Collection Moves
Welcome to the Collections Caretaker e-Newsletter from Northern States Conservation Center. The newsletter is designed to bring you timely and helpful content that is pertinent to situations we all encounter in our museum and archives work. Feel free to let us know what topics you would like to see featured in Collections Caretaker or even contribute an article.
In This Issue

Moving Collections
Featured Course
August 2019 Courses
September 2019 Courses
Conferences and Meetings
Moving Collections
 
Nationalmuseum Stockholm: Moving a Lotus 25/33 R7 Formula 1 car up the stairs
Contemplating a collection move? For a large scale project like a collection move pre-planning is everything! Here are some questions to ask before you start and as you plan your move.
 
First look at the overall scope of the Project
  • Where are you starting?
  • Where are you going?
    • What is your goal?
    • Are you moving the entire institution, the collection or part of the collection?
  • How much time do you have?
    • How is the time distributed?
  • What is your budget?
Then begin the planning process by determining where you are and what resources you have and/or need.
  • Gather your information
    • Conservation surveys
    • Conservation assessments
    • Inventories
    • Location information
    • Object/Specimen catalogs
    • Dimensions and numbers
    • Previous grants
  • What policies and procedures are in place?
    • Collections policy
    • Collecting policy
    • De-accession policy
    • Integrated Pest Management (IPM) policy and procedures
    • Food in museum policy
    • Collections access policy
    • Handling guidelines
    • Object movement procedures
  • Which policies and procedures need to be updated? Which need to be added?
  • What needs to be addressed before the move?
Then plan for where you are going.
  • What space are you moving into?
    • Is it across the hall or across town?
    • Does it have an appropriate floor load?
    • How much space is there?
        • Is it more or less space than you currently have?
    • How can you make it the most efficient and functional?
  • Will you have new storage furniture or will you be using existing furniture?
  • Will the collections be arranged the same or differently?
    • How will you structure that change?
Will there be any project additions?
  • What will you incorporate, or what would you like to incorporate into the project?
    • Condition reports
    • Imaging
    • Catalog upgrade
    • Digitization
    • Location tracking
    • Inventory
    • Conservation treatments
    • Return and recall of loans
    • Discharge abandoned property and "found- in-collections"
    • De-accession
    • Thorough clean
    • Pest management
  • When will you add them? Before, during or after?
  • Prioritize your wants
    • What is possible within the budget?
  • Pick your battles
    • What is the most important?
_____________________________________________  
Excerpted from the Introductory Slideshow of MS262 Moving Collections which begins on August 5, 2019. If you have a move in your future or are planning for a new space, join Stefani Pendergast for this informative course.
Featured Course: Creating Interpretive Gallery Tours

There is more to a guided tour than information - you also need inspiration. 
This course will help curators teach and coach their docents and volunteers to create interpretive stories and experiences that will help make their presentations "come to life" for their visitors.
This training course will help curators help prepare their docents for tours that:
1. Have an interpretive theme.
2. Have accomplishable objectives.
3. Has about 7 tour stops, each of which illustrate the main interpretive theme.
4. Use interpretive communications structure for each stop (provoke, relate and reveal).
5. Use the techniques of tangibles and intangibles in their presentation.
6. Encourage the use of multiple senses to relate to visitors.
7. Have a provocative introduction and then ending conclusion summary for the tour.
8. Have as much "inspiration" as "information".
9. Leave the visitors asking for more (when's your next tour?).
   
Join Instructor John Veverka for MS268 Creating Interpretive Gallery Tours starting August 5, 2019 and learn how to make your gallery tours more engaging. 
Early Bird Discounts Available for Full Length Courses
 
An Early Bird Discount is available for anyone who signs up for a full length course from museumclasses.org 30 days prior to the start of that course.  
 
Sign up for a full length course up to 30 days prior to its start and save $100.00!
 
For our course list or to sign up: http://www.collectioncare.org/course-list  
 
To take advantage of this discount, you must enter coupon code EARLYBIRD at checkout at collectioncare.org
   
The Early Bird Discount deadline for September Courses is August 10, 2019   
August 2019 Courses--New Courses Added! 
 
August 19 to September 27, 2019 NEW DATES!
Instructor:  Helen Alten
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.
 
MS217: Museum Cleaning Basics  Returning to the schedule!
August 5 to 30, 2019
Instructor: Elizabeth Burton
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.
 
MS227: Care of Paintings Returning to the schedule!  
August 5 to 30, 2019
Instructor: Elizabeth Burton
Description :
Caring for paintings requires some knowledge of the component structure of paintings and the reaction of those components to both natural and man-made environments. This course looks at the painting structure, the effects of damaging environments, and proposes simple steps for basic care. Topics include the structure of paintings, proper condition reporting with standard damage vocabulary, and basic care and handling including environments, storage, and transport. The course is intended to help those entrusted with the care of paintings in any environment.
 
MS 236: Education in Museums
August 5 to 30, 2019
Instructor:  Karin Hostetter
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.
 
