from Northern States Conservation Center at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html.
Optional Text Book (if you can find it):
Conservation Concerns, a Guide for Collectors and Curators by Konstanze Bachmann (out of print)
Logistics:
Participants in Care of Textiles work at their own pace through sections and interact through online chats. Instructor Ann Coppinger is available at scheduled times for email support. Care of Textiles includes online literature, slide lectures and student-teacher/group-teacher dialog. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Care of Textiles runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS212: Care of Textiles:
Course was great & worth the time. I liked how the materials tied in together; the lectures were brief, yet to the point, the powerpoint slides showed images relating to the lectures.
It more than met my expectations. I never realized there was so much involved in textiles. Wow, what a lot of information! Thank you for all the time and effort that goes into providing the services of the Northern States Conservation Center. Your classes, materials, website, publications, etc. are awesome and a real help. I appreciate all that goes into this.
I enjoyed the weekly chats. I found them to be very helpful. I also liked how the course was meant to be a good refresher. Lastly, I enjoyed the fact that all classmates could post comments/suggestions on the forum for all to see. I enjoyed the class and the chats. Ann was very helpful in answering any questions I posed during those chats. Thanks!
Good course and I highly recommend it.
The Instructor:
Ann Coppinger runs the conservation department and teaches conservation at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She has a master's in museum studies specializing in costume and textile conservation from FIT. She is a former NEA master apprentice at the Textile Conservation Workshop. Ms. Coppinger previously worked for 22 years in fashion in New York City. She has degrees in both fashion design and pattern making from FIT.
Description:
Every museum object is unique, but items made of similar materials share characteristics. Museum Artifacts gives participants an understanding of the materials and processes used to make objects - knowledge that better prepares them to decide how to care for their collections. Participants study two objects that represent all materials found in our museums. Through an in-depth analysis of their components, participants explore all possible objects found in any museum.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. Organic Object: Aleut Hunting Regalia
3. Plant Materials
4. Animal Materials
5. Modified Organics
6. Inorganic Object: Art Deco Fireplace
7. Stone
8. Ceramic
9. Glass
10. Metal
11. Mixed Media
12. Conclusion
Required Text Books
Demeroukas, Marie, ed. Basic Condition Reporting: A Handbook. Southeastern Registrars Association, 1998.
Logistics:
Participants in Museum Artifacts work through 12 sections on their own. Instructor Helen Alten is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Museum Artifacts runs six weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS213: Museum Artifacts: How they were made and how they deteriorate:
All created and selected materials were very informative and flowed together. I like the power point slides. It's like note taking for me, summarizing the lecture. After the course I always go back and read various sections again. They are excellent reference materials.
Classmates from all over the world made it interesting for our assignments.
Always enjoy instructor involvement for the professional input and advice.
The downloadable manual and materials were excellent. The course content was very thorough. The syllabus set up access online was very good, listed clearly. The chats were great, and the calls/prompts to participate were very much appreciated.
I liked the readings a lot because I knew they were hand selected by the instructor and therefore were the most accurate and relevant materials for the course.
The interaction with other participants, sharing their experiences and their knowledge was eye opening. As we have different collections, different problems we might come across and different areas of experience, we can definitely learn from each other.
The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
Description:
Every museum object is unique, but items made of similar materials share characteristics. Museum Artifacts gives participants an understanding of the materials and processes used to make objects - knowledge that better prepares them to decide how to care for their collections. Participants study two objects that represent all materials found in our museums. Through an in-depth analysis of their components, participants explore all possible objects found in any museum.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. Organic Object: Aleut Hunting Regalia
3. Plant Materials
4. Animal Materials
5. Modified Organics
6. Inorganic Object: Art Deco Fireplace
7. Stone
8. Ceramic
9. Glass
10. Metal
11. Mixed Media
12. Conclusion
Required Text Books
Demeroukas, Marie, ed. Basic Condition Reporting: A Handbook. Southeastern Registrars Association, 1998.
Logistics:
Participants in Museum Artifacts work through 12 sections on their own. Instructor Helen Alten is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Museum Artifacts runs six weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS213: Museum Artifacts: How they were made and how they deteriorate:
All created and selected materials were very informative and flowed together. I like the power point slides. It's like note taking for me, summarizing the lecture. After the course I always go back and read various sections again. They are excellent reference materials.
Classmates from all over the world made it interesting for our assignments.
Always enjoy instructor involvement for the professional input and advice.
The downloadable manual and materials were excellent. The course content was very thorough. The syllabus set up access online was very good, listed clearly. The chats were great, and the calls/prompts to participate were very much appreciated.
I liked the readings a lot because I knew they were hand selected by the instructor and therefore were the most accurate and relevant materials for the course.
The interaction with other participants, sharing their experiences and their knowledge was eye opening. As we have different collections, different problems we might come across and different areas of experience, we can definitely learn from each other.
The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
Description:
A collection database is a necessary tool for accurate and efficient collections management. In Collection Management Databases you will learn what characteristics distinguish one database system from another; how a database can be used to manage inventory, conservation, pest management, and other aspects of collections management; as well as how to prepare your collection and documentation for entry into a database.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. Database structures and how they work
3. Essential and supplementary fields
4. Nomenclature, standards, and consistency
5. How to evaluate database systems
6. Use of the database beyond registration and cataloging
7. Upgrades
8. Database security
9. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Collection Management Databases work through sections on their own. Instructors are available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Collection Management Databases runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Sofia Galarza Liu is the collection manager and database
project co-manager at the Spencer Museum of Art of the
University of Kansas. Ms. Liu is also an implementation
consultant and educator for Zetcom Information Systems,
Inc.; she provides database administrator and user training
for United States MuseumPlus clients. Ms. Liu's
accomplishments include completing a two-year IMLS grant
funded project to digitize the Spencer Museum of Art's
collections and attending Museum Leaders: the Next
Generation training at the Getty Leadership Institute in
Los Angeles, California. She has a B.F.A in the History of
Art and a Master's degree in Museum Studies from the
University of Kansas.
John E. Simmons runs Museologica, an independent consulting company, and serves as Adjunct Curator of Collections at the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum and Art Gallery at Pennsylvania State University. He has a B.S. in Systematics and Ecology and a Master's degree in Historical Administration and Museum Studies. Simmons began his professional career as a zoo keeper, then worked as collections manager at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of the University of Kansas, where he also served as Director of the Museum Studies Program until 2007. He received 2011 Carolyn L. Rose Award for outstanding commitment to Natural History Collections Care and Management from the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, the Superior Voluntary Service Award from the American Association of Museums and the Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Mentoring of Graduate Students from the University of Kansas. Simmons' publications include three books, Herpetological Collecting and Collections Management (2002), Cuidado, Manejo y Conservación de las Colecciones Biológicas (2005, with Yaneth Muńoz-Saba), and Things Great and Small: Collections Management Policies (2006). He consults, teaches, and does field work in the US, Latin America and Asia. For more information visit his web site MUSEOLOGICA
Description:
A collection database is a necessary tool for accurate and efficient collections management. In Collection Management Databases you will learn what characteristics distinguish one database system from another; how a database can be used to manage inventory, conservation, pest management, and other aspects of collections management; as well as how to prepare your collection and documentation for entry into a database.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. Database structures and how they work
3. Essential and supplementary fields
4. Nomenclature, standards, and consistency
5. How to evaluate database systems
6. Use of the database beyond registration and cataloging
7. Upgrades
8. Database security
9. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Collection Management Databases work through sections on their own. Instructors are available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Collection Management Databases runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Sofia Galarza Liu is the collection manager and database
project co-manager at the Spencer Museum of Art of the
University of Kansas. Ms. Liu is also an implementation
consultant and educator for Zetcom Information Systems,
Inc.; she provides database administrator and user training
for United States MuseumPlus clients. Ms. Liu's
accomplishments include completing a two-year IMLS grant
funded project to digitize the Spencer Museum of Art's
collections and attending Museum Leaders: the Next
Generation training at the Getty Leadership Institute in
Los Angeles, California. She has a B.F.A in the History of
Art and a Master's degree in Museum Studies from the
University of Kansas.
