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The Collection Inventory Handbookfor Museums and Historical SocietiesSandra VanderwarfIndependent CollectionsSpecialistARCS 2017 ConferenceVancouver, British Columbia, CanadaFriday, November 3, 2017National September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 1Bethany RomanowskiHead RegistrarNational September 11 Memorial andMuseum
The Collection Inventory Handbookfor Museums and Historical Societies Sandra VanderwarfIndependent Collections SpecialistNew York, NYBethany Romanowski, Head Registrar,National September 11 Memorial and MuseumNew York, NYInventory BackgroundInventory BackgroundCalvin Klein Fashion ArchiveCooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design MuseumBrooklyn Children’s MuseumNational Museum of MongoliaAbout UsNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 2 Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum South Street Seaport Museum Currently overseeing 9/11 museum’s first wall-to-wallinventory
The Collection Inventory Handbookfor Museums and Historical SocietiesPresentation OutlineI. Backstory on the BookII. Collections Inventory SurveyIII. Inventory Case StudiesIV. Connecting Survey to Case StudiesV. What’s Next?Sandra VanderwarfIndependent CollectionsSpecialistNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 3BethanyRomanowskiHead Registrar
The Collection Inventory Handbook for Museums and Historical Societies Will be comprised of two partsØ Part 1: TheoryØ Part 2: Case Studies Emphasis on incorporating current technologies into inventoryprocesses Rowman & Littlefield, expected publication 2018Sandra VanderwarfIndependent CollectionsSpecialistI. Backstory on the BookNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 4Bethany RomanowskiHead Registrar
The Collection Inventory Handbook for Museums and Historical SocietiesSurvey TopicsØ Planning the inventoryØ Documenting the inventoryØ Conducting inventories in the digital ageQuestion FormatØ Respondents rated topics in each category by level of interestØ Space provided for questions and commentsII. Collections Inventory SurveyNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 5Sandra VanderwarfIndependent CollectionsSpecialistBethanyRomanowskiHead Registrar
Collections Inventory Survey (2016)Locations and Types of Institutional AffiliationsShared by 47 of 202 RespondentsSandra VanderwarfIndependent CollectionsSpecialistII. Collections Inventory SurveyNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 6BethanyRomanowskiHead Registrar
Survey ResultsTopics In which the Most Respondents Were“Very Interested”Planning the InventoryDetermining resources needed: 83%Documenting the InventoryReconciling documentation discrepancies: 94%Conducting Inventories in the Digital AgePreparing your database to receive inventory data: 78%Sandra VanderwarfIndependent CollectionsSpecialistII. Collections Inventory SurveyNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 7BethanyRomanowskiHead Registrar
CASE STUDYNational Museum of MongoliaBeads, 4,000-3,000 BCEArchery set,11th-12th c.Jade ornament, 3rd c.BCE-1st c. CEFlag,1910sOBJECTIVEMake Inventories Faster by BarcodingDeer figurine, 7th c.Mongolian script typewriter,1920sThe collection features about 50,000 objects dating from prehistory tothe late 20th century.Sandra VanderwarfIndependentCollections SpecialistIII. Inventory Case StudiesNational September 11 Memorial & MuseumNational Museum of Mongolia inUlaanbaatar. Page 8
CASE STUDYNational Museum of MongoliaOBJECTIVEMake Inventories Faster by BarcodingGilded Buddhist figuresSilver & gold headdressembellished with gemsJade ritual objectsThese objects are among more than 1,000 that a curator stole and sold inthe 2000s. This and other cases of unlawful possession and sale ofMongolian cultural heritage lent impetus to new laws requiringmuseums to inventory collections every two years.Sandra VanderwarfIndependentCollections SpecialistIII. Inventory Case StudiesNational September 11 Memorial & MuseumInventory took two years using a penciland-paper methodology. Page 9
CASE STUDYNational September 11 Memorial & MuseumFirst Wall-to-Wall InventoryOBJECTIVES: Capture baseline inventory documentation Accurate location data for 100% of collectionBethanyRomanowskiHead RegistrarIII. Inventory Case StudiesNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 10
Survey Topic 1: Planning An Inventory83%IV. Connecting Survey to Case StudiesNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 11Sandra VanderwarfIndependent CollectionsSpecialistBethanyRomanowskiHead Registrar
Case StudyBarcoding at National Museum of MongoliaTimeIssues Working from an Arbitrary TimelineMoney & EquipmentKnowing & Investing in Technology NeedsAn up-to-date laptop (left) supported a faster work flow and highermorale. An older desk top computer (right) was also used, but slowedwork.Source: Amazon.comIV. Connecting Survey to Case StudiesNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 12Sandra VanderwarfIndependentCollections SpecialistMongolian Cyrillic must be encoded as a QR code,with Unicode text encoding. Scanners that supportUnicode are scarce and cost nearly double the budgetprojection.
