Museum Archives Ch 20

ffiffi OB IECT'S II\T TF{E ARCF{IVES Ilnthony'Iked -.

in any institution, at least ,:rr- coilection (and probably ntore) rvill have sornc :r',rnrbe r of nonstandarcl historical iterr-rs in an othcr' , \c standirrd nranuscript collection. I lorv thescr .:rnrs-callcd objects, artwclrk, rcalia, 3-u collections, .-.ecrnrens, samples, and many othcr things--arc .r f.ijr';.rssLrruption t]'rat,

r',rte

.

ti, catalogccl, proccsscd, ancl storcd are vital nrat'

r: l0l' itlchivists. I 1r.' challcng,c colnr.rs

in thc

irr1r.:r'sr:clion o1'prrrf'cs-

- .,rr.. ll'atlitiorral rcgistlars ;utcl curattirs itr llrc rrnlscunl

..,,l icl-rlhilc 1<nowlcclgcrrblr: of' urLlscum artilacts- ''..r\ roi lr.rr.c thr: training or' yrrofcssional nclrvorl< 1o

ho\r,bcsi to lrcat ail arcltival collccliotr in thcir thc ar<,irival wclrld, thc ocld ar.rcl occasiortal in ';.ct a paper-basccl collecticln ntav bt' a sitnplc ..ir',lr1in5I lrlocl< in thc archit,al l)11)ccss to prolcssionals . .;ri'tl jn processing,, irrrilngcnre1rl, attd clcso.il-lir.,'r.

. r,.,rr

..,r,,

'

Ir.r

. ,ril,l.'\ collcr tiort rilir rvitli oilji'cts tnrtr'1lun'tt.ttox ':' i'i 't11"".'11"'', l;, :,rlc 11t'lo.lrJizrtiiorr lctl irll jr)slirrci's js this: il. r L' ilnr'ul-c clf lr()rv 1o pt'oc:rccl, thcr.r t|rt ii. ..'.:r.lirr5l orr tlic scvc'r'i1r'o1"thc siltltlicln, brinli irr r {lri'f, l-t orn lotri' irstiltrlitrlr, c()ll)('( t rr'itlr titc . ..,'r'1, ol crllctls itt t'clut i'lclrl lo rlc:tt:rt.rtitrc lrorr'

.,.

ir;ir',.'1,rorr'c
irr thc' liclri rr itlt u'lric:l'r Pr
.

11 ('\P('r'ls rr'lto slti'c iitJizc'

. r(' .on(('rr(1irtg,.

.

r(ir:t'r'\'irli()tt lttrl l)rf:;(')\'iltior cllirr{r.;, ('\'rrIlltirlll

,.,,i,

!lrorrlcl i;c: r'r'r'r'tsilrlr'.

( i'r irrir.rlr', tlrc jdcirs ol rrtlttr:;jirililv artil rirttsLtllitttl rtir lrloli':;:;ionrLl t.:oili:lt,,ur's ii ri' 5livr'tt:;, Ilotvt'ir:i, ltt . ,' ii:,i, ol rrot tloirrq arrlthirrll lot lc.tr' ol trot rioilru, .. , rrr'llrirli ric.llt, llt('r'f itt't'trti'lltorlr; lrr rrlti, lr ai \ ul'ili()t' . ,,iilii 1-.''..'l r'orrrlixtlrlrlr'rr'rrrl,.itxq rriilriur.llLlli\',ll !ol ., ltltr ililti it)r itt'r])ili:;1 :,ltr.rttiri 1,,' ,ti',1,' Lo ltrrr\r' lrrt' i

