NORDI S K M US EOLOGI 1998•2, S . 51-68

How TO MANAGE COLLECTIONS? - THE PROBLEM OF MANAGE­ MENT OF COLLECTIONS IN MUSEUMS

Ritva Palo-oja & Leena Willberg

What do you do, when collections include 200, 000 objects, and only halfof them are within the management system? What do you do with objects that have been damaged by fire or in transfers between collections? These questions prompted the collection management team of Tampere Museums to develop a value classification system in 1994. This system has been applied since, and has proved to be a practical tool for collection management. The system has already been refined through experience. We hope that this article will provoke discussion and motivate museums to develop common collection management methods.

TAMPERE MUSEUMS further strengthened by the establishment of a railway network. The first railway con­ The collection policy of the Tampere nection was opened in 1876 between Museums is to accumulate the cultural Hameenlinna and Tampere. Industrialists heritage of the Tampere Region, maintain realised the power potential of the Tammer­ it and put it on display. koski Rapids, and one by one the textile The city of Tampere was founded in industry, the engineering industry and the 1779, and is the largest inland city in paper and shoe industries started to develop Scandinavia. It is located on the historical and became important branches of Finnish junction of centuries old waterways and industry as a whole. After decades of struc­ roads on the isthmus of lakes Nasijarvi and tural change, Tampere has become an Pyhajarvi, on both sides of the Tammer­ important centre in the IT industry and a koski Rapids. It is surrounded by the eco­ centre of higher education. nomic area of Tampere Region. This area Today, the Tampere Museums include attracted inhabitants as early as 6,000 years the Harne Museum, the Amuri Museum ago. The position of Tampere at an impor­ of Workers' Housing and the Vapriikki tant economic and traffic intersection was Museum Centre. RITVA PALO-OJA & L EEN A W!LLB E R G

52 Harne Museum was founded in 1904, established. The museum sector took over and is the oldest museum in Tampere. It is the supervision of the Harne Museum, the housed in a palace called Milavida that Tampere Technical Museum, the Finnish was built by the family of cot­ School Museum, the Museum of Natural ton factory owners. Nowadays, Milavida is History and the new City Museum. The better known by the name Nasilinna. The role of the museum sector grew when in collections of the Harne Museum include 1982, it assumed responsibility for the archaeological and ethnological material whole Tampere Region and was renamed and specimens of cultural history. The Tampere Museums - the Regional Museum most valuable collections are those that of . Tampere Museums under­ represent folk art: the 'rya' type rugs and stood its role to be more of a manager the peasant furniture collections. than a collector of local cultural heritage. At the heart of the Tampere Technical The problem of scarce resources hit tho­ Museum was the private technical collec­ se museums that were under the supervisi­ tion of Juho Holmsten-Heinio that was on of the municipal museum sector in the first put on display in 1883. The 1970s and the problem became even wor­ Technical Museum has a varied history: it se in the following decade. Rapidly gro­ changed location from Nasilinna to the wing collections and maintenance of six boiler room of the Frenckell paper mill separate museum units gave impetus to and from there to the factory building of the search for a new, more centralised Kenkateollisuus Oy (Shoe Industry Ltd). mode of operation and common facilities. In addition to technology, the collections The fire at the Technical Museum in 1989 shed light on the industrial history of the hastened this development. A new loca­ Tampere Region. tion was selected from the facto­ The Finnish School Museum was ope­ ry area, and this new centre was named ned in the cellar of Tammela School in the . The collec­ 1960. Its collections include study materi­ tions of the Technical Museum, the City als, teaching equipment and scale models Museum, the Natural History Museum of school buildings and classrooms. The and the Finnish School Museum were all Tampere Museum of Natural History was transferred to this new centre. The basic opened in 1961 in the Kaipio House. In exhibitions of the Vapriikki Museum 1988 the Museum re-opened, in the same Centre will gradually be opened to the location but now as part of the new Metso public between the years 2000 and 2002. library, and with improved collections. The management structure of the The Museum has large collections of Tampere Museums was reorganised at the plants, insects and minerals. The Tampere beginning of the 1990s, and each museum City Museum was founded at the end of unit is now managed by an independent the 1960s. The exhibitions at the museum curator. For the first time in the history of usually present the history of the city of museums in Tampere, collection manage­ Tampere and local cultural history. ment was now perceived to be an inde­ The museums amalgamated in 1969, pendent sphere of operation. when the municipal museum sector was How TO MANAGE CO LLE C TIONS

GROWING COLLECTIONS different museums using different collec­ 53 tion principles. The collections have beco­ The collections of the Tampere Museums me quite large; at the moment they inclu­ do not form a clear entity, but are a sum de 200,000 objects, specimens and archi­ of collections that have been added to by ved items. When the collections were

The Museum Centre of Tampere, known as Vapriikki, is housed in what used to be the engineering works (on the right) ofTampella Ltd., in the very heart ofthe Rapids National Park. The 10,000 square metres ofthe Museum Centre will be filled with exhibition and educational facilities, an auditorium, collection mana­ gement and conservation facilities, a photo archive and an exhibition workshop. The Vapriikki area will be com­ pleted by the year 2002. Photo Timo Lehtinen. RITVA PAL O - O J A & L EENA WILLBER G