John E. Simmons runs Museologica, an independent consulting company, and serves as Adjunct Curator of Collections at the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum and Art Gallery at Pennsylvania State University. He has a B.S. in Systematics and Ecology and a Master's degree in Historical Administration and Museum Studies. Simmons began his professional career as a zoo keeper, then worked as collections manager at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of the University of Kansas, where he also served as Director of the Museum Studies Program until 2007. He received 2011 Carolyn L. Rose Award for outstanding commitment to Natural History Collections Care and Management from the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, the Superior Voluntary Service Award from the American Association of Museums and the Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Mentoring of Graduate Students from the University of Kansas. Simmons' publications include three books, Herpetological Collecting and Collections Management (2002), Cuidado, Manejo y Conservación de las Colecciones Biológicas (2005, with Yaneth Muńoz-Saba), and Things Great and Small: Collections Management Policies (2006). He consults, teaches, and does field work in the US, Latin America and Asia. For more information visit his web site MUSEOLOGICA
Description:
Archaeological finds come out of the ground fragile - and they often stay that way. Yet archaeologists and museum professionals have few clear guidelines for handling, moving, storing and displaying such materials. Participants in Care of Archaeological Artifacts From the Field to the Lab learn techniques for safely lifting and packing artifacts, safe transportation and temporary and permanent storage. The course also covers a broad range of excavation environments, including the Arctic, wet sites, tropical and temperate. Though Care of Archaeological Artifacts is not intended to train archaeological conservators, it is designed to help participants understand what can and can't be done to save the artifacts they unearth.
Course Outline:
1. The Excavation lifting, storing and packing
2. The Field Lab basic cleaning and care, the role of the site conservator
3. Transportation containers, packaging, transport mechanics
4. Storage temporary to long term
Logistics:
Participants in Care of Archaeological Artifacts work through sections at their own pace. Instructor Diana Komejan is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Archaeological Collections Care runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS215: Care of Archaeological Artifacts:
I would rate my experience a 10.
Three things I really liked about the course were the reading selections, the availability and willingness of the instructor to answer questions and provide additional information, and the access it gave me to sources that I wasn't aware of for information.
What I liked best about the materials provided was that the class lectures gave a good general overview of the topic before we began doing the more specific and complex readings- that really helped me to put all of the individual reading assignments into context.
This course definitely met my expectations- I'm very happy with it. Diana Komejan was a wonderful instructor and very helpful. I would recommend her class to anyone. I heard about the course through my manager, who took several of them.
The volume of the materials is what I liked best. The information we received is
valuable in terms of not just what we were quizzed over for the short term, but in
being resources that will be kept on our own office shelves for future reference. I found the PowerPoints useful as they contained examples utilizing photographs. The diagrams illustrating packing techniques were useful as well.
The site was well-scripted and easy to use.
I had been told that classes at the NSCC were good and required lots of reading.
It lived up to it's reputation.
The Instructor:
Diana Komejan graduated from Sir Sandford Fleming Colleges Art Conservation Techniques program in 1980. She has worked for Parks Canada; Kelsey Museum, University of Michigan; Heritage Branch Yukon Territorial Government; National Gallery of Canada; Canadian Museum of Nature; Yukon Archives and the Antarctic Heritage Trust and is currently teaching Conservation Techniques in the Applied Museum Studies Program at Algonquin College in Ottawa. In 1995 she was accredited in Mixes Collection with The Canadian Association of Professional Conservators. Her work as a conservator has been quite broad in scope, having worked with historic sites, archaeological excavations and museums.
In addition to lab treatments, Diana has broad archaeological experience, including the excavation of mammoths and dinosaur tracks.
Description:
Cobwebs in the gallery, dust on the dinosaur skeleton, mice in storage - a dirty museum results in poor visitor experience and poor collections preservation. In a museum, cleanliness really is next to godliness. Museum Cleaning Basics explores everything you need to know about cleaning your collections. Participants learn when to clean - and when not to clean. They also learn how to make those decisions. Topics range from basic housekeeping to specific techniques for specific objects. You will learn why cleaning is important and how to prevent damage when cleaning. We will look at specific techniques that minimize damage while getting the work done. And we will discuss when to call in a specialist, such as a conservator. Students will create a housekeeping manual for their institution.
Course Outline:
1) Introduction
2) Agents of Deterioration
3) Health and safety for the object and for you
4) Equipment and supplies
5) Cleaning techniques
6) Documentation
7) Spring Cleaning: Housekeeping Manual
8) Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Museum Cleaning Basics work through sections at their own pace. Instructor Gretchen Anderson is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Museum Cleaning Basics runs six weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS217: Museum Cleaning Basics:
The course content and lectures were very informative, the instructors were very helpful and pleasant, and the assignments, particularly the hands-on tests and cleaning, brought the lectures to life, as we practiced what we had learned.
I liked the examples that followed the explanations. This helped to visually show what had been discussed.
A very informative course…instructors were very knowledgeable and made the Powerpoint lectures fun. I give you an "A"!
I liked the fact that the class was extremely well organized. We did not waste time while the instructor figured out what to do next.
I liked that high museum standards were pushed for cleaning (this is very important), but that the instructor (Gretchen Anderson) did not condemn those who could not implement every single facet. I know we can implement most, but not every single thing at my institution. This is certainly the case at museums smaller than my institution. I believe every museum employee wants the very best for the museum artifacts, but sometimes institutional funds prevent full implementation. Nevertheless, people should know best museum practices and strive to meet them as much as possible.
The Instructor:
Objects conservator Gretchen Anderson learned her craft at the American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian's Conservation Analytical Lab, the Canadian Conservation Institute, Getty Conservation Lab, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Minnesota Historical Society. She established the conservation department at the Science Museum of Minnesota in 1989. She is the co-author of A Holistic Approach to Museum Pest Management, a technical leaflet for the American Association for State and Local History and established a rigorous IPM program for the Science Museum. She was a key member in the planning team that designed and built a new facility for the Science Museum of Minnesota. This endeavor resulted in not only a state of the art exhibition and storage facility, but also a major publication about the experience of building a new museum and creating the correct environments: Moving the Mountain. In 2009 she accepted the position of conservator and head of the conservation section at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Ms. Anderson is a member of the American Institute for Conservation and the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections. She lectures and presents workshops on preventive conservation, IPM, cleaning in museums, and practical methods and materials for storage of collections.