Survey Topic 1:PlanningDeterminingResources Needed,Such as Time,Money, andEquipmentIV. Connecting Survey to Case StudiesNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 13ü Estimating time through prototypingü Creating a sound budgetü Equipment checklists and vendorsü Synthesize data from case studies of high and lowbudget inventory projectsSandra VanderwarfIndependent CollectionsSpecialistBethanyRomanowskiHead Registrar
Survey Topic 2: Documenting the Inventory94%IV. Connecting Survey to Case StudiesNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 14Sandra VanderwarfIndependent CollectionsSpecialistBethanyRomanowskiHead Registrar
Most CommonDocumentationDiscrepancies“NN” record generatedfor “Question the 9/11Investigation” flierfound in storage Objects with nodocumentation Objects from a knownsource, lackingdatabase records Numbering problemslinked to componentdocumentationIV. Connecting Survey to Case StudiesNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 15Bethany RomanowskiHead Registrar
Survey Topic 2:Documenting AnInventoryü Anticipating Discrepanciesü Resolving Discrepancies: How & Whenü Legal Parameters Connected to Disposal, MissingObjects, & Other Inventory IssuesReconcilingDocumentationDiscrepanciesü Case StudiesIV. Connecting Survey to Case StudiesNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 16Sandra Vanderwarf Bethany RomanowskiHead RegistrarIndependent CollectionsSpecialist
Survey Topic 3: Conducting Inventories In the Digital Age78%IV. Connecting Survey to Case StudiesNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 17Sandra VanderwarfIndependent CollectionsSpecialistBethanyRomanowskiHead Registrar
9/11 Museum Inventory Record:Minimum InventoryDocumentationAdditional InventoryDocumentationIV. Connecting Survey to Case StudiesNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 18 Object NumberObject NameBrief DescriptionCurrent LocationDate Inventory Information Recorded andRecorder’s Name Object Type Medium DimensionsBethanyRomanowskiHead Registrar
ChallengeCollective Access database not configured to:Record that an object was found during inventory, inventory recorder’sname, and dateTrack object componentsRecord location historyIV. Connecting Survey to Case StudiesNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 19BethanyRomanowskiHead Registrar
Inventory LogFeatureComponenttracking featureLocationtracking featureNational September 11 Memorial & MuseumIV. Connecting Survey to Case StudiesBethanyRomanowskiHead Registrar
Inventory Report Exportedfrom DatabaseIV. Connect Survey to Case StudiesNational September 11 Memorial & MuseumBethany RomanowskiHead Registrar
Case StudyNational Museum of MongoliaIssues Recording Inventory Data Location Inventory log Multiple Components of the Same ObjectStoreroom No7, Row1.Column1.Shelf1.Box1The database location feature impedes staff from tracking objects to thedesired standard. Nevertheless, scanning barcoded locations into the fieldwas faster and more accurate than typing the data.IV. Connecting Survey to Case StudiesNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 22Agate snuff bottle with coral stopper. We wereunable to record different locations for componentsof the same object, or that a component was notfound during inventory.Sandra VanderwarfIndependentCollections Specialist
Survey Topic 3:Inventories in theDigital Ageü Comparison of Inventory Features AcrossDatabasesPreparing YourCollections DatabaseTo Receive InventoryDataü Creating Inventory Data Short Cut Screensü Linking Database Fields to Drop Down Lists andStandard NomenclaturesIV. Connecting Survey to Case StudiesNational September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 23Sandra Vanderwarf Bethany RomanowskiIndependent CollectionsHead RegistrarSpecialist
What’s Next?Ø The Collection Inventory Handbook for Museums and Historical Societies(Rowman & Littlefield, 2018)Ø Share Your Inventory Story, Questions, or Feedback at:CollectionsInventoryProject@gmail.comSandra VanderwarfIndependent CollectionsSpecialistV. What’s Next?National September 11 Memorial & Museum Page 24BethanyRomanowskiHead Registrar
Planning the Inventory Determining resources needed: 83% Documenting the Inventory Reconciling documentation discrepancies: 94% Conducting Inventories in the Digital Age Preparing your database to receive inventory data: 78% Sandra Vanderwarf Independent Collections Specialist Bethany Romanowski Head Registrar II. Collections Inventory Survey
