August 22: Chapters 1 & 2: the Museum

MUSM1030 – MUSEUM COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT & ETHICS COURSE SYLLABUS Instructor: Pam Miller Division of Arts & Sciences, Department of Museum Studies Office: Reeves 251 Hours: 10 - 12 a.m. TR on campus. Other times by appointment Phone: 637-5751. Please leave a message if I am not there.

Type of Course: Museum Studies 1030 is an elective course designed for students interested in a career in museum studies with intent to transfer to a university to complete a course of study in a specialized field such as anthropology, history, or biology. MUSM 1030 also serves currently employed (paid or unpaid) museum staff members desiring the credentials for their jobs or additional training and background for their current responsibilities.

Course Description: This course defines the roles of museum collections and focuses on general museum concepts, procedures, and issues related to the management and care of collections. In addressing ethical considerations and legal obligations of museum collections, administration, and operation, attention is given to international concerns as well as to state and national issues.

Pre-requisites: MUSM1010 or MUSM1020 or concurrent enrollment in one of these courses.

Required Textbooks and Supplies: Textbooks: A Legal Primer on Managing Museum Collections by Marie C. Malaro, 2nd edition; The New Museum Registration Methods edited by Rebecca A. Buck & Jean Allman Gilmore, 4th edition. #2 pencils and 3 scantron forms Note paper Folder for keeping class papers, notes and exams together

Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to: 1. Understand the role of Registrars and Collections Managers in museums. 2. List the necessary components of a good collections management policy. 3. Understand the differences between accessioning and cataloging and their associated procedures. 4. Complete an accessioning transaction within the laws governing the specific collection. 5. Discuss the role of deaccessioning collections in museums and complete a deaccessioning transaction. 6. Perform an incoming and outgoing loan transaction and understand the obligations of the museum in each transaction. 7. Discuss loan policies governing local, national, international, temporary and unclaimed loans. 8. Understand museum ethics in general and the roles of appraisals, authentications, and valuations in specific. 9. Demonstrate basic museum collections care, documentation, and handling procedures. 10. Discuss risk management in a museum context.

Skills: Students will be expected to read and write on a college level, and demonstrate research skills in addition to critical thinking and verbal communication.

Course Will Utilize the Following Criteria: 1. Critical thinking 2. Reading, writing, speaking and listening literacy 3. Basic computer skills: several assignments will need to be typed; student must demonstrate ability to perform data entry on the museum collections management system 4. An understanding of the concept of museum ethics is a critical value for students as prospective or current museum employees

Policies and Procedures: Attendance is mandatory: students are expected to attend the full 160-minute class period weekly. Late assignments will be penalized 2 points per day late. Guidelines will be given to the student as assignments are made. Academic Honesty and Plagiarism Statement: students may and should work and study together, but must do their own work on assignments. The assignments must be in the student’s own words. Remember that copying another person’s writing without giving credit in dishonest.

Support Resources: The required textbooks and materials can be purchased at the college bookstore. The CEU campus library and the museum’s research library have resources helpful to completing the assignments. Students are also encouraged to use the college’s computer labs for access to the internet for research on their assignments as well as typing the final product. CEU has a writing lab for student use, and the museum’s staff is available for answering general questions about specific museum procedures.

Evaluation & Grading: Assessment will come through completion of assignments (300 points total). Grades will be assigned on the following basis: A 94 - 100%; A- 90 - 93% ; B+ 87 - 89% ; B 84 - 86%; B- 80 - 83%; C+ 77 - 79%; C 74 - 76%; C- 70 - 73%; D+ 67 - 69%; D 64 - 66%; D- 60-63; less than 60% = F. An Incomplete (I) will be given only to students who are passing the class but have extenuating personal circumstances. It would be wise to keep all of your graded papers in case there is a discrepancy between the instructor’s records and your scores. Course Schedule

