HS2421: Museums' Collections Management

School Archaeology
Department Code SHARE
Module Code HS2421
External Subject Code V450
Number of Credits 20
Level L6
Language of Delivery English
Module Leader Professor Jane Henderson
Semester Autumn Semester
Academic Year 2013/4

Outline Description of Module

This module will consider the way that museums and other heritage organisations manage and care for the collections that they hold. The module will consider a range of agents of deterioration which contribute to the decay and loss of collections. Students will examine a range of strategies, from technical to managerial to understand and modify conditions to create acceptable levels of care for collections

On completion of the module a student should be able to

  • Describe the role of museums in society
  • Discuss the relationship between access and preservation of collections
  • Explain the mechanisms by which museums are managed with a specific focus on collections management
  • Recognise agents of deterioration which impact on museum artefacts
  • Describe the mechanisms by which an agent of deterioration leads to harm to museums artefacts
  • List and the process and metrics used to measure and monitor agents of deterioration and assess the impact of the environment on heritage collections.
  • Communicate appropriate practice in the care and protection of cultural heritage
  • Describe managerial and technical strategies to optimise levels of deterioration within a specific  institutional context

How the module will be delivered

This module will be delivered through a series of 10, 100 minute lectures and seminar classes. Most lecture classes will include a 10 minute break between 50 minute sessions. The will be one site visit to a museum facility. Some lectures may be delivered by guest lectures with relevant expertise in the museum sector. Several of the lectures will involve group work exercises which may include the use of psychrometric charts. Seminars will include small group working with students reporting back on their discussions.  All lecture and seminar classes are compulsory. Students will be asked to sign up for the field trip.

Skills that will be practised and developed

Whilst studying this module, students will practise and develop a number of skills.  This will include an ability to:

Academic

  • Source and synthesis data and apply it in a broadly defined complex context
  • Comprehend the nature of museums and heritage sector and give examples of the scope of their responsibilities
  • Defend a strategy for collections management in a complex situation with multiple possible outcomes

Subject Specific

  • Explain the process of deterioration impacting on collections
  • Model the relationship between relative humidity and temperature
  • Understand the role of units of measurement and precision in determining data collection and interpretation
  • Identify and evaluate options for collections care
  • Make recommendations for the care and management of collections in museums and other heritage organisations
  • Recognise deterioration in the conditions or objects that point to failure in preventative conservation measures.
  • Use research to determine appropriate actions for the management of museum collections

Transferable:

  • Outline some basic influence techniques
  • Present information in a combination of visual and text media

How the module will be assessed

The module will offer both formative and summative assessment.

 Formative

Students will be required to take and provide a caption for an image that encapsulates an aspect of collections management in museums and this content will form part of a class room lecture where the students will be invited to present their observation.

Summative

Essays and exams will give students an opportunity to respond to a range of topics. Exams will take place in the Autumn semester exam period which occurs in the January following teaching.

Assessment Breakdown

Type % Title Duration(hrs)
Written Assessment 50 Museums Collections Management N/A
Exam - Autumn Semester 50 Museums Collections Management 1

Syllabus content

The following topics will be covered by this module.

  • Museums and their meaning:, types and organisation of museum, what is a museum, museums in society, the role of a collections care, agents of deterioration,
  • Standards, Units, Targets & Pollution: The evolution and development of standards, Pollution sources, damage to collections, units of measurement, target levels, control, selection of materials for display and storage.
  • Relative Humidity and Temperature: Sources, damage to collections, units of measurement, target levels, control strategies, phsychrometrics.
  • Pests -Cellulosic pests and keratinatious pests, damage to collection, monitoring, control
  • Light and Ultraviolet Light: Sources, damage to collections, units of measurement, target levels, control
  • Environmental Monitoring equipment: Principles of environmental monitoring, practical use of monitoring equipment
  • Museum management, risk management, emergency preparedness: therole of planning and finance, the core planning documents in a museum, risk management, allocation of funding, definitions of emergencies, planning, prevention response and recovery.
  • Interacting with collections, display, storage and movement: handling guidelines, moving collections, case specification, examining cases, air exchange rate testing.
  • Strategies for collections management: Condition surveys, benchmarks & costs benefit analysis, persuasion and negotiation.