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ward with non*paper-based materials. 'fhi.s chapter will briefly explorc thc basic concepts of prese rvatior.r and intellectual access, the two printary gr-riding principles of any curatorial or archival work. How best to implenrenl tlrese principles will be illustratcd in examples, both hypothetical and rearl. Irirst, a discirssion of thc range of nalerials nray lle in orclcr. Clivcn tht': lnally l.)/ircs of r"nuscums) rrLlscrLrlt archi\'(:s are a ric:h territor"l, for lookinc at objects in archivill ct io Ir)]lsi(l('t i:t lit,r r1,,rr'r. I ,,()l)r'r)J 1l)(' collct liorr. llotv iir lrrtilrt t irr lr .r,lri,,,,, ,,rllrrr. tror is ', ttttitlt'cl lltilv il('llr'rt(l ,,tt trlrtLlr,'r . 'ir i)rriir;jotlill olrit'c1 ol iltl r.ulc,,\ ',r'or'1, til ,l L. .r .'r,,.1 .., ,',t tttl,ll', ir - .,irr,'ri, ,t r rrl]l ol' r.t:,lr, ,i 1ri,',,' oi lirl,l, . ', lrtloll, itti itttltttititlrl),,1 i,l',t:.',',1 ', r'. , ' 1"'11('t t1i',t. ,'.i.,r l;rir ir lric'1q' rr1 jr.rtr'i'lir,,r l)t,r\('r :,i1, ... t

l

i

(r,

-tf,$fi,ffi,ifflffi

()i cr-cnrains: iur), of thcsc in an othr:nt,ise papcr-birscci

collcction u'ould be treatecl specifically. It's anothc-r rxatter if you're dcaling with a collection where evet l'

r)i r).1r.clriorts irlc alrcatly clcterrrninecl institution by institntion. fls11,s-1,s1-;1s aht'ays-thcre a[c enough cournronirltics that wc, rls .l comnrunity of profcssi<;n-

other item has a pressed plaut specinren attached to it. 'fhese "items"-the rule rirther than tlte exccPtion-

itls, ean rcitch ircross dilfercnces and fincl somc gencr-

become an aggregate: a herbarium collectictn. One pencii sketch found in a correspondcuce collectior-r is very different than sheaves ofpencii sketches, at which point you're not really working with an archival collection, but an art collection. You find one autographed, annotated booklet in a set of artist's records, it's an artifact; boxes and boxes of booklets and you have yourself a pamphlet collection. (lf they're autographed and annotated, then maybe you're back to dealing with an archival collection, albeit a special materials, or even ephemera, collection.) Tl-re point is, an object as an oddity in an archival collection might becone the bulk in another collection of like objects. A11 are items of intellectual capital. The corsage that you pull from a collection of letters must be maintained intellectually with its cohairitauts,

In anv kincl clf al:t museun, the collection and cur.ltion of pieces (paintings, installations, outdoor sculpture) u,ill generate records of many kinds: cataiog records, accession records, conservation records, correspondence with artists and donors, curatorial files, and exhibition records, all of which are deait with in various places throughout this volume. For the purposes of this chapter, any of those may contain items pertaining to the donation, curation, conservation, restoration, and exhibition of the piece concerned. When accessioning an object, museum staff may decide to retain its original packaging, if those materials are relevant to tl-re item's provenance. Identification tags or original documentation of the object or its installation such as photographs, models, material samples, clr videos of a perforr-nance piece may also have been savecl. Sinrilar nratelials n-ray be found in conservatior.r or curation files. When conservators or outside contractors repair or restore fine-arts ol-rjects, textile srvatches, pair-rt chips, or documentation of tlre rvork in various fornrirts may becomc potential inhabitants of correspondence, conservation, or resolrrce-

even when (especially when!) that itetn is removed and stored separately fiorn its original provenance tc) preserve the corsage and the letters that surrclund it.' To give this topic some focus, sorne broadly defined areas may be usefr-rl to begir-r with. Generalizatiotts about and exampies from art rluseums, scientific collections, and history collections will be usecl to hclp illustrate what issues may arise in these types of institutiorrs. Tlrese comnrents, however, shoulcl l;e read broadll', as an)/ of thesc issucs may arist: ;tcross gerlres

of nruseums.