Description:
Cobwebs in the gallery, dust on the dinosaur skeleton, mice in storage - a dirty museum results in poor visitor experience and poor collections preservation. In a museum, cleanliness really is next to godliness. Museum Cleaning Basics explores everything you need to know about cleaning your collections. Participants learn when to clean - and when not to clean. They also learn how to make those decisions. Topics range from basic housekeeping to specific techniques for specific objects. You will learn why cleaning is important and how to prevent damage when cleaning. We will look at specific techniques that minimize damage while getting the work done. And we will discuss when to call in a specialist, such as a conservator. Students will create a housekeeping manual for their institution.
Course Outline:
1) Introduction
2) Agents of Deterioration
3) Health and safety for the object and for you
4) Equipment and supplies
5) Cleaning techniques
6) Documentation
7) Spring Cleaning: Housekeeping Manual
8) Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Museum Cleaning Basics work through sections at their own pace. Instructor Gretchen Anderson is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Museum Cleaning Basics runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS217: Museum Cleaning Basics:
The course content and lectures were very informative, the instructors were very helpful and pleasant, and the assignments, particularly the hands-on tests and cleaning, brought the lectures to life, as we practiced what we had learned.
I liked the examples that followed the explanations. This helped to visually show what had been discussed.
A very informative course…instructors were very knowledgeable and made the Powerpoint lectures fun. I give you an "A"!
I liked the fact that the class was extremely well organized. We did not waste time while the instructor figured out what to do next.
I liked that high museum standards were pushed for cleaning (this is very important), but that the instructor (Gretchen Anderson) did not condemn those who could not implement every single facet. I know we can implement most, but not every single thing at my institution. This is certainly the case at museums smaller than my institution. I believe every museum employee wants the very best for the museum artifacts, but sometimes institutional funds prevent full implementation. Nevertheless, people should know best museum practices and strive to meet them as much as possible.
The Instructor:
Objects conservator Gretchen Anderson learned her craft at the American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian's Conservation Analytical Lab, the Canadian Conservation Institute, Getty Conservation Lab, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Minnesota Historical Society. She established the conservation department at the Science Museum of Minnesota in 1989. She is the co-author of A Holistic Approach to Museum Pest Management, a technical leaflet for the American Association for State and Local History and established a rigorous IPM program for the Science Museum. She was a key member in the planning team that designed and built a new facility for the Science Museum of Minnesota. This endeavor resulted in not only a state of the art exhibition and storage facility, but also a major publication about the experience of building a new museum and creating the correct environments: Moving the Mountain. In 2009 she accepted the position of conservator and head of the conservation section at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Ms. Anderson is a member of the American Institute for Conservation and the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections. She lectures and presents workshops on preventive conservation, IPM, cleaning in museums, and practical methods and materials for storage of collections.
Description:
Collection inventories are vital to collection management and security. You need to know what is in your collection to be able to manage it well. This means regular inventories must occur. But knowing you must do them and actually having the time and manpower to complete an inventory are two different things. Collection Inventories discusses everything you ever wanted to know about collection inventories. From how to set one up to how to conduct an inventory. Other topics include what to look for during an inventory and how to reconcile the information.
Course Outline:
Why are Collection Inventories important?
Collection Management
Collection Security
Preparing for an Inventory
Preparing The Museum
Preparing Staff: Who Will Do the Inventory?
Compiling Data and Supplies
Conducting an Inventory
Where to Begin
What to Look for During an Inventory
Reconciling an Inventory: What do you do when the inventory is done?
Fixing Problems
Processing "Leftovers"
When Should You Do It Again?
Logistics:
Participants in Collection Inventories work through sections on their own. Instructor Peggy Schaller is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Collection Inventories runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS218: Collection Inventories:
I liked: a. Assignments were fun b. Chats were informative c. Lots of emails that had good suggestions-seemed like more emails that the other classes-I guess a good mix of people and museums. I have enjoyed each online course-hope to take another one next year. Peggy your emails were helpful-I think people this time emailed more than the other classes. I liked that. I liked the variety of museums represented.
Exceptional. All of the classes I have taken from NSCC have been valuable to me and the work I do in my museum. If my count is correct, this is my tenth online class - all from NSCC. Peggy, I think you did a very good job.
I had numerous classes in graduate school with online components or that were strictly online. I have preferred the more straightforward layout offered at Northern States Conservation Center to those I had in graduate school.
Absolutely a 10. I really enjoyed the class and getting to know Peggy and all of my fellow students through forums and discussions.
It delineated the difference between an inventory project and a cataloging project. I think it will help our institution narrow our current project to fit the greatest need.
There was just enough reading material to provide the information needed but not too much to overwhelm. I liked the handling instructions for each different type of artifact museums might encounter. I plan on providing it to new interns and staff as a concise introduction or reminder.
I enjoyed the chats. Hearing other people who have the same goals and challenges state the case of inventory vs. inventory/cataloging really made it sink in that our institution is overreaching our current need and should scale back the current project.
Thanks for offering the course. Keep up the good work.
It was good fact-based material, presented in a succinct and useful way. I printed much of it out for future reference.
I liked the course and found it extremely useful. Peggy was an excellent instructor, offering encouragement and helpful hints, and managing the chats gracefully.
The course material was extremely thorough and will be an excellent guide and resource as we continue to plan our inventory project. I really thought the forum and chat sessions were helpful, its nice to hear that other institutions are facing the same problems. It was very thought provoking to hear how they solve their problems and to try to apply their solutions to our situation. The assignments were very effective exercises in applying the concepts introduced in the course.
I really liked the class chats. After the first one I felt like I had made great connections with the others in the class even though we had never met.
It actually exceeded my expectations. I have been having such an issue with the inventory here that I just had hope that this would work. But I feel that I actually have a game plan now. I have a logical set of steps that will work even for a collection as far behind as mine. It's been a great relief to me to know that this can be done and done in one lifetime.
The Instructor:
Peggy Schaller, founded Collections Research for Museums in 1991 to provide cataloging, collection-management training and services. She has worked with a large variety of museums and collections for more than 18 years. Peggy, who lives in Denver, Colorado, has a bachelor's degree in anthropology with minors in art history and geology from the University of Arizona in Tucson. She has a master's degree in anthropology with a minor in museum studies from the University of Colorado in Boulder and is a Certified Institutional Protection Manager II. She provides workshops and project services to museums and historical societies all across the country. The mission of Collections Research for Museums is to inspire museums to improve their professional standards, collections stewardship and service to their constituency through training in, and assistance with, documenting, preserving, protecting and managing their collections. For more information visit her web site Collections Research for Museums
Description:
Coming Soon!
Course Outline:
Coming Soon!
Logistics:
Participants in Plastics in Museums work through sections on their own. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and the instructor through online forums. The course is currently open to students for free. Students that enroll in the class may be contacted with news and updates for future online classes.
Please sign up for a free user account at http://www.museumclasses.org and sign up for/add the class using the collectioncare.org shopping cart at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
Description:
Photographic materials cover a diverse range, everything from the daguerreotypes and wet plate negatives of the 19th century to the gelatin silver, chromogenic and inkjet prints of the 20th and now 21st century. Care of Photographs offers a broad introduction to the history, technology, identification, and care of these and other photographic materials. Topics include environmental monitoring, the effects of temperature and relative humidity, and the importance of cold storage for certain photographic materials. It is intended to help those caring for photographic materials to gain a better understanding of their collections and how to care for them.
