The Collections Management and Planning Division functions within the Museum to provide information and support to research, exhibitions, public Programs, performances, electronic outreach and other activities. It is responsible for ensuring the sound management and documentation of the CMC collections. This includes inventory control, registration, circulation and the integration of accumulated data into information systems. As well, it protects the physical integrity of the collection by ensuring safe, well-managed storage spaces. It also performs artifact movement within and outside the Museum and is responsible for the processing of loans, new acquisitions, deaccessions and disposal. Finally, it maintains records which furnish information on the Museum’s object collections, including purchase orders, requisitions, contracts, agreements and acquisition committee minutes.
General Objectives
The division will focus on providing:
- an overview of methods and practices of artifact registration
- training in inventory control, artifact search and retrieval techniques
- instruction and practice regarding artifact handling and numbering techniques.
Specific Learning Outcomes
These objectives will be reached through assigned tasks and projects which may include the following skills or procedures.
The intern may:
- accession, register and perform descriptive cataloguing of incoming artifact acquisitions, using gift agreements, loan forms and acquisition sheets
- enter registration/cataloguing data onto worksheets, spreadsheets and databases, giving accurate descriptions, and use hierarchical nomenclature in a variety of classification systems
- apply data entry standards to improve automated entry retrieval
- use artifact location inventory systems, as well as photo-laser CD to locate objects
- safely handle, support and transport artifacts
- tag and physically number artifacts.