Found in Collections
A Three-Part Story
This three-part story began in 2006 when the Institute for Museum and Library Services awarded $136,000 for the museum's three year, Collections Information Project, enabling us to hire our first Collections Manager, and upgrade our recordkeeping and care standards for the museum's three dimensional collections. With the addition of matching funds provided by MacLean-Fogg and the Gleason Foundation, we installed new, networked collections management software and wrote standards for documentation and care and handling, and carefully rearranged objects in storage to promote their longevity and ease of access.
Horizontal Milling Machine, circa 1850-1870It quickly became apparent that the museum did not have title to about 1,400 artifacts –40% of the collection. Without clear title, a museum does not have the legal authority to use the object for typical activities such as loans to other museums, hands-on programs or even conservation prior to exhibition. When the American Precision Museum was founded in 1966, not only were standards of care, especially for smaller museums, not as well defined as they are today, but also the procedures for donating artifacts were not as formalized.
Because Vermont, unlike more than thirty other states, did not have a museum property law, Part II of this story finds Executive Director Ann Lawless, Board Chairman Gil Whittemore, and a team of Vermont museum professionals working on new legislation, which passed in 2008 (Vermont Statutes, Title 27: Chapter 12 – Museum Property Law). This law lays out a series of steps that museums, libraries, historical societies and archival repositories may follow to acquire title to undocumented objects.
Jones & Lamson Optical Comparator, circa 1940-1950Part III of the story began in 2010 when Collections Manager Beau Harris and Ann Lawless sought more funding from IMLS to implement the new law. We were awarded a grant of $62,000 for the "Found in Collections Project". Kathryn Marshall joined the staff in January 2011 as Collections Assistant for one year to manage the project of resolving ownership issues. The law outlines a lengthy procedure - placement of three notices, a month apart, in a local newspaper, to list each object and invite anyone who thinks he/she is the proper owner to contact the museum and present a claim. Then a six-month waiting period follows. If no valid claims are made, according to the statute, the museum acquires a legal title.
The FIC project is also supporting the ongoing work of the Collections Committee of the Board. In 2009 the staff and Committee began drafting a Collecting Plan to guide the future shape of the collections. Three new assessments by outside curators will help us answer important questions. Are there duplicates, or items not related to our mission? From what time periods and geographical areas are we collecting?
The last of the newspaper notices ran in April, and the six-month waiting period will expire October 22nd. There have been few calls, and no claims are yet underway. In November, with the new information from the assessments, the staff will then resume work on the Collecting Plan, and formally add those newly titled objects that fit into the museum's permanent and educational collections.
"I am happy to be working for the first museum in Vermont to implement this new law." says Marshall. "Once we have established title to all our artifacts, we will be in a much better position to care for them. The project has been a good learning experience for me and the museum, and we will have a lot to share with others when the project is finally completed."