Each student will need to purchase two sample sets of photographs at a discounted rate of $25. You can order them from the instructor's web site http://gawainweaver.com/store/#sample, select the "For NSCC students" set.
Sample Set 1 (6)
Albumen
Collodion POP Printed out paper
Gelatin POP
Matte Collodion
Gelatin Silver Print, fiber-base
Silver Gelatin Prints, RC
Sample Set 2 (11)
Letterpress
Offset Lithography
Photogravure
Rotogravure
Collotype
Chromogenic Color (RC)
Chromogenic Color (Fiber)
Inkjet_Dye_RC_Swellable
Inkjet_Pigment_RC_Microporous
Dye Sublimation
Electrophotographic
Course Outline:
1) History and Technology of Photography: Intro and 19th century negatives
2) History and Technology of Photography: Silver-based black and white processes
3) Identification of Photographs, Part 1
4) History and Technology of Photography: Non-silver processes
5) History and Technology of Photography: Photomechanical processes
6) History and Technology of Photography: Color and inkjet
7) Identification of Photographs, Part 2
8) Deterioration
9) Care of Photographs
10) The Preservation Environment
Logistics:
Participants in Care of Photographs work through sections on their own. Instructor Gawain Weaver is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Care of Photographs runs for eight weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Gawain Weaver teaches international workshops on photograph conservation and preservation. He earned his master's degree in art history and conservation from New York University's Institute of Fine Arts and was a fellow at the George Eastman House and Image Permanence Institute for two years. His interest in photograph conservation included studying at Library and Archives Canada, the Amon Carter Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Northeast Document Conservation Center. For more information visit his web site Conservation and Consulting Services in the Care of Historic and Fine Art Photographs
Description:
Photographic materials cover a diverse range, everything from the daguerreotypes and wet plate negatives of the 19th century to the gelatin silver, chromogenic and inkjet prints of the 20th and now 21st century. Care of Photographs offers a broad introduction to the history, technology, identification, and care of these and other photographic materials. Topics include environmental monitoring, the effects of temperature and relative humidity, and the importance of cold storage for certain photographic materials. It is intended to help those caring for photographic materials to gain a better understanding of their collections and how to care for them.
Each student receives two sample sets of photographs. Course fees cover the $50 cost of these samples.
Sample Set 1 (6)
Albumen
Collodion POP Printed out paper
Gelatin POP
Matte Collodion
Gelatin Silver Print, fiber-base
Silver Gelatin Prints, RC
Sample Set 2 (11)
Letterpress
Offset Lithography
Photogravure
Rotogravure
Collotype
Chromogenic Color (RC)
Chromogenic Color (Fiber)
Inkjet_Dye_RC_Swellable
Inkjet_Pigment_RC_Microporous
Dye Sublimation
Electrophotographic
Course Outline:
1) History and Technology of Photography: Intro and 19th century negatives
2) History and Technology of Photography: Silver-based black and white processes
3) Identification of Photographs, Part 1
4) History and Technology of Photography: Non-silver processes
5) History and Technology of Photography: Photomechanical processes
6) History and Technology of Photography: Color and inkjet
7) Identification of Photographs, Part 2
8) Deterioration
9) Care of Photographs
10) The Preservation Environment
Logistics:
Participants in Care of Photographs work through sections on their own. Instructor Gawain Weaver is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Care of Photographs runs for eight weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Gawain Weaver teaches international workshops on photograph conservation and preservation. He earned his master's degree in art history and conservation from New York University's Institute of Fine Arts and was a fellow at the George Eastman House and Image Permanence Institute for two years. His interest in photograph conservation included studying at Library and Archives Canada, the Amon Carter Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Northeast Document Conservation Center. For more information visit his web site Conservation and Consulting Services in the Care of Historic and Fine Art Photographs
Description:
Outdoor sculpture, silver tea service, gold jewelry, axe head, wheel rim - metals are found in most museum collections and may be stored or displayed indoor or outdoors depending on the object. Learn how to identify different types of metal and their alloys. Gain an understanding of how and why metals deteriorate and methods for preventing deterioration from occurring or continuing. The pros and cons of different popular treatments will be covered along with recommendations for the least damaging approach to treatment. Care of Metals provides a simplified explanation of the chemistry and structure of metals, explaining the importance of the galvanic series and electrochemistry in care strategies. Starting with an overview of the history and function of metals and how they are made, the course will cover guidelines for handling, labeling, exhibiting and storing metals. An overview of treatments, including cleaning, used on metals and how appropriate they are for the long-term preservation of the metal object will help students make care decisions when consulting with conservators.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. History, chemical and physical properties of metals
3. Fabrication technology
4. Documentation and Condition Report Writing
5. Metals and the Environment
6. Handling Metals
7. Treating Metals
8. Care of Metals in Storage
9. Care of Metals on Exhibit
10. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Care of Metals work through sections on their own. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and the instructor through online forums. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Care of Metals runs six weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
Description:
Outdoor sculpture, silver tea service, gold jewelry, axe head, wheel rim - metals are found in most museum collections and may be stored or displayed indoor or outdoors depending on the object. Learn how to identify different types of metal and their alloys. Gain an understanding of how and why metals deteriorate and methods for preventing deterioration from occurring or continuing. The pros and cons of different popular treatments will be covered along with recommendations for the least damaging approach to treatment. Care of Metals provides a simplified explanation of the chemistry and structure of metals, explaining the importance of the galvanic series and electrochemistry in care strategies. Starting with an overview of the history and function of metals and how they are made, the course will cover guidelines for handling, labeling, exhibiting and storing metals. An overview of treatments, including cleaning, used on metals and how appropriate they are for the long-term preservation of the metal object will help students make care decisions when consulting with conservators.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. History, chemical and physical properties of metals
3. Fabrication technology
4. Documentation and Condition Report Writing
5. Metals and the Environment
6. Handling Metals
7. Treating Metals
8. Care of Metals in Storage
9. Care of Metals on Exhibit
10. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Care of Metals work through sections on their own. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and the instructor through online forums. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Care of Metals runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
Description:
Prior to the invention of plastics, skin materials were the flexible covering used for most objects - from bellows to books, carriages to desktops. Furs and skins are in almost every museum's collection, be it Natural History, History or Art.
Caring for leather and skin materials demands an understanding of how and why they deteriorate. Care of Leather and Skin Materials offers a simplified explanation of the origin, chemistry and structure of leathers and skins. Students learn to identify leathers and surface finishes, determine their extent of deterioration, write condition reports, and understand the agents of deterioration that are harmful to leather and skins both in storage and on exhibit. Topics include preparing hide and skin materials for storage and exhibit, the use of archival materials and which ones might harm skin proteins, housekeeping techniques for large objects or books on open display, and three-dimensional supports for leather and skin to keep them from distorting. Integrated pest management and historical treatments will be covered, with a unit on hazardous materials applied to older skins and leather that might prove a danger to staff.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. History and function of skin materials
3. The biology and chemistry of skin and its treatment
4. Documentation and Condition Report Writing
5. Leather and the Environment
6. Handling leather and skin materials
7. Treating leather and skin materials
8. Care of Leather in Storage
9. Care of Leather on Exhibit
10. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Care of Leather and Skin work through sections on their own. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and the instructor through online forums.
