Online Museum Classes & Training NA101: Collections Management: Registration 101

Providing collection care, preservation and conservation treatment services to collectors and collecting institutions.

Training

Online Museum Classes

NA101: Collections Management: Registration 101
              Course Description & Info     Instructor: Peggy Schaller
              Student Login    Price: $150
              Mar 4 - Mar 29, 2013     Sign up at www.nathpo.org

Students must be staff at a tribal institution and meet NATHPO qualifications. This course is subsidized by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through a grant awarded to NATHPO.

Description:

Most museum collections drive the public functions and activities of the cultural institution. Collections management is the physical and intellectual management of these items and plays a critical role in the museum's operation. In this course we will examine how information is collected and recorded for each object brought into the collection - a process called registration. Good paper records are essential before entering information into a database. Learn how database information is recorded and the formats for information retrieved from a database. Discuss how managing an indigenous or tribal collection compares to non-tribal collections. We will also examine the policies that govern what is brought into the collection, including the most important piece of institutional policy -- the museum mission statement. These policies are assembled into the collections management 'bible' -- the registration manual. At the end of this course you should have a clear understanding of how and why collections are documented in museums and the governing principles that drive daily museum activities.

As part of our collaboration with NATHPO and in an effort to serve the unique needs of tribal museums, this course will also include a section to address an underserved area of collections in tribal museums -- Native American military objects. We will look at some of the things to keep in mind when dealing with, collecting, caring for, and displaying objects resulting from veteran's military service in the US Armed Forces. Military items may include uniforms, wartime awards and designations, photographs, weapons, and sensitive items which may require special handling.

Course Outline:
1. Introduction
2. The Museum Mission Statement and Policies
3. Collections Documentation
4. Collections Databases and Their Uses
5. Registration Manual
6. Conclusion

Logistics:
Participants in the Collections Management: Registration 101 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.

Sign up for this class with NATHPO at www.nathpo.org

Students must be staff at a tribal institution and meet NATHPO qualifications. This course is subsidized by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through a grant awarded to NATHPO.

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 20 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

Contributor:
Robert Swanson (Bois Forte Band of Minnesota Chippewa) will assist with the specific issues related to Native American military collections. He is an independent museum professional based in the Pacific northwest and has many years of experience as an exhibit planner/designer and collections manager at a tribal museum with an emphasis on veteran exhibits and history. Mr. Swanson is the assistant historian for the Yakima Warriors Association, a non-profit veterans organization located on the Yakima reservation in Washington State. He has assisted in exhibit development for the National Park Service, tribal museums in Minnesota and Washington, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources State Parks Division, St. Louis County Historical Society Duluth, and Cook County Historical Society Grand Marais, Minnesota.

NA101: Collections Management: Registration 101
              Course Description & Info     Instructor: Peggy Schaller
              Student Login    Price: $150
              Mar 4 - Mar 29, 2013     Sign up at www.nathpo.org

Students must be staff at a tribal institution and meet NATHPO qualifications. This course is subsidized by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through a grant awarded to NATHPO.

P.O. Box 8081, St. Paul, MN 55108 Phone: (651) 659-9420

http://www.collectioncare.org
Updated 16 Feb 2010