Art

Museums

lh'en nithiu a broacl fleld rnadc inorc lrarrorv, thc diversity ol'art rluseutns within the larger group of lruscLlnrs nrakcs this u,olk a challcnge. Arcltival nratcrials rvill varlr fv'6"-r irrstitution to inslittttion tlcpencling cln thc ruuse utls' curatccl artistic ctlllcctious: ctlltter-ni)orary, anticluities, fin<: at:ts, scr-tlpturc, po1.r cttl-

ture, high-tcch, textile, installation or pcrlilrmatrcc pieccs, arrcl beyoucl" l.rrckily, as cultural l'esolrrces pro'Icssionals, ortr

I

r,v
is alreacll, iciitls;,no'atic attcl trtrttty'

I-lrr':lronri fcseirrch p[)tci]li.rl lor rrbit'cts irt ar.cltir,tl eolltclirrtts is rtol tliscLrssetl lrtlc, brtl is errtljttc'd thoroLrehl;'itr ir li:tr othct sottrtes, nrost rrolirblv ]ill l{olrirr Scvcrtis crrcllcrt PitPcr llottr lltc :ro,tt :t.t.t Lorlcrcncc "r\tlvcttttttts ir tlrc'lhjtrl j)jrttcttsiiltt: lic('lr|isirrrriil l ,\rcltircs" lScssiott Lto, l(.)l .ts rvcll as ( ilorir \L-tc::r to '\rtiircts irt \lcr.rz."(.rrltrrial liVitlctrcc: ()tl lltc (rrrllilttttt (,rotttltl Ilclrrtrrr

\tlrivists irrtl \ltrscolo5lists," /)rttt1'lrlrir'\\' trgq;"il rrrtd I lLrlill

'lrrlor," l Icrilrge'l(rlisitctL:

l)ttctttttctrls Js /\rfil,rats itt tlrr (lotrtcrl ol \lrrscunts rrrd \lirtcri.tl (-Lrlttrru,",'\rc/rirrtrirr -1o r lirll r9,;;t.

[7(} N'lLiSlrLJNi A It(]til\illS:

AN IN'l'11t)l)tl(l I lON

alitics that rvorl<.

managemellt recclrds.

All of these records-rvhether held by the conscrvation lab, thc curatorial ciivision, thc: accluisilions ciepartn'rcrrt, or lhe sole pcrson responsible lor all of thcse ch-Lties-'-arr: vital to thr: collections' care. 'l'irc nonpaper objects n,ithin tlrcse filcs arc oftc'n jr.rsl as important as tlre corresponcience n,itli art restorcrs: they arc uecessary to tracl< changcs to collcctions. I-xhibrtion naterials, such trs graphics, clidactic Iabcls, plan n ing clocuments rvith n-rod el s, eph cr-n era, audiov isual nrateriirls,

ar-rcl

elcclronic fi1cs, all nray bc inclr.rclcd

culators' exhibition fbldcrs. 'l'lresc aucillar'f itcrrs shoulcl be nrainlainec'l rsilh thc sarre lg,ei o1-carc ars ir-r

the paper rccorc'ls thr:ursclves. (lclrresirorrdcncc lllr:s u,ith clonors and, rrorc siflrrificantly, tlre artists thenrselvc:;, arc of particular intcrcst to art lrlllscunr alchivisis. r\s stlaight corrc sporrclencc filcs, tlrc:i'c nray bc vcilurtrinor.rs papct:

rcconls that clocrrrlcnl that altist's crcativc pro(('ss ancl ther sorrclirnr:s-tlclicate inlcractiolrs anlonll artisls, donols, alcl rr-rrrscluns, but therc nral' llc' rrole lncluclecl in thosc rccot'
inst;rl Jirlion, nlr (crial:i slinrpJcs, rnoclels ol- a rtrvolli.s ), cphr'tncra, irncl ir rtcli rlv isLral rrr atclials clocunr cr rti n ri ir rr

artist's ciri ecr. Iror ntuseut.trs thtrt cclllect thc pelson.rl papcrs cllt artists tltcr.nselrtes, tlris issue grorvs li:onr lr challer-rgc to an outright project. Occasionally, it nray, be that the line bctrveen archival materiai and curatecl art object blur:s.