Care of Leather and Skin runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
Description:
Baskets are an important part of nearly every world culture. Caring for baskets requires an understanding of why and how they deteriorate. Care of Baskets provides a simplified explanation of the chemistry and structure of basketry materials. Starting with an overview of the history and function of baskets and how they are made, Care of Baskets will cover guidelines for handling, labeling, exhibiting and storing baskets, including condition assessments and an introduction to integrated pest management. An overview of treatments used on baskets and how appropriate they are for the long-term preservation of the basket will help students make care decisions when consulting with conservators.
Course Outline:
- Introduction
- The biology and chemistry of materials used for basketry
- Basket Styles and Structures
- Baskets and Their Environment
- Documentation and Condition Report Writing
- Handling Basketry
- Treating Baskets
- Care of Baskets in Storage
- Care of Baskets on Exhibit
- Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Care of Baskets work through sections on their own. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and the instructor through online forums.
Care of Baskets runs six weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Sherry Doyal is head of the organic artefacts conservation section at the British Museum. She now specializes in conservation of botanic materials. Sherry has previous experience of private practice conservation serving regional historic houses, scientific botany collections (herbaria) and small museums. Her employment history also includes large museums (Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY and Victoria and Albert Museum, London). Sherry received a conservation and restoration studies certificate with distinction from Lincoln College of Art in 1980 and a post graduate certificate in upholstery conservation from the Textile Conservation Centre, Hampton Court Palace in 1984. Sherry received a further and adult education teachers’ certificate from Exeter College in 1998 and a diploma in design and craft (constructed textiles) in the context of basketry from City Literacy College, London in 2008. In her spare time she is a maker and exhibitor of contemporary basketry works.
Description:
Caring for furniture and wood artifacts demands an understanding of how and why wood deteriorates. This course offers a simplified explanation of the chemistry and structure of wood as well as the finished wooden object; be it either a totem pole, plow or a French polished table. Care of Furniture and Wood Artifacts teaches students to identify woods, finishes and furniture styles, write condition reports, and understand the agents of deterioration that are harmful to wood both in storage and on exhibit. Topics include preparing wood artifacts for storage and exhibit, the use of archival materials with wood artifacts, housekeeping techniques for furniture and large objects on open display, basic repairs and three dimensional supports for storage or exhibit.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. The structure and chemistry of wood
3. Furniture and Their Styles and Structures
4. Documentation and Condition Report Writing
5. Wood Artifacts and Their Environment
6. Handling Furniture and Wood Artifacts
6. Treating Furniture and Wood Artifacts
7. Care of Wood in Storage
8. Care of Wood on Exhibit
9. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Care of Furniture and Wood Artifacts work through sections on their own. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and the instructor through online forums.
Care of Furniture and Wood Artifacts runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Diana Komejan graduated from Sir Sandford Fleming Colleges Art Conservation Techniques program in 1980. She has worked for Parks Canada; Kelsey Museum, University of Michigan; Heritage Branch Yukon Territorial Government; National Gallery of Canada; Canadian Museum of Nature; Yukon Archives and the Antarctic Heritage Trust and is currently teaching Conservation Techniques in the Applied Museum Studies Program at Algonquin College in Ottawa. In 1995 she was accredited in Mixes Collection with The Canadian Association of Professional Conservators. Her work as a conservator has been quite broad in scope, having worked with historic sites, archaeological excavations and museums.
In addition to lab treatments, Diana has broad archaeological experience, including the excavation of mammoths and dinosaur tracks.
Description:
Caring for furniture and wood artifacts demands an understanding of how and why wood deteriorates. This course offers a simplified explanation of the chemistry and structure of wood as well as the finished wooden object; be it either a totem pole, plow or a French polished table. Care of Furniture and Wood Artifacts teaches students to identify woods, finishes and furniture styles, write condition reports, and understand the agents of deterioration that are harmful to wood both in storage and on exhibit. Topics include preparing wood artifacts for storage and exhibit, the use of archival materials with wood artifacts, housekeeping techniques for furniture and large objects on open display, basic repairs and three dimensional supports for storage or exhibit.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. The structure and chemistry of wood
3. Furniture and Their Styles and Structures
4. Documentation and Condition Report Writing
5. Wood Artifacts and Their Environment
6. Handling Furniture and Wood Artifacts
6. Treating Furniture and Wood Artifacts
7. Care of Wood in Storage
8. Care of Wood on Exhibit
9. Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Care of Furniture and Wood Artifacts work through sections on their own. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and the instructor through online forums.
Care of Furniture and Wood Artifacts runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Craig Deller is the owner of the Deller Conservation Group, Ltd. A member of the American Institute for Conservation since 1982, he became a Professional Associate in 1993. Mr. Deller served seven terms as president of the Chicago Area Conservation Group, and six years as Director of Communications for the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), during which he appeared on the "Antiques Roadshow" on their behalf. He co-authored the current AIC brochure "Caring for Your Furniture." His training includes a BS from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, participation in the Furniture Conservation Training Program at Conservation Analytical Laboratory-Smithsonian, as well as courses with Dr. Walter McCrone and Richard Wolbers. He is currently on the faculty of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, teaching the "Interior Surfaces Conservation Lab" for the Historic Preservation Department. He volunteered for the AASLH "History Emergency Assistance Recovery Team" after hurricane Katrina, along with work at the National Museum of St. Kitts WI, and the Whim Museum on St. Croix USVI.
Description:
So much to say and so little space in which to say it. That is the dilemma when scripting an exhibition. How do you say what needs to be said in the space available? How do you even figure out how to limit the information in the first place? Discover the value of themes, tangibles, intangibles, and universals in writing exhibit text that visitors really want to read – and remember. Additional resources provided on font size and colors as well as label layout.
Course Outline:
1. Types of Labels and Panels
2. Determining the Audience
3. Determining and Writing the "Big Idea"
4. Tangibles, Intangibles and Universals in Writing
5. Information versus Take Home Message
6. Sub-themes
7. Writing to Different Levels of Attention and Knowledge
8. "Grabbing" the Audience
9. Formative Evaluation
10. Hints and Resources on Label Design
11. Final Scripted Labels Posted
Participants should come with an idea of an exhibit or panel to script. It can be an existing exhibit that needs to be re-written or an exhibit in the planning that needs a script.
Course Book:
Required: Designing Interpretive Signs. Moscardo, Gianna,Roy Ballantyne, and Karen Hughes. Fulcrum Publishing, 2007.
Optional: Exhibit Labels. Serrell, Beverly. Alta Mira Press 1996.
Logistics:
Participants in Scripting the Exhibit work through sections on their own. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and the instructor through online forums. Scripting the Exhibit runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Karin Hostetter has over thirty years experience with
museum education. With a career that includes natural
history museums, cultural history museums (including first
person interpretation), nature centers, and zoos, Ms.
Hostetter is experienced in interpretive writing, program
and curriculum development, and staff and volunteer
training. As a museum educator, she was Curator of
Education for the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife
Sanctuary (McKinney, TX). Among her award-winning
education curricula are several programs she developed for
the education departments during her five years at the
Heard Museum and her twelve years on staff at the Denver
Zoo. As an interpretive writer, Ms. Hostetter has written
text for exhibits, wayside exhibits, visitor brochures, and
professional magazines. Her skill is in making technical
information understandable and meaningful to visitors.