54 transferred to the Vapriikki Museum collection was augmented by scholarship Centre at the beginning of the 1990s, it students under the supervision of the was time to unify the collections and curator of the Harne Students' Association arrange them into functional groups. The at the University of Helsinki, Julius Ailio. collections are currently divided into the Their objective was to develop a basic col­ following groups: archaeology, ethnology, lection featuring the culture of the Harne cultural history, local history, industrial reg10n. history, technology, natural history and Between 1910 and 1920, grants became educational history. smaller and collecting gradually ceased. The following chart shows the accumu­ Since then, collections have mainly been lation of collections in the museums of added to through donations. The impor­ Tampere. It should be noted, however, tance of a collection representing urban that until the beginning of the 1960s, the history was realised. In the 1920s, items only collections documented were those of were mainly collected from the Harne the Harne Museum. The technical collec­ region, with some specimens also collected tions have only been included since 1970, from the Satakunta region. The financial when the Technical Museum started to list state of the Harne Museum had improved them in a collection register. The collecti­ thanks to a private bequest, and it was ons of the School Museum and the again possible to collect objects from the Museum of Natural History are not inclu­ region. In the 1930s the Harne Museum's ded in the chart at all, because their col­ collection changed emphasis. Documen­ lections are closely connected to their own tation on the life and culture of the region subject areas and are therefore restricted. was left in the background, and funds The same is not true of the collections of were used to add to the collections of the Harne Museum, the City Museum urban history and photographs. After the and the Technical Museum: their collec­ Second World War, inflation wiped out tions of cultural history partly overlap and the museum's disposable funds, and object form a separate problem area altogether. acquisition was minimal, although the city The figures show the initial collecting of Tampere assisted in covering the run­ enthusiasm of the Harne Museum. The ning costs of the museum.

Museum 1904 1911- 1921 - 1931- 1941- 1951- 1961- 1971- 1981- 1991- -1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 1997 Harne 11,305 9,409 7,396 4,876 1,61 7 3,374 4,229 1,061 Museum City 619 5,242 3,450 30 Museum Technical 23,305 18,38 1 6,506 Museum +55,oob• +20,000* +35 ,000* Total 11,305 9,409 7.396 4,876 1,617 3,374 4,848 84,608 41,831 41,536 items/year 1,61 5 941 740 488 180 337 733 8,620 4, 183 4, 459 *an estimate based on diaries Fig: Items collected by the Tampere museums between 1904 and 1997. How TO MANAGE COLLE C TION S

The collection rate fell decade by decade technology to the history of industrialism. 55 until the 1950s, when the new museum Large product sample collections increa­ manager, the first manager properly edu­ sed the number of collected but unlisted cated in the profession, reversed the trend. objects. At the end of the 1970s, the num­ The museum was totally dependent on ber of documented collection objects the financial assistance of the city. Some belonging to the Tampere Museums num­ acquisitions were made, but mainly as bered nearly 70,000 and there was an esti­ additions to existing collections. In the mated 55,000 objects entered in diaries. 1960s, the Harne Museum's collections The roles of museums as clear and sepa­ were mainly supplemented by large pre­ rate units were blurred within the munici­ historic collections. The total number of pal management system. Collections grew collected objects was already over 42,000. according to the same principles, and The City Museum started collecting most collected items were listed in the objects and specimens more cautiously, books of the Technical Museum. Some of and concentrated on items that were clear­ these collections had little or nothing to ly connected to urban history. do with technology (except that the In the 1970s, collections exploded. The objects were industrial products). When collections of the Harne Museum were the Amuri Museum of Workers' Housing augmented by items of working-class cul­ was founded, its collections were listed in ture up to 1974, when it was decided that the books of either the City Museum or the collections of the Harne Museum the Technical Museum. This phase, which would not be enlarged any further. New has been known as «collection of the cultu­ specimens of cultural history were added ral capital of a regular, modern member of to the collections of the City Museum, society», lasted far too long and produced which had its collection growth under an oversized collection of recent history. control. Larger objects were added to the In the 1980s the growth of the collecti­ collections of the Technical Museum, ons of the City Museum slowed down because its storage facilities were better because of limited storage facilities. The than those of the City Museum. At the diaries of the City Museum only included heart of the collections of the Technical articles of value and small objects of cultu­ Museum were the technical collections ral history and a collection called «Gifts of and the collections of industrial history the City». Other items were listed in the that had been growing since the end of books of the Technical Museum. Most the 19th century. These collections were objects collected were ordinary articles now listed using modern cataloguing me­ used in households. As the number of col­ thods. Collections were added to according lected objects grew, so did the extent of to the needs of different exhibition sec­ the batches entered into diaries. Most of tors: electronics and power technology, these batches included several hundred vehicles, printing technology and office objects, and the museums no longer knew equipment, av1at10n, communication what they owned. As nobody really knew technology and the shoe and textile indus­ what objects had already been collected, tries. In the 1970s, emphasis shifted from many new items were included «just to be RITVA P A L O - O J A & L E E N A WILLB E R G