Essential Reading and Resource List

The module will require a broad range of reading, mainly from conference publications, journals and edited compilations. Students will be expected to update reading for case studies via museums and museum organisations’ web site. Students are advised to visit museums, including historic house and art galleries in the course of this module.

Ambrose T. & Paine, C. (2006),     Museum Basics, Routledge and ICOM.

Arts Council England. (2011), Accreditation Scheme for Museums and Galleries in the United Kingdom: Accreditation Standard., ACE London

Ashley-Smith, J. (1999) Risk assessment for object conservation Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, Boston.

Boylan [ed] (1992) Museums 2000: Politics, People, Professionals and Profit. Routledge  and the Museums  Association.

British Standards Institution.(2009) Code of practice for cultural collections management : PAS 197:2009, British Standards Institute, London

British Standards Institution.            2012      PAS 198:2012 Specification for managing environmental conditions for cultural collections British Standards Institute, London

British Standards Institution.            2012 b PD 5454:2012 Guide for the storage and exhibition of archival materials British Standards Institute, London

British Standards Institution.            2012      BS EN 15999-1. Conservation of cultural heritage. Guidelines for management of environmental conditions. Recommendations for showcases used for exhibition and preservation of cultural property. General requirements  Under review check availability

Camuffo, D Fassina, V. Havermans, J. (eds) (2010) Basic Environmental Mechanisms Affecting Cultural heritage: Understanding deterioration mechanisms for conservation purposes, Cost Action D 42: chemical interactions between cultural artefacts and Indoor environment (Enviart) Nardini Editore Belgium

Cassar, M.  (1995) Environmental management: Guidelines for Museums and Galleries Museums and Galleries Commission and Routledge, London.

CIBSE (2002) Guide to Building Services for Historic Buildings, CIBSE, London.

Dawson, A. (2011) Benchmarks in Collections Care2.0: A self assessment checklist MLA.

Hillhouse, S. (2009) Collections Management: A practical guide Collections Trust

Hooper-Greenhill, E. [ed] (1994) Museums and their Visitors Routledge.

Padfield, T. and Borchersen, K. (2007) Applying science to the question of museum climate,Contributions to the conference in Museum Microclimates, in Copenhagen, November 2007. http://www.padfield.org/tim/cfys/mm/index.html

Lord, B and Lord, G.D. (1999) The Manual of Museum Planning,2nd edition. HMSO, Norwich.

Henderson, J. (2006) Influence: The Impact of Language, Credibility and Gender The Conservator 29 2005/6 ICON pp5-18

Jenkins, T (2011) Contesting Human Remains in Museum Collections, Routledge, New York Oxford

Kavanagh, G (2000) Dream spaces: memory and the museum, Continuum International Publishing Group

Keene, S. (1991) Auditis of care: a framework for collections condition surveys In: Norman, M. and Todd, V. Storage Pre-prints for UKIC conference Restoration ’91, UKIC, London.

Lord, B and Dexter Lord, G.           1999      The Manual of Museum Planning 2nd Edition. HMSO, London.

Marstine, J. (ed)                              2011      The Routledge Companion to Museum Ethics, Redefining Ethics for the twenty first century Museum, Routledge

Michalski, S.                                    1990      An overall framework for preventive conservation and remedial conservation ICOM Committee for Conservation 9th Triennial Meeting Dresden August 1990 Vol. II. 602-607 ICOM Committee for Conservation, Los Angeles.

Museums and Galleries Commission           2000      Working with Independent Conservators. Guidelines for good practice. Museums and Galleries Commission, London.

The National Trust                           2006      The National Trust Manual of Housekeeping : the care of collections in historic houses open to the public, London Elsevier/ Butterworth Heinemann

Sandwith & Stainton Eds.               1984      National Trust Manual Of Housekeeping Allen Lane With The National Trust

Thomson, G.                                   1986      Museum Environment 2nd Edn. Butterworths

Thompson, J. M. A. Ed                   1992      Manual of Curatorship  Butterworths

Waller, R.                                        1994      Conservation risk assessment: a strategy for managing resources for preventive conservation.  Preventive Conservation: Practice, Theory and Research: IIC Pre-prints of the Contributions to the Ottawa Congress,12-16 September 1994 12-16  International Institute for Conservation , London


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