Sketchbooks may be utilized in a retrospective exhibition showing an artist's earliest work rigl-rt up through current creative work. Certainly, marginalia in books, informal doodles, or miniature models of works nel,er carried out may all be found in archival collections, and ali may be treated as individually cataloged, curated objects. Deciding whether these items are treated as supplernental items within an archival collection or as stiind-alone art objects is a complex process incorporating provenance, context, and coliections storage. This process-and the difficulties invoived-rvill be treated a little later in the chapter. Straddling the fence between curatorial files and

artists' sketchbooks, art rnuseum archives rray cclntair-r "clocunrentary art," materials created by museum staff rlcr.nbcrs (sometinres professional artists themsch,es) rvhile on collecting expcclitions. Akin to tr scientist's or archaeologist's field notes and sketches, a curator's or lurLlseunr artist's records may contain valuatrle (intrinsic or informational) items that resemble art pieces more closely than archival records. As clocuments of the

nr':i:ii:nr st,rtf, tl-resc

r'r,Orl<s

ttta)' rccorcl the dccisiorr-

nr.ikinu. Lrr()ccss oltacquisitiotts, shotv a lt,oili irt sittt or

its place of creatiotr, provide infontration on ti.rc earlicst provenance of a particular ol'rject, clr prr.or-itlc insight iuto itow objects werc instirllecl in thc muserinr. c|rcr-rnrc'r.rt

Science and Technology Museums While art museun-l professionals enjoy the challenges of how to deal with restoration documentation or an artist's sample, science museums and their staffs have slightly different matters to deal with. Obviously, scientific collections also have to deal with curatorial files, donor records, and accession documentation. Beyond that, however, there are potentially more research-oriented materials, especiaily if an institution's collecting policy intersects with areas of study by staff researchers and faculty themselves. Sarnples of John Singer Sargent's work-charcoal sketches, pencil studies-may be a challenge to manage i.vithin an

archival setting; samples from the work of Marie Curie would yield a vastly different set of issues. Academic archilcs share similar issues when they are forced to deal rvith facultv research samnles and biological specimens.

Anov Wlnnot'

Arupv

"What you slioutd do is get a box for ;i month, and drop everything in it and at the end of the month locl< it up. Then date it and send it over to Jersey. You should try to l<eep track of it, but if you can't and you lose it, that's fine, because it's one less tlring to thittl<

John Smith, archivist at the Andy Warhol Museum, sends this list of ":ro interesting and surprising tlrings from the archives ol'the Andv Warhol Museum":

about, another toad off your mind. "l started off rnyself with trunks and the odd piece

of furniture, but then I went around shopping for something better and now I just drop everything intct

the same-size brown cardboard boxes that have

a

color patclr on the side for the month of the year. I reatly hate nostatgia, though, so deep down I hope tirey get lost and I never have to lool< at them again. 'l-hat's another conflict. I want to throw things out the winclow as tlrey're handed to me, but instead I say thanl< you and clrop thenr into the box-of-the-montlt. But my outtool< is that I really do want to save things so they can be used again someday."

i

o

"

o o n

WlnnoL's ARcnrvrsT

Undocumented artworl< from the r95os and r96os Desiccated pizza dough Piece of Caroline Kennedy's birthday cal<e Dress belonging to Jean llarlow Pair of Clarl< Gable's slroes given to Warhol bv Gable's widow

u Calvin Ktein underwear autographed

by

Catvin l{lein

n OriginaI musicaI manuscripts

' ' .

by Lou Reerd composed for the Velvet Underground A nrumrrrified foot l[icit drugs $r4,ooo in cash

\\'irlhol,'l'ltc l'ltilosoplts'ttl t\ndy \'\tithol (j:ront .t to tt tuul )ttckrQ,lin), (t.vcl, lbrli: Ilarcotttl and ))racc, v175),41 '\rrrlv

Obircts itr tlrc ,Archirl'-i

].Zr

( llcrir lr', oni lr:Ie rl o1 scierntillc coJlcctious thal nccds cxl)lo1'ation i: thc ptissible presencc olt orqanic, Itazarclous, or contanriuatecl llaterials. Once rruain, t]rc best l<non4edee to cultivate is to l
pltrccable culturai collecticlr.rs, such wisdom takes on

a

more immediate importirnce when facing potentially Iife-thrcatening materials. Working with these rnaterials safely often requires the intervention of skilled handlers specific to the type of rnaterial. Your consen'ation staff is trained in the sciences, wise to hazards, and weil

nlllt\ \\tth appr'opriatc ciisinfectanf or ilcrrnicItlt' ..,ntl dispo5s of'handling equipnrcnt safcly,. r\s rlc u'ill discr-iss latcr, separate and spccializecl storagc ior objects fl'rim archival collections is o{icn the best approach for thc sake of preservation. For scientific samples and specimens) renoval-if not outright disposal or destruction-may be necessary.