56 on the safe side». The catastrophic fire on on the staff is involved in the visible part the storage floor of the Technical Museum of museum work: top-quality exhibitions, solved the problem of oversized collecti­ services and co-operation projects, etc. ons in an unusual way by destroying over Museums have started to be responsible 20,000 catalogued objects, including the for their own profits. Among the task irreplaceable collection of Juho Holmsten­ domains of museums, collection manage­ Heinio. After the initial shock, the Tam­ ment has lost out. pere Museums started to plan new faciliti­ Tampere Museums have been going es and new principles for conservation. through a period of reorganisation, regar­ In the 1990s, the growth of collections ding collection activities. Although collec­ has been normalised. The collections ente­ tions are large, they are not comprehensi­ red into diaries are still growing due to the ve and to improve representativeness, col­ collection of objects of industrial history. lections still have to be augmented. The structural change faced by the indus­ Furthermore, collections also have to be tries around 1990 went unnoticed by the added to because of constant develop­ museum sector or by the collection mana­ ment. It is impossible to predict how gement team, because these bodies too much the pressure to collect will be incre­ had to adapt to changed circumstances. ased by future inventions, innovations, Thus, the collection of specimens of events and phenomena. At the same time, industrial history has been a task for the existing collections have to be assessed second half of the 1990s. according to changing perspectives. The annual growth rate (see chart) indi­ In order to be able to rationalise the col­ cates that since the initial collection lection management of the Tampere enthusiasm of the Harne Museum, the Museums, we need to be able to answer rate of collection has slowed down and the following questions: What are the remained under 1,000 objects a year. That responsibilities of the Tampere Museums number of objects could be documented, regarding collection augmentation from given the personnel resources available at the point of view of , the Harne the time. Region and Tampere? Do we need to add Since the 1970s, the average rate of col­ to all existing collections? Could fewer lection growth has been several thousand objects suffice to describe the contents of objects per year. Two thousand objects collection documents? Are collection acti­ were catalogued each year, but this meant vities so important to museums that incre­ that people on the museum staff were ased personnel resources should be direc­ mainly occupied in listing objects. The ted to those activities? rate of documentation stayed the same in Recent collection management develop­ the 1980s. ment has led to a classification system, In the 1990s, the rate of documentation which has been in use since 1994. The has decreased to what it was in the 1920s. basis of this classification system is the The reasons for this can be found in the conservation rating that was developed new expectations and aims that have been out of necessity after the fire at the set out for museums: now almost everyone Technical Museum, with the aim of esti- Ho w TO M ANAGE C OLL EC TION S

mating the damage caused by the fire. It 1. Nationally and internationally 57 was soon realised that the method could irreplaceable uniqueness be useful in collection management. A This is used to assess an object from the classification system was developed, but point of view of preserved cultural legacy, that did not solve the problem in itself. including both Finnish culture and other However, the classification system can be cultures. How many corresponding used within collection management for objects exist? What is the significance of assessing existing collections and directing the object in question? Does it add value future collection augmentation. to the collection, and if so, what kind of value? Does it contain cultural values or COLLECTION contexts? CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM An example of an object in this category is the The basic idea of the classification system medieval chasuble of Asikkala congregation (HM is that collection objects have different 152:2) . T his belongs to the H arne Museum's col­ values. Objects are divided into five value lection of church history. The chasuble is a rarity categories. Value Category I contains the within Scandinavia, and the only one of its kind in most essential cultural heritage part of the Finland. Its original appearance has been well pre­ collection and Value Category II contains served and it represents medieval international and objects that are as valuable as objects in Finnish church culture. category I and can therefore be used as replacements if something happens to the 2. Scientific and historic representativeness objects in Category I. Objects that are taking into account the history ofevolution, part of permanent exhibitions and dupli­ style and art cate objects (objects that have counter­ This is used to assess how well an object parts in categories I or II) fall into Value represents the scientific phase of its time, Category III. Objects that do not add to historical events and phenomena of the the cultural value of a collection are pla­ era, people and their ideas and what it ced in Value Category IV. This category says about the evolution of nature and the constitutes an observation collection, and environment. What is the value of the its objects may be handled and stored object from the point of view of art histo­ according to directions that apply to utili­ ry and trends? ty goods. Value Category V is a so-called deletion category, through which objects The altarpiece of Kuhmalahti church (TKM 8516) that do not fall into any other category are is an exa mple of an object in this category. As a discarded. work of art, the altarpiece is quite average. Other similar works by the same artist have been preser­ CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA ved. The value of this particular altarpiece is deter­ mined by a historical event and story connected to The classification system has seven assess­ it. The altarpiece represents the gratitude of local ment criteria and a fitness criterion. soldiers returning from the Seven Years' W ar in Pomerania. At the sa me time it paints a picture of RITVA PALO-OJA & LEENA WILLBERG