Class 1: The Museum & Collections Reading: Malaro Chapters I&II Activity: Critical Incidents Exercise; assemble list of needs for adult students. Class 2: Collection Management Policies Reading: Malaro Chapter III, Buck & Gilmore Activity: review existing collections management 221-223 policy of host museum or your own museum if Assignment: draft a policy for your museum or applicable. suggest revisions of the existing policy according to guidelines. This assignment will be revisited after class 8. Evaluation: Check-up. Class 3: Acquisition of Objects: Accessioning Reading: Malaro Chapter IV,Buck & Gilmore 157- Activity: review actual sample accession records 165 for evidence of title; completeness of record. Assignment: complete a lawful accession. Evaluation: Check-up. Class 4: The Disposal of Objects: Deaccessioning Reading: Malaro Chapter V, Buck & Gilmore 167- Activity: review actual deaccession records. 176 Assignment: complete preparation work and records for deaccessioning an object (s). Evaluation: Check-up. Class 5: Incoming Loans Reading: Malaro Chapter VI, pp. 240-259, Buck & Activity: review samples of incoming loan Gilmore 53-62, 177-188 transactions noting discrepancies, problems, if Assignment: complete all paper work for an any. How to do a condition report. incoming loan including condition report(s). Evaluation: Check-up. Class 6: Outgoing Loans Reading: Malaro Chapter VI, pp. 260-283 Activity: review samples of outgoing loan Assignment: process an actual outgoing loan transactions noting discrepancies or weaknesses, except for packing and crating. if any. Evaluation: Check-up. Class 7: Unclaimed Loans, Temporary Custody, Reading: Malaro Chapters VII, IX & X, Buck & Found Objects Gilmore 281-287 Activity: look at unclaimed loans and found Complete a temporary custody transaction. objects. Discuss cases with museum staff. Evaluation: Check-up. Class 8: Gifts; Appraisals & Authentications Reading: Malaro Chapters XI, XII & XIII, Buck & Activity: review past gifts to the museum and Gilmore 301-307 check files for completeness. Assignment: Prepare an object for review by the acquisitions committee. Complete a gift form. Evaluation: Check-up. Revisit Collections Management Assignment. Class 9: Care of Collections – basic handling Reading: Malaro Chapter XIV, Buck & Gilmore Activity: collections handling workshop. 45-48 Assignment: move collections for classes 10 & 11 from storage to cataloging room with museum staff. Evaluation: Check-up. Class 10: Collections Documentation including Reading: Buck & Gilmore 43-44, CEU Museum’s numbering and marking Guidelines for Curating Collections Activity: practice marking collections items Assignment: Catalog a minimum of 10 items for the museum including applying the catalog number legibly and correctly. Evaluation: Check-up. Class 11: Preventative Care & Storage Buck & Gilmore 103-119, 255-266 Activity: training on integrated pest management. Assignment: conduct pest inspections on assigned collections. Inspect museum for problem practices or areas. Evaluation: Check-up. Class 12: Continued Assignment: practice reading temperature, Activity: preventative conservation and the humidity, and light measuring devices. Take museum environment readings on assigned areas of the museum. Evaluation: Check-up. Class 13: Insurance and Collection Valuations for Reading: Malaro, Chapter XV, Buck & Gilmore Insurance Purposes 239-246 Activity: workshop on valuations Assignment: research the insured value for one of the collections you have worked on this semester. Evaluation: Check-up. Class 14: Access to Collections Reading: Malaro, Chapter XVI Evaluation: Check-up. Class 15: Visitor and public safety Reading: Malaro, Chapter XVII, Buck & Gilmore 341-347 Evaluation: Check-up.

Class 16: 36cfr79, Federal Repositories, Reading: 36cfr79; NAGPRA (handouts), Buck & NAGPRA, Laws & Ethics Gilmore 311-319, 321-339, 349-353 Activity: include study of laws and regulations Evaluation: Check-up. specific to museum types for students already in a museum setting.