The inhcrently high value of a specimen and low possibility of contamination or physical hamr might suggest simply separate storage. An itern that is of dubious research or artifactual va,lue and higher threat to collections and staff would be a likely candidate for permanent cleaccession and appropriate disposal.3 A good pre-emptive effort before being faced with a "process it or don't process it?" dilemma is to confront these issucs at the time of acquisition. Granted, some of thesc pr"oblems are legacy or "backlog" issues (for instance, thcise seventeeir boxes of unprocesscd rnaterials from the curator oftropical cliseases that have been around since before the entire current staff), and, since they're on-site, the Lroxes have to lre deait with sonrr:how. l{or,r,ever--as n, i lh a ny coll ectio n--- i n cclming acquisitions nccd to be carefully scoped out itt situ and carcful negotiations with thc

donor undertaken before any nlaterials are transferred tcl thc archives. I)rcservatiorr

Conservators, curators, and carpenters not only used archival records in researching the StenciI l]ouse before conserving the stencils and rcinstalling the exhibit, they i:[so created arr:hival rer.ords docunenting t lte

i

r wo rl<.

s

H E LB u Rr,r

r

i\4

us I

An c n r v

u

issues anci Jrcalth-altci safety natlr:r'r; should bc cliscusscd at thc time. If I'our irrstitutiorr is

rs.

^4

not cquippecl to hancllc raclioirctivc

conucctcd rvith olher spccialists: tallt to therit first. \ou rlal'never Lre callcd upon to actually lrirndle tl"rese rrnlr:r'iirls, br.rt

if

a clccision is made to pr
cious uraterials (a decision that shoulcl rrot ttc lnacle lightly clr n'ithout cousullation), corrsiclcr thr: lilllorving pt't:cautions:

. If

you suspect that a collection rrrar. corrta.in dangcrous chenricals or sanrplcs, fincl a rvcll-

"

vcntilated proccssirrg spacc that is scpirr"a tc: from staff ancl <;ollcctior.rs. \Nhen hancllirrg any samples, \trcar I.rr:otcciii'c gcar (disposablc apron, latex glrlvc:s, goligics, a nd/or rirasl< r'r,i th re.spi rator, clcpr:rr in g r-rpon thc rrra,tcrials). I(cc;r tlresc ilerns on hancl if thcrc is arr1,chancc oltlrandling colk:ctiorrs ttrrrtaining rvel sircc irrrclrs ()r' ( r)nliurrirrltt'cl r.rr hazc1

itlclotts matcriair.

"

,,\ft,,:r irarrrllin;r,, clcan

't'7? \l(lSlitJVl

r\Il(.lll\/ll.S:,\N

rll

srrliirc.cs arrci instrr-r-

lN'rlt()l)t.:O l l()\

itr.'nri;

frclrn a nou,-defunct labrlritlory, 1'our best opliorr is

re{cr the donating bocly

lcr

appropliate l"cl)()\itol-jc tl-rzrt can hancJle tlrosr-: histor ic collcctiorrs. (Othcr optiolts nta)/ include altcrinp,, lour: ir-rstitution's lrissitrl, 1'acilitir:s, and staffirrg, ltut ilra1 urav bc. r-cls1-1r; olritritir,e . I cyoLxl tlre t-nattcr"s cll' lifi-anc1-clcatlt, st icltif ie r-ul.lscurn i,rrchives deal rvith rronlethal 1;ut still cont].rlg'' objects in their collections, as do otlrcl relro.sitot ic:. l)uc to tlrc "spcciahless" ol'the associa(ccl ficlclr;, horl ci,ct', archivisls in s<:ir:ncc rnLrsclrrls n-raY bc' charrlcd r,r,ith docurnentinpi errrcl llresclvilg tcchnolo1r,ics thal 11y

)