58 the period; peoples' behaviour, war and the signifi­ that was gathered in Tampere from the battle areas cance of the church. of the National War that was fought immediately after Finland declared its independence (HM Another example is a falcon mummy (HM 68:1). 1140:1-412). Its emphasis has changed over time. According to Egyptian Religion, the falcon symbo­ This collection, gathered from the point of view of lised the God of Heaven, Horus. Therefore, falcons politics and ideologies, has increased its significance were mummified and buried when they died. At the as a portrayer of social and societal development. end of the 19th century, Egypt was the Shangri-la of archaeologists and rich travellers. A Finnish 5. Knowledge ofthe history of the museum Baron, Carl Munck af Fulkila, acquired this mum­ objects my and added it to his souvenir collection. He This is used to assess, how well the life donated the mummy to the Harne Museum in cycle and connections of an object are 1908. As an object, the mummy represents known; what this information brings to Egyptian bird species, religion and culture and the the study of history and collections and use of rubber-like fluids and shows the interaction whether the object's history paints a pic­ between collectors and museum collections. ture of the times.

3. Regional representativeness Example: skeleton of a chimpanzee called Chitta, This is used to assess the regional compre­ an object in the Tampere Zoo collection of the hensiveness of a collection and the signifi­ Tampere Museum of Natural History (TLM 5020). cance of individual objects for the collecti­ The heart-stirring story of Chitta's life in circuses on. and zoos tells us about the sad phases of Tampere Zoo, and, more extensively, about the positive and This example is part of the Harne Museum's ethno­ negative aspects of the lives of captured animals. logical collection: a cupboard from lkaalinen (HM 1261 :50). In the ethnological collection of the regi­ 6. Technical aspects and fabricating on, the design of this cupboard is unique and it is techniques very well made. This variant from South-West This is used to assess the object in relation Finland reinforces the diversity of the collection. to the technology, inventions and innova­ The cupboard represents different trends of style tions within its field. What does the fabri­ and type, visible in its form and ornament. cating technique say about the object's properties, and its production and met­ 4. Connection to society, social groups hods of usage? In addition, the object's and ideologies origin, genuineness, changes in outward This is used to assess the connection of an appearance, supplements, improvements, object to different social groups, ideologi­ modifications, etc. are taken into account. es and phenomena of the time, and the importance of the object as a manifesta­ Our first example is a Kullervo tractor (HM tion of these matters. 1259: 17), produced by Turun Rautateollisuus Oy bet ween 1918 and 1924. It represents top-level Harne Museum has a collection called «the collection technology and fabrication techniques of the time, of the year 1918». This collection contains material even in international comparison. 59

Chitta the chimpanzee with the manager of Tampere Z,oo, Leo Wach111a11, accompanied by Jvliicky and Benny. The skeleton of Chitta belongs to the collection ofthe Tampere Museum ofNatural History (TLM 5020). This object is used as an example of value assessment criterion 5: Knowledge ofthe history ofmuseum objects.

As a second example we have shoes from the time 7. Manufacturer of the Depression, produced by Aaltosen Kenka­ This is used to assess an object according tehdas in 1943 (TTM 4921). In wartime, there was to its manufacturer. Several collections in a shortage of several raw materials and of equip­ museums, both private and public, have ment. The situation prompted people to invent dif­ been created in this way, and thus this is ferent substitutes and alternative solutions, and one of the most important value criteria. some of these have proved to be useful even since the Depression. Within the shoe industry, the qua­ Our example is from the industrial history collec­ lity of the newly developed paper-cloth and wooden tions. Smaller collections representing the produc soles was so high that they were even appreciated tion of industrial establishments form a large part outside Finland. of these collections. Considering the location of the Museum Centre Vapriikki and the importance of RITVA PALO-OJA & LEENA WILLBERG

A 9110 Comm11nicato1~ a mobile phone that represents the latest technology, produced by Nokia Mobile Phones (TTM/D 4884). This mobile phone is the newest object in the collection of industrial history. It has been used as an example in crite­ rion 7: Ma1111focturer. Photo Timo Lehtinen.

the textile industry in the history of Tampere, one Fitness of the most important of these smaller collections is The value of an object is not assessed the Tampella collection (TTM/D 3017). This col­ using this category; it is used to determine lection portrays the linen products of Oy Tampella the ways in which the object can be used Ab from the latter part of the 19th century to the in museums. If an object is removed from beginning of the 1980s. a collection because it is worn-out, it does not cease to exist. The physical element of Another example in this category is the Nokia 9110 the object is discarded, but the importan­ Communicator, a mobile phone produced by ce of the remaining written and pictorial Nokia, which represents novel technology. In this elements increases. phone, wireless data transfer, GSM mobile phone and pocket computer have been combined and, for DIVIDING COLLECTIONS the first time in history, wireless image transfer is INTO VALUE CATEGORIES possible. Although, because of the manufacturer, this mobile phone is included in the industrial his­ With the help of the classification criteria, tory collection, it has a lot of significance when the value of collections can be assessed. assessed from national, international, societal, sci­ Criteria 1-4 connect objects to wider per­ entific and technical viewpoints. spectives; to the collection itself and to Ho w TO MANA GE COLL EC TIONS

