This eight week course will introduce participants to the professional principles and practices in the management of museum collections. Topics will include collections development, registration and record keeping with an emphasis on the development of Collection Policies and Procedures and what it means to be intellectually and physically responsible for museum objects.

At the beginning of the course participants will be asked to select five objects from their museum to work with throughout the eight weeks. During the course, participants will be working on a collection management policy draft, and conducting some management tasks with their mini-collection objects.

Participant Outcomes
By the end of this course participants will:

• Develop a detailed draft of a Collections Policy
• Identify a collection of objects
• Develop a standardized set of registration records and forms including inventory, catalog, accession, and loans
• Learn about various registration numbering systems and how to mark objects appropriately
• Discuss issues related to collections strategies, mission, purpose, and scope of collections
• Develop a broader understanding of legal and ethical concerns of managing collections

Required Textbook:

John E. Simmons, Things Great and Small: Collections Management Policies , 2nd Ed. Washington, DC: American Alliance of Museums, 2017 (ISBN 10:1-933253-03-07).

Optional text:

Daniel B. Reibel. Registration Methods for the Small Museum , Fourth Edition, Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2008 (Paperback ISBN 978-0-7591-1131-8) 

(Texts are NOT INCLUDED with your registration. You must order the book separately from the book seller of your choice.)

For more information visit the AASLH website online courses page or contact Alex Collins AASLH, Education and Service Coordinator, at learn@aaslh.org or 615-320-3203.