The Heritage Health Index Report 79

Chapter 10: Assessments and Intellectual Control Cataloging and documenting works of art in the collections are basic responsibilities of the . —Professional Practices in Art , Association of Art Museum Directors, 2001 strive to preserve and protect the authenticity of records in their holdings by document- ing their creation and use in hard copy and electronic formats. They have a fundamental obligation to preserve the intellectual and physical integrity of those records. —Code of Ethics for Archivists, Society for American Archivists, 2005 The Accreditation Commission expects that the scope of a museum’s collections stewardship extends to both the physical and intellectual control of its property. —A Higher Standard: Museum Accreditation Program Standards, American Association of Museums, 2005

The preservation needs documented by the institutions have a backlog in cataloging, with Heritage Health Index are infinitely harder to only 60-79% of collections cataloged. Almost 40% address if , libraries, historical societies, of institutions have a significant backlog in cata- museums, archaeological repositories, and scien- loging, with 59% or less of their not tific research organizations do not have recent having basic information recorded about it— assessments of their collections’ conditions. including 18% of institutions with no cataloging Institutions will also find it challenging to man- records on any of their collections. That so many age the care of collections if they do not have suf- institutions lack information about their collec- ficient intellectual control over what they hold. tions may explain the low response rate on the Although knowing the quantity and condition of survey question that asked for the quantity of col- collections is a fundamental component of collec- lections. tions stewardship, too many institutions do not Looking at cataloging levels by institution, have this information. Results from the survey libraries are significantly more likely to have col- questions that asked institutions to report on the lections cataloged, with 69% of libraries having percentage of collections that are cataloged and more than 80% of their collections cataloged (fig- the availability of current assessments reveal this ure 10.2). Archives are least likely, with only 30% need. In addition, the percentage of miss- ing information and “don’t know” respons- Fig. 10.1 Institutions’ Percentage of Collections es throughout the survey is telling about Accessible Through a Catalog the lack of intellectual control over collec- tions. 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% The Heritage Health Index asked insti- None 18% tutions to estimate the percentage of their 1-19% 8% collections accessible through a catalog.1 The definition of “catalog” did not specify 20-39% 6% what descriptive detail it must contain to 40-59%7% allow institutions the broadest possible 60-79% 11% interpretation to this question. Only 12% said that all their collections were accessi- 80-99% 34% ble through a catalog, but 34% have a large 100% 12%

portion (80%-99%) of their collection cata- of cataloged collections Percentage Don’t know 4% loged (figure 10.1). A little over 10% of

1. Catalog: research tool or that provides intellectual control over collection through entries that may contain descriptive detail, including physical description, , history, accession information, etc. 80 The Heritage Health Index Report

tory museums/historic sites/other muse- Fig. 10.2 Institutions’ Percentage of Collections ums (figure 10.3). Small institutions with Accessible Through a Catalog (by type) the highest percentage of having no collec- 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% tions cataloged include science muse- ums/zoos/botanical gardens (43%), art None Archives museums and historical societies (33%), Libraries history museums/historic sites/other 1-39% Historical Societies museums (31%), and archaeological reposi- 40-79% Museums tories/scientific research collections Archaeological (26%). Repositories/ By governance, federal institutions are 80-99% Scientific Research Collections most likely to have more than 80% of their 100% collections cataloged (60%), followed by Don’t 59% of institutions with county/municipal Percentage of cataloged collections Percentage know governance and 52% of state governed institutions. Tribal (50%) and non-profit (21%) organizations were most likely to Fig. 10.3 Institutions’ Percentage of Collections have none of their collections cataloged. Available Through a Catalog (by size) Seventeen percent of institutions cited 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% an urgent need for finding aids or cata- loging of collections; it ranks as the sec- None ond greatest urgent need cited by institu- tions after environmental controls (figure 1-39% 10.4). Combining need and urgent need fig- 40-79% ures, 65% of institutions need cataloging— the third most frequent need after staff 80-99% training and condition assessments. Historical societies (29%) and archives and 100% Large history museums/historic sites/other Medium Don’t museums (both 23%) cite an urgent need Percentage of cataloged collections Percentage know Small for cataloging. To get a sense of the accessibility of col- having a catalog that includes more than 80% of lections information, the Heritage Health Index their collections. Only one-third of museums and archaeological repositories/scientific research Fig. 10.4 Need for Finding Aids or Cataloging collections have more than 80% of their collec- of Collections tions cataloged. Institutions with no cataloging records include 31% of historical societies, 28% 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% of museums, and 20% of archaeological reposito- ries/scientific research collections. Only 7% of No need 26% libraries and 8% of archives do not have anything cataloged. Need 48% Percentage of collections cataloged directly relates to size of institution, with smaller institu- Urgent need 17% tions more likely to have little or no collections data. Of the large institutions with none of their Don’t know 4% collections information in a catalog, 14% are large science museums/zoos/botanical gardens, Not applicable 5% 10% are large art museums, and 6% are large his- The Heritage Health Index Report 81