Karin has worked with volunteers throughout her career,
becoming the first paid volunteer coordinator at the Denver
Zoo. Ms. Hostetter taught the National Association for
Interpretation's two-day volunteer management course for
volunteer coordinators and served on their panel about
volunteer programs. She authored a series of articles for
the National Association for Interpretation's Legacy
magazine, providing guidelines for developing and
maintaining a volunteer organization. Ms. Hostetter now
consults with organizations on structuring and improving
volunteer programs.
Over the years, Ms. Hostetter has been
responsible for small animal exhibits and animal care at
both the Heard Museum and the Denver Zoo. She worked with
wild animal rehabilitation and public education animals,
work that included training volunteer animal handlers.
Karin co-founded the Zoos, Wildlife Parks, and Aquaria
special interest section of the National Association for
Interpretation.
Karin Hostetter is owner of Interpret This,
a consulting company specializing in interpretive writing,
program and curriculum development, and volunteer program
management. When she is not consulting with other museums,
she likes to volunteer and contract teach at them with a
special love for preschool and family programs.
Description:
So much to say and so little space in which to say it. That is the dilemma when scripting an exhibition. How do you say what needs to be said in the space available? How do you layer your message, so that different levels of information can be acquired by visitors depending on their interest and the time they spend in their exhibit. How small should you go in font size to get all the facts included? Discover the value of themes, tangibles, intangibles, and universals in writing exhibit text that visitors really want to read - and remember.
Course Outline:
1. Types of Labels and Panels
2. Determining the Audience
3. Determining and Writing the "Big Idea"
4. Tangibles, Intangibles and Universals in Writing
5. Information versus Take Home Message
6. Sub-themes
7. Writing to Different Levels of Attention and Knowledge
8. "Grabbing" the Audience
9. Formative Evaluation
10. Hints and Resources on Label Design
11. Final Scripted Labels Posted
Participants should come with an idea of an exhibit or panel to script. It can be an existing exhibit that needs to be re-written or an exhibit in the planning that needs a script.
Logistics:
Participants in Scripting the Exhibit work through sections on their own. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and the instructor through online forums.
Scripting the Exhibit runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Karin Hostetter has over thirty years experience with
museum education. With a career that includes natural
history museums, cultural history museums (including first
person interpretation), nature centers, and zoos, Ms.
Hostetter is experienced in interpretive writing, program
and curriculum development, and staff and volunteer
training. As a museum educator, she was Curator of
Education for the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife
Sanctuary (McKinney, TX). Among her award-winning
education curricula are several programs she developed for
the education departments during her five years at the
Heard Museum and her twelve years on staff at the Denver
Zoo. As an interpretive writer, Ms. Hostetter has written
text for exhibits, wayside exhibits, visitor brochures, and
professional magazines. Her skill is in making technical
information understandable and meaningful to visitors.
Karin has worked with volunteers throughout her career,
becoming the first paid volunteer coordinator at the Denver
Zoo. Ms. Hostetter taught the National Association for
Interpretation's two-day volunteer management course for
volunteer coordinators and served on their panel about
volunteer programs. She authored a series of articles for
the National Association for Interpretation's Legacy
magazine, providing guidelines for developing and
maintaining a volunteer organization. Ms. Hostetter now
consults with organizations on structuring and improving
volunteer programs.
Over the years, Ms. Hostetter has been
responsible for small animal exhibits and animal care at
both the Heard Museum and the Denver Zoo. She worked with
wild animal rehabilitation and public education animals,
work that included training volunteer animal handlers.
Karin co-founded the Zoos, Wildlife Parks, and Aquaria
special interest section of the National Association for
Interpretation.
Karin Hostetter is owner of Interpret This,
a consulting company specializing in interpretive writing,
program and curriculum development, and volunteer program
management. When she is not consulting with other museums,
she likes to volunteer and contract teach at them with a
special love for preschool and family programs.
Description:
The world of museum education is as varied as the imagination. From school field trips to online blogs, from 2-year-olds to senior citizens, and from formal programs to volunteering, it is all part of the educational delivery system of a museum. In Education in Museums, survey the education programs offered at your site. Determine what exhibits and collections need better representation through education. Develop a long term plan of education program development for your site that you can use to improve services to your community.
Course Outline:
1. Types of Education Programs
2. Inventorying Your Museum
3. Goals of Education Programs
4. Characteristics of: Education Programs for Preschool Children
5. Characteristics of: Education Programs for Elementary Aged Children
6. Characteristics of: Education Programs for Middle and High School Children
7. Characteristics of: Education Programs for Working Adults
8. Characteristics of: Education Programs for Seniors
9. Programs for Schools - Speaking their language
10. Outreach
11. Online Education Programs
12. Thinking Outside the Box
13. Evaluation
Logistics:
Participants in Education in Museums work through sections on their own. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and the instructor through online forums. Education in Museums runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Karin Hostetter has over thirty years experience with
museum education. With a career that includes natural
history museums, cultural history museums (including first
person interpretation), nature centers, and zoos, Ms.
Hostetter is experienced in interpretive writing, program
and curriculum development, and staff and volunteer
training. As a museum educator, she was Curator of
Education for the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife
Sanctuary (McKinney, TX). Among her award-winning
education curricula are several programs she developed for
the education departments during her five years at the
Heard Museum and her twelve years on staff at the Denver
Zoo. As an interpretive writer, Ms. Hostetter has written
text for exhibits, wayside exhibits, visitor brochures, and
professional magazines. Her skill is in making technical
information understandable and meaningful to visitors.
Karin has worked with volunteers throughout her career,
becoming the first paid volunteer coordinator at the Denver
Zoo. Ms. Hostetter taught the National Association for
Interpretation's two-day volunteer management course for
volunteer coordinators and served on their panel about
volunteer programs. She authored a series of articles for
the National Association for Interpretation's Legacy
magazine, providing guidelines for developing and
maintaining a volunteer organization. Ms. Hostetter now
consults with organizations on structuring and improving
volunteer programs.
Over the years, Ms. Hostetter has been
responsible for small animal exhibits and animal care at
both the Heard Museum and the Denver Zoo. She worked with
wild animal rehabilitation and public education animals,
work that included training volunteer animal handlers.
Karin co-founded the Zoos, Wildlife Parks, and Aquaria
special interest section of the National Association for
Interpretation.
Karin Hostetter is owner of Interpret This,
a consulting company specializing in interpretive writing,
program and curriculum development, and volunteer program
management. When she is not consulting with other museums,
she likes to volunteer and contract teach at them with a
special love for preschool and family programs.
Description:
The world of museum education is as varied as the imagination. From school field trips to online blogs, from 2-year-olds to senior citizens, and from formal programs to volunteering. In Education in Museums, survey the education programs offered at your site. Determine what exhibits and collections need better representation through education. Develop a long-term plan of education program development for your site that you can use to improve services to your community.
Course Outline:
1. Types of Education Programs
2. Inventorying Your Museum
3. Goals of Education Programs
4. Characteristics of: Education Programs for Preschool Children
5. Characteristics of: Education Programs for Elementary Aged Children
6. Characteristics of: Education Programs for Middle and High School Children
7. Characteristics of: Education Programs for Working Adults
8. Characteristics of: Education Programs for Seniors
9. Programs for Schools - Speaking their language
10. Outreach
11. Online Education Programs
12. Thinking Outside the Box
13. Evaluation
Logistics:
Participants in Education in Museums work through sections on their own. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and the instructor through online forums.