J

l1 slroLrlcl bi notcd tlral scii rrr:t' ,rntl tcchrolorit' rtur.rtor s ,rnrl :rrchivists irrc not alonc ilr tlrtir'l:rrrdcn o1- hnz-rrtlorrs nr,rlcr irlr irr th.

collt:ctions. trlirtcrials surlr ;rs lcirtl l)aint or lL-ad rr.trrsk..t lrrrlls, rrscrri. rtDrl tt-tcrcttrt'salt Prcscrr',r1ivcs, irrtrl s0rne cirfinollcni(t \\1)()(l Ptcsft\ ,ttivcs irll c rcatc proLrlenrs lor lristorii: collc.lioll cirrelalicrs. Scc (.lllrr:r inc llinvks rrrrl Kltltr I n \l,rIos, "]nitcrcnt ilt(l ,\r (llrifc(l J I,iz,irrls in ,\lrrserLnr ()lrjrr(i; lrnlrlir.tlions lor (.arr:,ilri tlsr'ol (,
;

rioLrtl

srr

rr

et of tlrc lopir

.

ir

havc lon[l irgo oLrlpacecl the stattclitrcl se t of coltrscs ol't-crecl bv cr,cn the t-nost cuttirlg-eclgc alchives tlrirrlagclnent gracluate progranls. Infirnnation malliigem ent pro ltcssionals ( arch ivists, curAtol's, iltl <.1 librtirian s )

and ltulnisirinqs therttsclvcs. (ir^ortps of icttcrs tic'tl rl jth ribbons ancl striug tnay hat'c lteett rcrnovcd fl'orlr

are currently strr"rggling wiLh the questions o1' clcc-

cascs lilie tl-ris, tl-ie cl'fbrt is rtot so lnucl') about tctnot'iltc.

tronic records, and there lvili be tto easy answell soon. It is worth noting that in science-relarted collections, you should probab\, be r:cacly to deal with the hardware, software, and data files that may be used or generated by museum staff and researchers whose papers your institution collects.a Again, the museum archives of a prominent high-tech company may be charged with maintaining tire voluminoLls paper records of product design and creation, but may also be asked to retain copies of rccord of any software product licensed by the company, in many release (and pre-rclease) versions.s All of these matters delve deeply into the problems of legacy data and migration of new s)/stcms; since these issues rise with a mercilessly sharp obsolescence ctlrve, managers of nruscutn archival collections rvith techncrlogical components are strongly encouraged to join the diaiogue with other technology-collection prclfessionals sooner rathcr than later.

arr object

a clcsk in tl-re pallor. Bttsiucss recot'ds tnav conre fl'ottt

fllins cabinets or sortit-rg bins

ir-r

thc eslatc oflcc' In

ii'om the archival collection (and plescrvirrgl its proveuance), but removing the archives from thc

object (and still preserving the proterrrncc). Understandabll', you'd be hard-pressed to find a lignin-free, acid-neutral container into which you could place a four-drawer oak filing cabinet, so the

History Museums Of thesc three broad-bruslr categories-art, scicilcc, ancl histori' llltlscllllls--all three are nerccssarily overgcneralizccl' \'\/itlrirl historl'

T-shirts from the Da[[as Women's Gallery Records, 198os. counre sv or THE ARctitvts. DALLAS [4t,sEUM or AR].

rruscllnr archives, tYpes of ltlalelt'ials atld subject-c:ontcnt cal] rallgc as lvidcli' as fhosc in the art and llrc science nli.tscL1)l-]s. Wl-rctfrer a historic hor-nc (rvhir-lt

or

r)'1a1,

ls3t'l more cltlscly tol'trarcl the art museunr)

a l)lcxiglas-case-ancl-d iclact ic- Iabcl-bascd archtrcol-

clgy ancl antltroi:rolog)/ t-llllscl-lll.l (u4rich siclles up closcr

to a scictrcc tnuseuu), anvthing lalling into this calcgol")/ errr'\tes visitors atrcl t'escar<;hcls by pt tsc:r'vilrg, intcrprctinpi, exl-ribiting, ancl tral
i