included a question on the estimated per- Fig. 10.5 Institutions’ Percentage of Collections centage of the collection’s catalog avail- Catalog Available Online able online, whether for institutional or public use. Only 31% have such informa- 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% tion available for more than 80% of their None 50% catalog, and half of all U.S. 1-19% 8% institutions have no cataloging informa- tion available online (figure 10.5). At 64%, 3% 20-39% libraries are most likely to have online 40-59% 2% catalog access, while historical societies, 60-79% 4% museums, and archaeological reposito- ries/scientific research collections are 80-99% 15% least likely to have any collections data 100% 16% available online (figure 10.6). Large insti- Percentage of cataloged collections Percentage Don’t 3% tutions are more likely than small institu- know tions to have their catalogs available online, with 41% of large institutions hav- Fig. 10.6 Institutions’ Percentage of Collections ing more than 80% available, compared Catalog Available Online (by type) with 26% of small institutions (figure 10.7). 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Only a quarter of institutions provide None online access to the content of their col- lections or holdings through such things 1-39% as online exhibitions, interactive resources, digital art, or digital copies of 40-79% Archives Libraries photographs, documents, or (figure 10.8). Eight percent predict that they will 80-99% Historical Societies begin to provide such content within a Museums 100% Archaeological year. Archives (41%), libraries (29%), and Repositories/ museums (23%) are most likely to make Don’t Percentage of cataloge available online of cataloge available Percentage Scientific Research collections content available online (fig- know Collections ure 10.9). Large institutions are more

Fig. 10.7 Institutions’ Percentage of Collections Fig. 10.8 Institutions That Provide Online Catalog Available Online (by size) Access to the Content of Any of Their Collections or Holdings

0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% None 25% Provide online access to content 1-39% Don’t provide online access to content, 40-79% 8% but will have access within the next year

80-99% 65% Don’t provide online Large access to content 100% Medium Don’t Percentage of cataloge available online of cataloge available Percentage Small Don’t know 1% know 82 The Heritage Health Index Report

Fig. 10.9 Institutions That Provide Online Fig. 10.10 Institutions That Provide Online Access to the Content of Any of Their Access to the Content of Any of Their Collections or Holdings (by type) Collections or Holdings (by size)

0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Provide online access to content Provide online access to content

Don’t provide online access to content, Don’t provide online access to content, but will have access within the next year but will have access within the next year

Don’t provide Don’t provide online access online access to content to content

Don’t Don’t know know Archives Libraries Historical Societies Museums Large Medium Small Archaeological Repositories/Scientific Research Collections

than twice as likely to provide access to content at 46%, including 47% of public libraries, 40% of (46%) than small institutions (20%) (figure 10.10). academic libraries, and 50% of special libraries. The availability of such resources indicates not Large, medium, and small institutions have simi- only an additional level of information about col- lar percentages of having current surveys that lections but also the existence of digital materi- included all of their collections (figure 10.13). The als that should be potentially be part of an insti- percentage of institutions that have done surveys tution’s preservation program. is about equal across types of governance. Tribal- governed museums have the lowest percentage of Collections Assessments The Heritage Health Index asked collecting institutions whether a survey of the general con- Fig. 10.11 Institutions That Have Done a dition2 of their collections has been done. Survey of the General Condition of Their Respondents were able to select from the follow- Collections ing choices: “yes,” “yes, but only of a portion of the collection,” “yes, but it is not up-to-date,” “yes, 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% but only a portion of the collection, and it is not up-to-date,” “no,” and “don’t know.” Thirty percent 30% Have done a survey of institutions have done a survey of the condi- 11% Have done a survey only of a portion tion of their collections, but 35% have not done of the collection one (figure 10.11). The remaining one-third of 12% Have done a survey but institutions have surveys for only a portion of it is not up-to-date Have done a survey only of a portion their collections or their surveys are out-of-date. 10% Museums have a slightly higher percentage of and it is not up-to-date having done surveys than other types of institu- 35% Have not done a survey tions (37%), and historical societies have the low- est percentage (22%) (figure 10.12). Libraries are Don’t know 3% the most likely not to have done any survey at all

2. Survey of general condition: an assessment based on visual inspection of the collections and the areas where they are exhibited or held. The Heritage Health Index Report 83

Fig. 10.12 Institutions That Have Done a Survey Fig. 10.13 Institutions That Have Done a of the General Condition of Their Collections Survey of the General Condition of Their (by type) Collections (by size)

0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Have done a survey Have done a survey Have done a survey only of a portion Have done a survey only of a portion of the collection of the collection Have done a survey but it is not up-to-date Have done a survey but it is not up-to-date

Have done a survey only of a portion Have done a survey only of a portion and it is not up-to-date and it is not up-to-date

Have not done a survey Have not done a survey

Don’t know Don’t know Large Medium Small

Archives Libraries Historical Societies Museums Archaeological Repositories/Scientific Research Collections having assessments (8%), but 19% of tribal insti- tutions indicated “don’t know” in this question. In ranking needs, “condition surveys or assess- Fig. 10.14 Need for Condition Surveys or ments of collections” had a combined need and Assessments of Collections urgent need figure of 68%, the second most com- mon cited need after staff training (figure 10.14). That assessments are such a common need and 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% that only one-third of collecting institutions have a current assessment of their entire collection is No need 22% consistent with the fact that many indicated “condition unknown” in the question about condi- Need 54% tion of collections items. It also explains why some survey questions, such as the one that Urgent need 14% asked institutions to indicate the causes of dam- age to items, had higher percentages of “don’t Don’t know 5% know” responses. As more institutions conduct surveys on the Not applicable 6% condition of their artifacts, there is the potential for the percentages of U.S. collections items in need to increase.