Education in Museums runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Karin Hostetter has over thirty years experience with
museum education. With a career that includes natural
history museums, cultural history museums (including first
person interpretation), nature centers, and zoos, Ms.
Hostetter is experienced in interpretive writing, program
and curriculum development, and staff and volunteer
training. As a museum educator, she was Curator of
Education for the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife
Sanctuary (McKinney, TX). Among her award-winning
education curricula are several programs she developed for
the education departments during her five years at the
Heard Museum and her twelve years on staff at the Denver
Zoo. As an interpretive writer, Ms. Hostetter has written
text for exhibits, wayside exhibits, visitor brochures, and
professional magazines. Her skill is in making technical
information understandable and meaningful to visitors.
Karin has worked with volunteers throughout her career,
becoming the first paid volunteer coordinator at the Denver
Zoo. Ms. Hostetter taught the National Association for
Interpretation's two-day volunteer management course for
volunteer coordinators and served on their panel about
volunteer programs. She authored a series of articles for
the National Association for Interpretation's Legacy
magazine, providing guidelines for developing and
maintaining a volunteer organization. Ms. Hostetter now
consults with organizations on structuring and improving
volunteer programs.
Over the years, Ms. Hostetter has been
responsible for small animal exhibits and animal care at
both the Heard Museum and the Denver Zoo. She worked with
wild animal rehabilitation and public education animals,
work that included training volunteer animal handlers.
Karin co-founded the Zoos, Wildlife Parks, and Aquaria
special interest section of the National Association for
Interpretation.
Karin Hostetter is owner of Interpret This,
a consulting company specializing in interpretive writing,
program and curriculum development, and volunteer program
management. When she is not consulting with other museums,
she likes to volunteer and contract teach at them with a
special love for preschool and family programs.
Description:
A microclimate is the environment immediately surrounding an artifact. Microclimates designed for optimum storage, display, or treatment conditions can be created and maintained in showcases, storage cabinets, rooms, or plastic bags. This course covers the basics of creating and maintaining microclimates, including discussions of suitable enclosures and appropriate means of controlling humidity, temperature, pollution, and oxygen. Learn what constitutes a microclimate, how to use silica gel and other environmental control materials, how to reduce internally generated pollutants, and techniques for monitoring the microclimate you have created.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction to Microclimates and History of Microclimates
2. Components of a Microclimate
3 Microclimate Enclosures
4. Passive Environmental Controls
5. Active Environmental Controls, Pollution, Case Leakage
6. Monitoring a Microclimate
Logistics:
Participants in Museum Microclimates work through sections on their own. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and the instructor through online forums.
Museum Microclimates runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Jerry Shiner has been providing consultant services for environmental control of museum display and storage applications for almost twenty years. Mr. Shiner has extensive expertise in both active and passive methods of mitigating and controlling humidity, temperature, pollution, and oxygen levels for display and storage enclosures. His experience includes working with architects, engineers, and conservators to design both local and central systems for large museums. As founder of Keepsafe Microclimate Systems he has provided hundreds of active and passive solutions for low oxygen treatment and storage (anoxia), and showcase humidity and temperature control. Mr. Shiner is author of numerous articles on microclimate storage and display. His clients include museums in the US and Europe. When not working on microclimates, Mr. Shiner can bang out a passable version of "Lady of Spain" on the accordion. For more in formation visit his web site KEEPSAFE
Description:
A microclimate is the environment immediately surrounding an artifact. Microclimates designed for optimum storage, display, or treatment conditions can be created and maintained in showcases, storage cabinets, rooms, or plastic bags. This course covers the basics of creating and maintaining microclimates, including discussions of suitable enclosures and appropriate means of controlling humidity, temperature, pollution, and oxygen. Learn what constitutes a microclimate, how to use silica gel and other environmental control materials, how to reduce internally generated pollutants, and techniques for monitoring the microclimate you have created.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction to Microclimates and History of Microclimates
2. Components of a Microclimate
3 Microclimate Enclosures
4. Passive Environmental Controls
5. Active Environmental Controls, Pollution, Case Leakage
6. Monitoring a Microclimate
Logistics:
Participants in Museum Microclimates work through sections on their own. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and the instructor through online forums.
Museum Microclimates runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
The Instructor:
Jerry Shiner has been providing consultant services for environmental control of museum display and storage applications for almost twenty years. Mr. Shiner has extensive expertise in both active and passive methods of mitigating and controlling humidity, temperature, pollution, and oxygen levels for display and storage enclosures. His experience includes working with architects, engineers, and conservators to design both local and central systems for large museums. As founder of Keepsafe Microclimate Systems he has provided hundreds of active and passive solutions for low oxygen treatment and storage (anoxia), and showcase humidity and temperature control. Mr. Shiner is author of numerous articles on microclimate storage and display. His clients include museums in the US and Europe. When not working on microclimates, Mr. Shiner can bang out a passable version of "Lady of Spain" on the accordion. For more in formation visit his web site KEEPSAFE
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Description:
Strapped for cash? Can't see how you can implement collections preservation ideas when you can't pay the light bill? This workshop introduces funding options for a range of collections care needs. The class combines lecture and practicum sessions. Students will learn about different forms of fund raising, how to find funding sources for their institution, how to write successful proposals and how to build on success. Each student will complete a draft grant request before the end of the class.
Course Outline:
- Introduction to Fundraising
- Funding Sources
- Long-Range Planning
- Writing the Proposal
- Budgets
- Samples
- Conclusion
Logistics:
Participants in Introduction to Grant Writing and Fundraising work at individual paces through seven sections. Instructor Helen Alten is available at scheduled times during the course for email support. Resources include forums and scheduled online chats, PowerPoint lectures, reading materials and lecture notes and links to relevant web sites.
The Instructor:
Helen Alten, is the Director of Northern States Conservation Center and its chief Objects Conservator. For nearly 30 years she has been involved in objects conservation, starting as a pre-program intern at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a degree in Archaeological Conservation and Materials Science from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in England. She has built and run conservation laboratories in Bulgaria, Montana, Greece, Alaska and Minnesota. She has a broad understanding of three-dimensional materials and their deterioration, wrote and edited the quarterly Collections Caretaker, maintains the popular www.collectioncare.org web site, lectures throughout the United States on collection care topics, was instrumental in developing a state-wide protocol for disaster response in small Minnesota museums, has written, received and reviewed grants for NEH and IMLS, worked with local foundations funding one of her pilot programs, and is always in search of the perfect museum mannequin. She has published chapters on conservation and deterioration of archeological glass with the Materials Research Society and the York Archaeological Trust, four chapters on different mannequin construction techniques in Museum Mannequins: A Guide for Creating the Perfect Fit (2002), preservation planning, policies, forms and procedures needed for a small museum in The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums' Collection Initiative Manual, and is co-editor of the penultimate book on numbering museum collections (still in process) by the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma. Helen Alten has been a Field Education Director, Conservator, and staff trainer. She began working with people from small, rural, and tribal museums while as the state conservator for Montana and Alaska. Helen currently conducts conservation treatments and operates a conservation center in Charleston, WV and St. Paul, MN.