corresponding collections in Finland and Objects are important to the collection, 61 elsewhere. Criteria 5-7 are subjective to but are not irreplaceable. the objects. They define the level of con­ These objects do not add to the compre­ textual knowledge. The character of a col­ hensiveness and representativeness of a lection determines the criteria that will be collection, but they bring depth and used; which one is the most important nuances, and information about the and what can be disregarded. extent of variants. If scoring is used, an For instance, an optical collection is pri­ object that is placed in Category II must marily a technical collection, and the get 4 points in at least one criterion, or manufacturer is an important factor (crite­ the average rating has to be 2-4. ria 6 and 7). Lately, since objects are used in many different contexts, the importan­ Value Category III ce of contexts has grown (criterion 5). A Objects that belong to permanent exhibi­ silver collection is regional and local, and tions and objects that are important as the manufacturer is the main criterion reserve objects are placed in Category III. used when adding to the collection, but If the number of objects exceeds a level the history of trends and uses is also that is a sensible reserve level, the objects important (criteria 2, 3, 5 and 7). can be offered to an «object bank of On the basis of the assessment criteria, museums» or to the collections of other collections are divided into categories 1-V. museums. Objects in Category III are not In order to specify and simplify the assess­ preserved as artefacts; as they can be repla­ ment a rating scale from 1 to 5 can be used. ced by corresponding objects. The fitness level of objects in this category should be Value Category I high, because the objects have to endure Objects that, when combined, form a being on constant display and the wearing representative general view of a collec­ maintenance measures. Average rating, if tion's subject area, are placed in Category rating is used, is <2. I. In practice, these objects are selected by using the chosen assessment criteria. If Value Category IV scoring is applied, then objects that are Objects that are placed in Category IV placed in Category I have been given the fulfil most of the same criteria as objects maximum points (5) in one or more crite­ in Category III. The level of contextual ria, or the object is given an average rating information is clearly lower (rating 0-1). of= or> 4. These objects are not necessary as reserve objects. Objects in this category can be Value Category II used in museums or other cultural esta­ This contains objects that correspond to blishments. Copies that have been made or are variants of objects in Category I, of original objects are also placed in this but are not essential for understanding the category, and these can be used in exhibi­ character of a collection. Often the con­ tions. Observational, educational and uti­ textual information level of objects in lity collections are formed of objects that Category II is lower than in Category I. belong to this category. RITVA PALO-OJA & LEENA WILLBERG

62 Value Category V well, but that it was impossible to depict 20th cen­ Category V is a so-called deletion catego­ tury developments in the collection. The collection ry. Objects, that do not fulfil the criteria had to be augmented. Gaps were filled and the (average rating less than 1) and cannot be exhibition, Phases of the Bicycle, was put on display. placed in categories I-IV, and objects that The following year, the exhibition was transformed are so worn that they can no longer be into a permanent exhibition at the Technical conserved or maintained, are discarded Museum. In 1988, the collection was supplemented through this category. Objects are abolis­ by the addition of new material, particularly the hed according to a disposal programme, products of domestic manufacturers. after a separate decision to abolish the After the active collection phase the collection object has been made. contained 62 bicycles in the collection covering the period from the 1860s to the 1980s; with the EXAMPLES OF VALUE CATEGORIES emphasis on the period between 1930 and 1960. In - BICYCLE COLLECTION addition to normal bicycles, the collection included some special models. The collection portrayed the As an example of dividing objects into developments of the 19th century well, although value categories we will describe the hand-made, wooden bicycles were rare. assessment and scoring of a bicycle collec­ The bicycle collection is technical-historical by tion. We know from experience that nature. The viewpoint is Finnish, and emphasis is rating is not practical in collection inven­ on domestic production. This perspective was used, tories, but it is necessary in research­ when single objects were assessed in relation to the based, in-depth value assessment. collection. Of the assessment criteria, the following were applied: 1: Nationally and imernationally irre­ The bicycle collection of the Tampere Museums has placeable uniqueness, 2: Sciemific and historic grown over the decades. The first bicycle was obtai­ representativeness taking into account the history ned by the Harne Museum in 1908. During the ini­ of evolution, style and art, 4: Connection to socie­ tial phase, the collection was mainly added to ty, social groups and ideologies, 5: Knowledge of through donations. Active collection on behalf of the history of the museum objects, 6: Technical the Tampere Museums started at the end of the aspects and fabricating techniques and 7: Manu­ 1970s, when the Tampere Museums were asked to facturer. We have selected examples from each construct a bicycle stand for the Loma 79 (Holiday value category. 79) recreational fair. Tampere Museums decided that the exhibition should portray the history of Value Category I technological development and the use of bicycles. As an example of bicycles that have been placed in An inventory of the bicycle collection indicated Category I, we have a bicycle from the 1890's. The that the collection covered the 19th century very main guidebook of the Harne Museum reveals that

Time 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 ob'ects 3 3 2 2 5 13 6 14 4 4 4 Fig: The Bicycle collection ofthe Tampere Museums How TO MANAGE COLLECTIONS

