Collections Management Policy Development and Collections Survey

As expected, the new Collections Management Policies and Procedures developed by Rose Kubiatowicz provide the museum?s Board of Trustees and volunteer staff with the ability to properly accession, de-accession, and loan objects. These policies and procedures also address methods for properly documenting, handling, and conserving the artifacts. Additionally, the Collections Report included a summary of findings from the Collections Survey, recommendations to improve artifact display and storage, as well as a plan and procedures for a wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling inventory of the collections.

It was originally anticipated that the information provided by Rose Kubiatowicz in the Collections Report would allow the museum?s grant writer to develop a structured plan to complete an inventory. However, Rose went beyond what was expected and outlined an eight-phase plan for a wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling inventory. She also provided a detailed plan for phase one of the inventory including budget options, a project description, and requirements for project personnel.

Another unexpected piece of information in the Collections Report was a count of items currently on loan to the museum from the Jay Johnson Family Collection. Prior to receiving the grant, the museum?s Board members were uncertain which items were officially owned by the museum verses its founder, Jay Johnson. Additionally, a lack of proper accession procedures and documents made Jay hesitant to donate the majority of his collection. With new policies and procedures in place, Jay was able to donate 874 items from his private Civil War Collection to the museum, using the gift agreement and receipt forms provided by Rose.