August 5 to 30, 2019
Instructor:  Stefani Pendergast
Description:
Moving collections is a daunting task. Fragile items need special packing and care to be safely transported. Large, heavy or awkward items like dinosaurs and oversized sculptures require special equipment and support from local authorities. How do you design your project to meet the budget and timing demands of your administration? Are your collections over-packed in acidic boxes and does your move includes improving their storage and care? Collections often take up more room when they are stored properly. How do you determine your needed storage space when the collection is decompressed? Moving Collections provides an overview of how to plan and manage a move to avoid the many pitfalls. The course includes: defining your project, developing a Request for Proposal (RFP), developing a work plan, staffing, and packing protocols. Whether you are moving part of the collection within your building or moving the entire collection to another facility, Moving Collections provides a blueprint for you to follow.
 
August 5 to 30, 2019
Instructor:  John Veverka
Description:
There is more to a guided tour than information - you also need inspiration.  This course will help curators teach and coach their docents and volunteers to create interpretive stories and experiences that will help make their presentations "come to life" for their visitors.
This training course will help curators help prepare their docents for tours that:
1. Have an interpretive theme.
2. Have accomplishable objectives.
3. Has about 7 tour stops, each of which illustrate the main interpretive theme.
4. Use interpretive communications structure for each stop (provoke, relate and reveal).
5. Use the techniques of tangibles and intangibles in their presentation.
6. Encourage the use of multiple senses to relate to visitors.
7. Have a provocative introduction and then ending conclusion summary for the tour.
8. Have as much "inspiration" as "information".
9. Leave the visitors asking for more (when's your next tour?) 
September 2019 Courses
 
September 9 to October 4, 2019
Instructor:  Kimberly Kenney
Description:
The United States has more than 17,000 museums, we can only guess at the world's total. While most people think of a museum as 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 designed 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 staff members, board members, interns, volunteers, as well as anyone interested in becoming a museum professional or learning more about the profession
 
September 9 to October 11, 2019
Instructor:  Sue Near
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.
 
September 9 to October 4, 2019
Instructor:  Diana Komejan
Description:
The seasonal closure of a museum presents unique challenges and opportunities for collection preservation. This is an introductory-level conservation course exploring simple collection preservation methods for seasonal museums. The target Audience for the course is curators and other museum personnel, volunteers, site managers, maintenance personnel. No prior conservation training necessary. Participants will learn about the challenges and opportunities associated with caring for collections in seasonal facilities. They will learn about the risks to collections and how to mitigate them through closing and re-opening procedures, as well as throughout the winter season.
 
September 9 to October 4, 2019
Instructor:  Tom Bennett
Description:
Matting and Framing teaches the materials and techniques of conservation-quality framing. For display, matting and framing provides both protective and aesthetic contributions to art on paper. Students will learn about different types of enclosures, different mat styles and cutting methods, the pros and cons of different backing boards and glazing, and different methods of attaching items to a mat, some of which do not involve adhering hinges to art on paper. Lectures, illustrations, product resources, and additional informational references will be provided.
 
September 9 to October 4, 2019
Instructor:  Karin Hostetter
Description:
Have you done some evaluation but did not get helpful information? Do you wish you could do evaluations, but think it is too hard or too expensive? Do you wonder how to get people to use an offered program more? Evaluations are feasible and easy. This course will help you determine what you really want to know, choose the right process to gather the information, develop meaningful questions, and figure out what the results tell you. Please have a program or text in mind (real or imagined) to work with during the course. Note: this course will not be looking at statistical analysis.
 
September 9 to October 4, 2019
Instructor:  John Veverka
Description:
Creating or contracting for new exhibits is often hugely expensive.  But if you have a small museum, visitor center or interpretive center you may not have the budget to create new exhibits.  This course on exhibit rehab will help you evaluate the effectiveness of your current exhibits and provide a strategy for breathing new life into exhibits on life support - with a small budget but lots of creativity.
Conferences and Meetings
 
2019
Society of American Archivists, Austin, TX
July 31 - August 6, 2019
 
American Association of State and Local History, Philadelphia, PA
August 28-31, 2019
 
Oklahoma Museums Association, Choctaw Casino
September 18-20, 2019
 
Mountain-Plains Museums Association, Albuquerque, NM
September 22-25, 2019
 
Association of Midwest Museums, Grand Rapids, Michigan
October 2-5, 2019
 
Western Museums Association, Boise, ID October 4-7, 2019
   

   
Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, Hudson Valley, NY October 16-18, 2019
 
International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection, Denver, Colorado
October 19-25, 2019
 
Southeastern Museums Conference, Charleston, SC
October 21-23, 2019
 
New England Museum Association, Burlington, VT
November 6-8, 2019
 
National Association for Interpretation, Denver, Colorado
November 12-16, 2019
 
  2020 
National Association for Interpretation,
Saint Augustine, FL
November 10-14, 2020

Submissions and Comments
How to submit an article or upcoming workshops for inclusion in the Newsletter:  
If you would like to submit an article, notice of an organizational meeting or upcoming workshop for an upcoming Collections Caretaker Newsletter, send your submission to [email protected] .  
 
We are always looking for contributions to this newsletter. Submission deadline is the 10th of each month. 
 
Have a comment or suggestion?   
 
Send it to [email protected]
Northern States Conservation Center (NSCC) provides training, collection care, preservation and conservation treatment services. NSCC offers online museum studies classes at   museumclasses.org in Collections Management & Care, Museum Administration & Management, Exhibit Practices and Museum Facilities Management.
 
Sincerely,
Helen Alten, Director
Peggy Schaller, Publications Manager