4: Connection to society, social groups and 63 ideologies The bicycle is clearly part of society. It is part of the cultural heritage of the rural social group that had no possessions. The source of innovation was presu­ mably a factory-made, Diamond-framed bicycle that was seen in rhe area at that time. This type of bicycle became common in the 1890's, bur was naturally only used by higher social groups. The son of crofter Hakala probably saw this vehicle inn­ ovation, and constructed his own bicycle based on what he had seen. 5 points. A bicycle produced by Outinen & Lehmusvirta Oy, Tampere {TTM 31514). The trademark is Oopel 5: Knowledge ofthe histo1y ofthe museum objects and it was manufactured in the 1930s. It represents The history of the production and rhe use of this objects of the bicycle collection that fall into Value bicycle is known thanks to scholarship collector Category II. Photo Timo Lehtinen. Erkki Karri, who informed the museums about the manufacturer and the user. There are, however, no details available about the functionality or length of the bicycle came to the museum in 1915 as part of service of the bicycle. 4 points. a collection batch belonging to Erl

64 7: Manufacturer man's ~icycle is an example of the earliest bicycles The information concerning the maker of this bicy­ produced by Ourinen & Lehmusvirra Oy and 3) cle is intriguing. The price of bicycles starred falling the woman's bicycle still has its licence plate on it. in the 1890s with serial production, and it is possi­ ble that the son of crofter Kustaa Hakala saw a 1: Nationally and internationally irreplaceable uni­ bicycle even in the remote area of Kylmakoski. queness Being good with his hands and technically talented, The bicycle is neither unique nor rare. Ir is a serial he managed to construct a bicycle out of a traditio­ product made of industrially produced parts. 3 points. nal Finnish raw material, wood. Considering the age and social status of the maker, and the elemen­ 2: Scientific and historic representativeness taking into tary tools he had to work with, he succeeded remar­ account the history ofevolution, style and art kably well in transposing the technical features into The first boom in the history of bicycles was experi­ the object on display. 5 points. enced at the end of the 19th century. Bicycles were The bicycle was given 27 points in the assess­ registered, and on a local level these registers also ment, the average rating being 4.5. listed those modern upper-class people, who follo­ The fi mess of the bicycle was evaluated after the wed international trends. At the beginning of the value assessment. The bicycle is quite worn, and 20th century, bicycle production grew rapidly and long-term storage has affected its fitness, insects prices plummeted. Bicycles became common. In have caused some damage to the material, for exam­ the 1920s, bicycle sales kept growing and by now ple. The overall fitness of the bicycle is relatively bicycles were used in the countryside as well. At the good, however. Of the original parts, the cogwheel same time, small bicycle assembly and sales shops centre is missing. Ir was replaced by a wooden, cog­ flourished. This bicycle is a typical example of the ged wheel before the exhibition in 1979. A more bicycles of the period. 3 points. detailed assessment of the bicycle's fitness and a plan for conservation and future use in exhibitions 4: Connection to society, social groups and ideologies is part of the job description of a conservator. The donator of the bicycle is known, but its user is not. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the

Value Category II bicycle's connections to society. 0 points.

An example of an object in this category is a bicycle 5: Knowledge ofthe history ofthe museum object produced by a sports shop named Outinen & The history of the bicycle is not known. As the fra­ Lehmusvirra Oy in the 1930s (TTM 31514). The me model of the bicycle is designed for a man, we brand name of the bicycle is Oopel and it was can deduce that the original user was male. The donated to the Technical Museum in 1982. The donator comes from Tampere, bur that does not bicycle collection contains another Oopel bicycle, a necessarily mean that it was used in Tampere. woman's bicycle from the 1920s (TTM 3 151 3). As There is no information about the period of use of it did not make sense to place both bicycles in the the bicycle. I point. same Category, the woman's bicycle was placed in Category I and the man's bicycle in Category II. 6 and 7: Technical aspects and fabricating techniques, This decision was taken on the basis of the follo­ and information about the manufacturer wing three criteria: I) there are fewer women's Like other bicycles of that rime, this one was bicycles in the collection than men's, 2) the wo- assembled using mass produced, standard-sized Ho w TO MANAGE COLLECT ION S

parts. In addition to the large bicycle manufactu­ Value Catego1y IV 65 rers, there were several smaller assembly shops in Finland. Outinen & Lehmusvirta Oy was an assem­ An example of Category IV is a messenger's bicycle bly and sales shop founded in 1919 in Tampere. Ir from rhe 1930s. The bicycle has lost its identifica­ was a small local business; in 1948, for instance, its tion documents in storage transfers . Despi te several sales constituted 2.75% of all Finnish bicycle sales. efforts, no explicit co nnections between the bicycle Oopel is a typical basic bicycle of the time, desig­ and rhe information in diaries has been found. ned for travelling. Ir is black, like most bicycles of Presumably, the bicycle belongs to diary batch the time.The bicycle has a rack and a bell as acces­ TTM/D 2707, which includes equipment from a sories. 4 points. shop in Tampere. The bicycle is in poor condition; The bicycle was awarded 11 points, the average its surface is damaged and its sign plate has disappe­ rating being 2.5. ared. It is not worth co nserving rhe bicycle, because The bicycle is in good shape, taking into conside­ the collection contains other messenger's bicycles ration its age. Maintenance, conservation and usage that are in better condition and equipped with bet­ guidelines for Value Category II will be applied to ter contextual information. The bicycle will be this object. These guidelines are developed together transferred to the utility collection. It will be repai­ with conservators. red and used as an observational instrument in edu­ cation, or for transportation of small items within Value Category III the Vapriikki Museum Centre area.

