Welcome to the
Community Museums Association
of Prince Edward Island’s

Bare Essentials of Museums Series
“Focus on Collections Management” 

Transcript (video = 9.5Mb)

This Collections Management Training and Resource Disk contains a number of text and multi-media resources created by the Community Museums Association of Prince Edward Island for the Island’s community museums. The collections management processes and standards outlined in the material reflect the collaborative results of the Island’s museums to create a provincial standard for PEI’s museum community. As you explore the content, you will find comprehensive training materials for those doing the collections management for museums along with templates for record forms, etc. This disk is a complement to the Association’s “Bare Essentials of Museums: An Introduction to Museum Work” training CD so for an overview of the topic we encourage you to examine the multi-media content found on the introductory disk.

Why Collections Management?
One of the most important functions of a museum is collecting. One of the fundamental reasons for a museum to exist is to care for collections. This distinguishes museums from all other educational and historical institutions. No two museums are exactly alike when you consider the content of their collections. The collection is the foundation of each museum.

The objects held in a museum's collection reflect the geographical or thematic area that the museum represents. Collections of artefacts in museums fit within the mandate of the institution. The content of a museum’s collection is dictated by the areas that the museum has chosen to represent. For example, a community museum may collect objects that pertain to the history of the community or region in which it is situated. An art gallery may have a mandate to collect art from a certain region or period.

As objects enter the collection, the role and purpose of the object changes from a practical one to one in which the object will be preserved, researched and possibly used for display. A museum is responsible for the stewardship or care of the objects in its possession. Artefacts in museums are held for the public good and in perpetuity. Museums have, therefore, made a commitment to protect and maintain the objects in their collection forever. Because of the demands of time and resources to preserve the objects in their care, museums must develop policies and procedures to maintain consistency in museum work.

Each object in a museum collection has an accession number assigned to it. A museum can have tens of thousands of artefacts in its collection. The accession number enables museum staff to maintain records on as well as identify the history and origins of each object. Accurate record keeping is an important function of any museum.

Much of the activity of any museum is centered around the institution’s collection. The collection influences much of the public programming and the amount and type of research that is done. Collections provide the source from which museums can conduct research, education and exhibition to help the visiting public know more about our heritage and the world that we live in.

Having a collection means that there are a great many responsibilities which the museum must undertake to provide the collection with proper care. These responsibilities include the professional organization and management, conservation, and security of the artefacts to ensure that the collection is preserved for future generations and shared with the community that is served by the institution.