Description:
Every museum has a few stray items. Some lost tags long ago. Others turn up as surprises during inventories. A few are all that remain from long-ago exhibits. While you'll want to keep some, others may be deteriorating. Even worse, some pose significant hazards for staff and the rest of the collection. All raise legal and professional questions. How do you deal with objects that have no records? Or loans from unidentified or deceased lenders? Found in the Collection addresses how to identify abandoned objects and old loans. It further covers the application of state laws and rules for identifying owners or establishing ownership.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. Definitions and legislation
3. Identification and process - Abandoned property and “Found in the Collection”
4. Identification and process - Old Loans
5. Systems to regulate future problems
6. Conclusion
Required Textbook
The New Museum Registration Methods, 4th edition. Edited by Rebecca A. Buck & Jean Allman Gilmore. 427 pages (American Association of Museums; 1998) ISBN: 0-931201-31-4. Available through American Association of Museums. $55.00 (non-member cost) $40.00 (member cost)
Logistics:
Participants in Found in the Collection work through sections on their own. Instructor Lin Nelson-Mayson is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Found in the Collection runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS303: Found in the Collection:
It covered situations which I am encountering in my work. It showed me where to look to answer questions about the legal aspects of FIC objects. It made me aware of the weakness of current Abandoned Property laws in my state (and apparently most others)… I found the lectures and readings very helpful.
I liked being able to work on the materials at my own pace. The feedback from the instructor was very helpful. My favorite part of the course were the online chats. These were very engaging and it was great way to discuss issues and find solutions to the challenges our collections pose.
I thought the course was very helpful and the technology worked wonderfully for me. The lectures were very helpful in giving an overview and did a good job of summarizing the major points. I thought the readings were especially helpful in gaining different perspectives about the issues. It was interesting to see other institutions' policies and procedures.
Thank you for facilitating this course. Lin, our instructor, was very helpful and insightful. She asked very good questions, which helped me really think carefully through all of the steps of handling old loans, FICs and abandoned property. While I will be making some revisions to our policies and procedures, the course did confirm that many of the policies and procedures we have in place are very good. I certainly feel empowered to deal with these objects now! I think that the chats were extremely helpful for hashing out the issues and gave me much-needed reassurance that I was not the only one dealing with them.
I liked: a) how much content was covered; b) how the information presented could be applied to a variety of museums across the board (i.e. state museums, not-for-profit, and yes, private-owned); c) the ease that we could still interact as a class even though we were all over the country.
It brought forth a lot of things that we haven't been doing as a museum…
The Instructor:
Lin Nelson-Mayson, with over 25 years of museum experience at small and large institutions, is director of the University of Minnesota's Goldstein Museum of Design. Prior to that, she was the director of ExhibitsUSA, a nonprofit exhibition touring organization that annually tours over 30 art and humanities exhibitions across the country. For five years, she was a coordinator or judge for the American Association of Museums' Excellence in Exhibitions Competition. She currently serves on the exhibition committee for the National Sculpture Society. Ms. Nelson-Mayson has extensive experience with the planning, preparation, research and installation of exhibitions. Ms Nelson-Mayson's experience includes teaching museum studies and museology courses. Her particular interest is the needs of small museums.
Her credentials include the following;
- An MFA from The Ohio State University in sculpture and critical writing
- A BFA from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in painting.
- Work as a curator for the Ross County Historic Society (Chillicothe, Ohio), the Art Museum of South Texas (Corpus Christi), the Columbia Museum of Art (South Carolina), and the Minnesota Museum of American Art.
Description:
Every museum has a few stray items. Some lost tags long ago. Others turn up as surprises during inventories. A few are all that remain from long-ago exhibits. While you'll want to keep some, others may be deteriorating. Even worse, some pose significant hazards for staff and the rest of the collection. All raise legal and professional questions. How do you deal with objects that have no records? Or loans from unidentified or deceased lenders? Found in the Collection addresses how to identify abandoned objects and old loans. It further covers the application of state laws and rules for identifying owners or establishing ownership.
Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. Definitions and legislation
3. Identification and process - Abandoned property and “Found in the Collection”
4. Identification and process - Old Loans
5. Systems to regulate future problems
6. Conclusion
Required Textbook
The New Museum Registration Methods, 4th edition. Edited by Rebecca A. Buck & Jean Allman Gilmore. 427 pages (American Association of Museums; 1998) ISBN: 0-931201-31-4. Available through American Association of Museums. $55.00 (non-member cost) $40.00 (member cost)
Logistics:
Participants in Found in the Collection work through sections on their own. Instructor Lin Nelson-Mayson is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.
Found in the Collection runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at helen@collectioncare.org
Student Comments for MS303: Found in the Collection:
It covered situations which I am encountering in my work. It showed me where to look to answer questions about the legal aspects of FIC objects. It made me aware of the weakness of current Abandoned Property laws in my state (and apparently most others)… I found the lectures and readings very helpful.
I liked being able to work on the materials at my own pace. The feedback from the instructor was very helpful. My favorite part of the course were the online chats. These were very engaging and it was great way to discuss issues and find solutions to the challenges our collections pose.
I thought the course was very helpful and the technology worked wonderfully for me. The lectures were very helpful in giving an overview and did a good job of summarizing the major points. I thought the readings were especially helpful in gaining different perspectives about the issues. It was interesting to see other institutions' policies and procedures.
Thank you for facilitating this course. Lin, our instructor, was very helpful and insightful. She asked very good questions, which helped me really think carefully through all of the steps of handling old loans, FICs and abandoned property. While I will be making some revisions to our policies and procedures, the course did confirm that many of the policies and procedures we have in place are very good. I certainly feel empowered to deal with these objects now! I think that the chats were extremely helpful for hashing out the issues and gave me much-needed reassurance that I was not the only one dealing with them.
I liked: a) how much content was covered; b) how the information presented could be applied to a variety of museums across the board (i.e. state museums, not-for-profit, and yes, private-owned); c) the ease that we could still interact as a class even though we were all over the country.
It brought forth a lot of things that we haven't been doing as a museum…
The Instructor:
Lin Nelson-Mayson, with over 25 years of museum experience at small and large institutions, is director of the University of Minnesota's Goldstein Museum of Design. Prior to that, she was the director of ExhibitsUSA, a nonprofit exhibition touring organization that annually tours over 30 art and humanities exhibitions across the country. For five years, she was a coordinator or judge for the American Association of Museums' Excellence in Exhibitions Competition. She currently serves on the exhibition committee for the National Sculpture Society. Ms. Nelson-Mayson has extensive experience with the planning, preparation, research and installation of exhibitions. Ms Nelson-Mayson's experience includes teaching museum studies and museology courses. Her particular interest is the needs of small museums.
Her credentials include the following;
- An MFA from The Ohio State University in sculpture and critical writing
- A BFA from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in painting.
- Work as a curator for the Ross County Historic Society (Chillicothe, Ohio), the Art Museum of South Texas (Corpus Christi), the Columbia Museum of Art (South Carolina), and the Minnesota Museum of American Art.
If you are interested in these courses, please contact Helen Alten at and sign up at MuseumClasses.org. Signing up as a prospective student now for any future courses is encouraged and does not require payment. Students will not be enrolled in paid courses until payment has been received. Students are manually enrolled into courses as they open, enrollment keys are no longer necessary.
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