l)rfsor'r,lll\, I pity tll.'P()ol !il,lrJ :illl(lt'ilt l.lsli.(l tritlt pro.t"itr:l lrrt jlltr:'rr.l Ltr .l0tl'tlt ittl't.t't ,tl0tlt1 e0llr'rti0D tt]rctt I'rc l)f,i:iail (rll.,t' I rrrfh tlr,: lile lilltLtrs, tlli ( lri. )rl\ llr.1ll!il1r()[1]t'r s rrrill.llrr\l lr'l\r'll \ 'lllLi nti,'ttttlic lro0k collr.:litrtr. \cni.r i. l'lrillips ilnfl \l.1Lrrii. 1. l'lrilliirr' (itrirli /rr t/t,'.\/r;rt;t-;,rri'l (..i)/i(11/()/ri tl'hiltrtlclphi,l:.\..ttl.'tttv ()i \illlll.ll 5.i(11..i )9(1il..i'1

rchousing of thcsc palticulat' objccls is less cl1 ilIl lsstlc. 11'a large object is ttot scrvittg as Pa.rt clf a hislolic displar', placc it alongsidc othcr: historic objccts irr mLrseum-quality storagc. ,\s tvill be ciisctrssecl latel', it is important to linl< historic t'e'colcls intcllcctuitllt' t
Objects Founel in All T'ypes of Nluseurns In lonp;-runrrinp,; irrstitr.rliotts, lhcrc nlav hc a silirrif i cant porticll.t o1 rcctlrcls r^clltlittlt, to llrc aclrlliriisllittiotl -l']rcse bttsincss rctcot'cls olt tlrc iitstilrrtiol.r oltthe sitc. qr'611vth, as trlore rr:r'tttcls at'c qett,'t'lttcrl lrtav sec;161i1ig [>r'thc nruscutl atrd tr-artsli'rrccl to thc archivcs..\ttrtrtt!i tlrcsc rccorcls vorr rvill pt'ttltalth lrrttl clLijccts thilt;.ltc to thc i;tstituljolt' sr"tch as plii<1tt.':, rlrodcls oi const t'Ltct itltt, cpllctr-tcril, u,ttcst rctiist t,t t i trtl Lrook:;, ir\\'irr(ls, or alttlior.'ii;ttltl t.:corcis. 1)arlit rllirr'l r' clrrlirrg a (.ortstrlt(li(trt lltLr.jt:cl, itit ittlt.tilct'sal'\'r'dlfl)l,l' tjort, ot'a tiLrtrt-i:apsrtlt'ie t't'tttottt, l't'ililltlutrl: tll-t]ltl siltr

lristoricirllv

lclalc<.1

OlrlL'c/s itt tht

.

\ri:/tlrls

t7.1

of the. structLlre ulay makc their \\,a)/ to tbe archives irs clocurnentation of any o1t these cvents. Since they relate to the history of the musellm, these objects neecl to be intellectually linkeci rvitl-r (if not ancl fabric

necessarily stored near) the archival collection. The "sets" used in gallery exhibits are another type material often seen museum collectior-rs. Backdrops, nturals, diorama settings, and the like ma1,

of

in

have been integral to the museum's interpretive design, particularly in exhibits earlier in the twentieth century. As these exhibits changed or were removed, parts of the displays themselves may har.e been saved and rnay now reside in the archives as records of the history of the institution. Though the1, n1. similar: to the didactic labeling and fabricated exhibition materials discussed above, these materials may be of a slightly different class: they were sometimes executed by knorvn artists or by muralists of lesser general fame, but known rvithin the museum field. Tire importance of thcse items may also lie in their: function as fullcolor recurds of times otherwise documented clnl1, $y black-and -r,vhite photography.

