[NHCOLL-L:3342] Collections Management Policy online course in mid-March

[Helen Alten]

COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT

MS209: Collections Management Policies for Museums and Related Institutions
Instructor: William G. Tompkins
Dates: (Available twice in 2007)
March 19 through April 13, 2007
September 3 through 28, 2007
Price: $425
Location: online at www.museumclasses.org

The Northern States Conservation Center ( 
http://www.collectioncare.org ) is pleased to add 
Collections Management Policies for Museums and 
Related Institutions to our online collection 
management curriculum. This popular Smithsonian 
workshop is now available online at www.museumclasses.org .

Acquiring and holding collections impose specific 
legal, ethical and professional obligations. 
Museums must ensure proper management, 
preservation and use of their collections. A 
well-crafted collections management policy is key 
to collections stewardship. Collections 
Management Policies for Museums and Related 
Institutions helps participants develop policies 
that meet professional and legal standards for collections management.

Collections Management Policies for Museums and 
Related Institutions teaches the practical skills 
and knowledge needed to write and implement such 
a policy. The course covers the essential 
components and issues a policy should address. It 
also highlights the role of the policy in 
carrying out a museum’s mission and guiding 
stewardship decisions. Participants are expected 
to draft collections management policies.

Logistics:
Participants in Collections Management Policies 
work through sections at their own pace. 
Instructor Bill Tompkins is available for 
scheduled email support. Materials and resources 
include online literature, textbook readings, 
slide lectures and dialog between students and 
online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.

Please sign up at www.museumclasses.org and pay 
for the course at 
http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html . If 
you have trouble with either, please contact 
Helen Alten at helen at collectioncare.org.

Course Textbook:
John E. Simmons, Things Great and Small: 
Collections Management Policies, American 
Association of Museums, 2006, $40 non-member, $30 
member, 208 pages, ISBN: 1-933253-03-7, available 
from the AAM bookstore http://www.aam-us.org/bookstore/detail.cfm?id=721

Course Outline
1.      The Principles of Collections Management
2.      Collections Stewardship: The Role of a Collections Management Policy
3.      Policy Versus Procedure
4.      Issues to Consider When Developing a Collections Management Policy
5.      Essential Components of a Collections Management Policy
·       Statement of Purpose
·       Statement of Authority
·       Definition and Scope of Collections
·       Acquisition and Accessioning
·       Deaccessioning and Disposal
·       Preservation
·       Collections Information
·       Inventory
·       Risk Management and Security
·       Access
·       Loans
·       Intellectual Property Rights Management
·       Staff Responsibility / Ethics
6.      Monitoring and Revision
7.      Potential Problems
8.      Emerging Issues
9.      Drafting a Collections Management Policy

The Instructor:
William G. (Bill) Tompkins is the national 
collections coordinator for the Smithsonian 
Institution. Bill serves as a principal advisor 
to senior Smithsonian management and staff on 
collections-management policies, procedures and 
standards. He develops, implements and interprets 
Smithsonian collections management standards. 
This includes reviewing and approving the 
policies of the Smithsonian’s individual museums 
to make sure collections are maintained according 
to policy, professional standards and legal 
obligations. Previously, Bill was assistant 
director of the Smithsonian’s Office of the 
Registrar. He is also a former collections 
manager at the National Museum of American 
History. With nearly thirty years experience in 
the museum profession, Bill regularly speaks at 
professional meetings, workshops and university programs.

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