Collections Management Training

All day Monday, the museum interns trained with Bridgette, the museum registrar. The first part of the training consisted of an in-depth tour of the HRC museum storage area, during which we learned how to navigate the collections area, open different types of locking cabinets, and find specific objects in storage. After the training, we did a storage area scavenger hunt. The museum keeps objects in several different kinds of storage cabinets, including shelfs, drawers, pull down doors, and more. We were given a list of object locations and we had to figure out which cabinet, drawer, shelf, box, etc. the objects listed were located at. The scavenger hunt was helpful, because it allowed us to find things on our own, and I always learn the best by doing.

After the scavenger hunt, Bridgette gave us an overview of proper object handling techniques, which made me realize just how much I learned in Dixie’s registration class. I was pleased that I already knew everything she told us. Even so, it was great to have a review before handling objects myself.

After the object handling review, we moved on to a box building lesson, in which Bridgette taught us the basics of building storage boxes out of archival quality materials, including blue board, ethafoam, and acid free hot glue. The museum has several shapes and sizes of pre-made acid free storage boxes, so we learned how to determine when to make a storage box or container and when to use one that is pre-assembled. Basically, we learned to keep things simple and use a pre-made box whenever the objects will fit in them without too much excess space. Space is at a premium in the HRC storage area, so conserving space for growth of the collection is extremely important. When pre-made storage boxes are too big or too small for objects, it is best to make a box from scratch using by cutting blue board with a razor, hot gluing it together, and creating custom padding with ethafoam and other acid-free materials. During this lesson, I also learned different ways to mark objects with their catalog number in a way that is both safe for the object and inconspicuous.

After the lesson, we got to put our new knowledge to the test by making boxes to store objects in need of rehousing. I made a container for a set of syrup pitchers with depictions of Old Faithful on the front. I made a long, rectangular box that separates the two pitchers with blocks of ethafoam glued to the inside the box. After gluing the box together, I lined it with ethafoam and then glued in ethafoam blocks to separate and protect them. It is best to keep similar objects or pieces of sets together, and this box accomplished that.

One of the syrup pitchers I made housing for

The housing for the syrup pitchers 

(it may not be beautiful, but this was the first time I have done this!)

The syrup pitchers resting safely in their new housing

After lunch, Bridgette trained us on the ANCS+ database, the NPS wide collections management software. In the database, we have to enter lots of information, including object descriptions, condition reports, measurements, materials, time period, accession number, catalog number, housing location, and more. After watching Bridgette show us how to enter objects into the database on a projector, we returned to our desks for hands on use of the program, where we had the opportunity to enter new accessions into ANCS+, make boxes for them, label them with clear varnish and acid free pens, and photograph them (these photos will be linked to the objects in ANCS+). The object I worked on was a 1950’s era souvenir – a small leather case with three dice inside that is engraved with “Yellowstone Park”.

The dominos and case

New housing for dominos 

I separated the dominos from their case because early plastics like the ones the dominos are made of were made of unstable materials which may damage the leather case over time.

Today, we also learned about re-housing (this will be one of our big projects for the summer. There is a large backlog of objects that are already accessioned and cataloged but have not yet been put in containers or been put into museum storage. Our responsibility will be to make custom storage containers, find and place them in appropriate storage locations, and update the object locations in ANCS+. We will also be housing and cataloging newly accessioned objects and entering them into ANCS+, which includes creating photographic records (and linking them to ANCS+), making custom storage containers for them, marking them with their catalog numbers, and putting them into appropriate storage locations.