A bicycle made by Kone ja Tera Oy in the 1950s in Value Catego1y V Tampere has been placed in Category III (TTM/D 3572). The trademark, Jaguar, is the best known of An example in Category V is a bicycle from the the company's brands. The bicycle was donated to 1930s. The bicycle was damaged in the fire at the the Technical Museum in 1989. Technical Museum. The sign pl ate, which is impor­ Kone ja Tera started manufacturing bicycles in tant ro help identify it, is missing. The identifica­ 1933. A new, three-storey factory was opened in tion documents connected with the bicycle were 1937 and production grew. Kone ja Tera was one destroyed in the fire. We assume that the bicycle of the largest bicycle manufacturers in Finland up may have been taken into the collection of the until 1965, when its ownership changed and pro­ Technical Museum in 1983 and given the diary duction of bicycles came to an end. number TTM/D 2569. As rhis is only an assumpti­ The bicycle collection contai ns five Jaguar bicy­ on and as rhe fitness of the bicycle is really poor, ir cles produced by Kone ja Tera. They have been pla­ is nor se nsible to keep rhis bicycle in the collection. ced in different value categories according ro added The decision to dispose of it is backed up by rh e value derived from contextual information. The fact that the collection contains several si milar bicy­ Jaguar is green (the original colour) and has a stand cles from the same period. typical of the times. Some newer parts have been added to it, including a lamp. As the fitness of this THE VALUE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM IS bicycle is better than the fitness of the other Jaguar IN USE IN THE TAMPERE MUSEUMS bicycles, this one is more suitable for use in exhibi­ tions. The value assessment system is an essenti­ al part of the management of collections RITVA PALO-OJA & L EE NA WILLB E R G

66 in the Tampere Museums. The system is that the 'museum life' of an object beco­ not only used to assess existing collections; mes shorter. These objects can be used to it moulds our attitudes towards collection offer visitors a museum experience that management. It influences both active and goes beyond visual sensation. the passive collection. We tell people who offer us objects for our collections, the APPLICABILITY OF THE ASSESS­ value category in which the offered object MENT SYSTEM IN A NUTSHELL would be placed, and we also explain what this means in real terms. After we have 1. The value assessment system is a practi­ assessed a collection, we know how the col­ cal tool for the assessment of museum lection should be supplemented. We no objects. longer need to take in objects «to be on the 2. On the basis of the assessment, mainte­ safe side»; active collecting is based on nance, storage and conservation measu­ knowledge of the collection. res can be determined for collections When we decide to add to a collection, and individual objects as well as the cri­ we take into consideration the criteria teria for putting objects on display. used to assess the collection. For example, 3. Value assessment helps to define the if we have several alternative objects, we cultural heritage value inherent in a col­ select the one that, in addition to its main lection and makes it possible to deter­ criterion, has a good average rating in the mine a culmination point for the col­ criteria chosen for the collection. A good lection. It makes it easier to assess when rating in most of the criteria means that new objects do not add to the value of a the object can be used in different ways in collection. We can calculate the opti­ collections or exhibitions. By selecting mum size, including a sufficient cultu­ objects carefully, we can reduce the size of ral assortment from its subject area, for collections, when a single object covers each collection. several criteria of a collection. 4. Value assessment reveals the strengths The value assessment system enables and weaknesses of a collection. more versatile use of objects. After we 5. Value assessment is a basis for the reaso­ have selected the best objects (categories I nable management of collections. and II) and an exhibition collection (cate­ gory III), the remaining objects fall into COLLECTIONS GROW - UNDER Category IV, which is a source of educati­ CONTROL OR OUT OF CONTROL? on, observational and utility collections. If an object is not useful in Category IV, it is One of the main purposes of museums is moved to Category V and disposed of. to supplement collections. Museums live; Together with conservators, maintenance, they follow the phenomena of their sub­ conservation and usage guidelines are ject areas and document the cultural heri­ developed for objects in Category IV. tage connected with their collections. These guidelines are written bearing in Therefore, collections grow all the time. mind that objects in Category IV should The amount and quality of this growth be used in a versatile way, even if it means depends on the role of the museum; is the How TO MANAGE COLLECTIONS

sphere of competence national, regional or At some point, every museum that sup­ 67 local, or does it concentrate on a special plements its collections will face the pro­ subject area? The Tampere Museums sup­ blem of limited storage facilities, and with plement their collections from a national, it the problem of value assessment. regional, and local viewpoint and speciali­ Disposal of objects (Value Category V) se in several subject areas. As the field is so will be a natural part of collection mana­ comprehensive, it is impossible to justify gement. It is sensible to admit the immi­ limiting the acquisition of new objects to nence of oversized collections and to pre­ any extent without affecting the represen­ pare for it. It is possible to develop co­ tativeness of collections. operation between museums and to create Supplementing collections is problema­ common, functional and reasonable dis­ tic, because there are no guidelines for posal guidelines. What criteria should be culling collections. Continuous growth of used for object disposal? What factors collections is untenable due to limited (such as the terms of a donation) exclude space, staff and budgetary resources. How the possibility of disposal? By accepting have museums solved the problem of cul­ the disposal of objects as a natural part of ling? In Finnish museums this problem collection management, we facilitate the has not been openly discussed. «A fire collection of new objects. Contemporary once every decade» was the playful remark phenomena and future trends can only be (or wishful thinking) of old museum peo­ understood from a historical perspective. ple. Often a fire or some other catastrophe Museums have therefore traditionally been has indeed provided a solution to the pro­ a step behind with their acquisitions. The blem of oversized collections. But what consequence of this has been that it has kind of solution? In some cases, unsuita­ often been difficult and expensive to ble storage facilities have caused perma­ acquire the objects needed to depict the nent damage to objects. This passive atti­ phenomena. tude has led to a partial destruction of our The principle of contemporary docu­ cultural heritage. Some active measures mentation could be incorporated to inclu­ have also been taken, however. A perpetu­ de collection management: collect an al lack of space has prompted museum oversized, basically documented collec­ staff to dispose of objects crudely on the tion, and assess it, after enough time has basis of subjective estimates. Sometimes passed, from a historical perspective and straightforward, mathematical systems dispose of the objects that do not contri­ have been applied, where every second, bute to cultural heritage. This would third or fourth object has been removed. reduce the need to supplement collections The value assessment system provides a later with objects that are expensive or solid foundation for decisions concerning hard to find, or with objects that have disposals. The representativeness of a col­ happened to be saved inadvertently or lection can be maintained and even because of the subjective interests of col­ improved, when documentation and con­ lectors. We have to keep in mind that the servation measures are concentrated on interests of collectors and museums are the essential part of the collection. seldom in tune. RITVA PALO-OJA & LEENA WILLB E RG

68 The value assessment system provides work was already being discussed at the following museums with tools for assessing collec­ collection seminar on 20 and 21 September, 1995. tions and for setting guidelines for future Since then we have learned that guidelines for col­ acquisitions. But this is not enough in lection assessment have been developed in several contemporary society, where objects European museums, often without any knowledge abound. If responsibilities are no distribu­ of the efforts of others. Tampere has exchanged ted between museums, they will not be experiences with, for example, the Organismo able to produce adequate basic documen­ Aut6nomo de Museos in Tenerife. tation. A Swedish model, Samdok, was introduced into Finland on the initiative The writers, Ritva Palo-oja and Leena Willberg, are of the National Board of Antiquities responsible for the management of collections in around 1990. The Board sent a compre­ the Tampere Museums. Leena Willberg started hensive questionnaire to museums to cla­ documenting the ethnology and cultural history rify the contents of collections, and asked collections at rhe Harne Museum at the end of the for suggestions as to how responsibilities 1960s. Rirva Palo-oja rook on the responsibility of could be divided. The project has not the documentation of the Technical Museum in been carried through, however. Thus 1973. Since the mid-1970s, Willberg and Palo-oja museums are still expanding collections have been working together in the field of collecti­ according to their own preferences. It can­ on management and research. The collections of not be reasonable that, inspired by the Harne Museum, the City Museum and the momentary insight, several museums col­ Technical Museum have become familiar over the lect corresponding objects based on the years. Since rhe beginning of the 1990s, Willberg same phenomena, while other phenomena and Palo-oja have been in charge of object collecti­ are completely ignored. This mode of ope­ ons at the historical museums, excluding archaeolo­ ration leads to large, overlapping collecti­ gical collections and collections of natural history. ons. As the national division of collection In their practical work, they have encountered the responsibilities has not yet been realised, problem of managing collections and sought soluti­ Tampere Museums have decided to define ons to this problem which they are still pondering. their area of competence themselves, taking into account local features and the Curator Ritva Palo-oja, M.A., works far Ta111pere significance of these features on a national Mweums and is in charge ofthe collections ofindw­ level. Tampere Museums have open-min­ trial history, technology and educational history. dedly started to assess and manage collec­ Tampere Mweums, PL 487, F!N-33101 TAMPERE tions in a controlled manner. Fax +358-3-31466808 email: [email protected]

Tampere Museums presented its value assessment Curator Leena Willber g M.A., works far Tt1.111p ere system for the first rime ar a collection seminar /\1use111ns and is in charge ofth e collections ofe thnolo ­ arranged by the Finnish Museum Association on gy, cultuml histo1y and local histo1y. November 16, 1994. The system aroused interest Ta111pere Museums, PL 487, FIN-33101 TA/v!PERE and evoked discussion ro such an extent rhar rhe Fax. +358-3 -3 1466808 applicability of rh e assessment system in practical email: leena. [email protected]