What about books? Are they archival materials? Historic objects? Research monographs? Bernadette Callery, nrusellm librarian at the Carnegie Museum of \irtural History, believes, as a librarian/archivist, that

AnrornrED

booiir tlrrrl conte as part of archival collcctir-lns--as r) on.' rcccives the cntire cclllectiorr olt a scicntist, artist, r)l' 165rr;11^chgl'-should sta,v n'ith tltc archives, lirthcr than qo to thc rnuseurr's lilrrary. 'I'his applies rurosth to the odcl volunre that turns up in thc papers of a donor, r'ather tl-ran the case of an entire personal librarr'. One could make the argument that, regardless of rvhether a significant collection of rnaterials is tnaintained as a smaller, "special" collection or distributed into the museum's library and properly bookplated as part of a donor's bequest, you would still want to design some scheme to be able to reconstruct the contents of the collection as received. rr'he

Processing Collections that Contain Objects As with any other processing or cataloging projeo, there are twcl rnain ol-rjectives: preservation and access. These trvo ideals beconre even more important when clealing rvitlr oddities in a collection. \Mhen you come

across some artifact, specinren, ol'al'twork that belongs-inteilcctually-with the collection but defi nitely does not fit physically with folder after foider of tnanuscript pages, )rou'll need to make a decision about what to do r,vith it. More often than not. the

BoCIKs

Documentary evidence can tal<e the form of annotations and corrections made to an existing printed text. In nineteenth-century naturaI science coiiections, it is not uncommon to find private collectors using copies of published mclnographs on their subject to serve as checl
34,ooo-specimen cottection, complete with its 5o7 museum cases and r5 file cabinet drawers of correspondence dating from ryt6 to 1943" Lil<e Darwin, he corresponded with everyone who might be expected to share his interest and actively solicited cottections from missionaries and tradesmen. His collection contains an interleaved, annotated copy of the major nineteenth-century monograph, A. G. Butler's Revision of the Heterocerous l-epidoptera of the Fantily Sphingidae (The Transactions of the Zootogical Society of London, t87).Ihe copy is rnarl<ed with

numbers corresponding to the specimen collection

174 \ll. SELl\J ,\llClllIVlrS: AN INI'ltOl)Lr(.'floN

and further amended with penciled notations of nomenclature changes. Ctearly, C[arl< was using this monograph as a means to record his own cotlection. The Academy of NaturaI Sciences (Phitadetphia) archives hotds an annotated copy of an 18/+6 letter-

press catalog of the [arge collection

'Thomas

of birds that

Wilson purchased from the Duc de Rivoti. In this case, the annotations clearly retated the collection to the specimens, as "the catalogs lay for years B.

beside the bird specimens

in the department of

ornithotogy."ii ln a less stril
--Bernadette Callerv

ii

\tcnia'll Phillips ancl N4auricc li, I)hillips, (.hidc to tlu, trlnntrtripl (.)tlleclions (I')hiladclphia: Acaclcrnr. ol'Natural Scicnccs, r963),.,t6.

iii

Catnloyre o.[ tllc Jioolrs, hltlnusil ilts, L4aps nttl Drnn'itt11s iu thc Rritislt l\{ttscrilrt (Naturul HistorT') (l,onclon: llritish lrluscum, l9o-t t94o).

r:,.rir

itcln ilscll'rvill havc to bc rcmovecl fronr thc collcctiLin

;ri

anci storcd appropriatcly.

o1i.';-oi

l}'oaclly, the idea is to hccp all materials in a coilection in the best storage conditior-rs possible. The right' tcurpcrature, humidity, and air circulation for papels rrray not be ideal for er potsherd, a plar"rt sample, a wax figurine, a crayoll clrarwing, a corsage, or a piece of wovcn metal. A small n-rodel of an artist's sculpture, if ieft in the docunrent box with papers, may abrade the documents, rust, and rnight even teal'materials. Beyond physical conditions, there may be other security reasons to relocate an object. That sr-rspiciclus bioiogical or radioactive sample may need to be quarantined (or destroycd), or a very important, valuable item may need higher security than is afforded in the manuscripts storage shelves. (lt would be a shame if that diamond Cartier brooch that came with thc artist's papers got nrisfilcd.) 'fhc cxarnple of lhc corsage from ai:orre can Lre lrroken down ilris way:

r':r

r ',

o1'

thc original cotttext--the

origirtal

the collcction (by docuructrting the original Ioc.ition .rnd nanne r in nhich the object was storecl),

.\t thrs point, a clnesiion may come up

about

rthethc-r these clbjccts rernoved frotn archival collections

are then accessioned into the ntuseunt's collections.

IlLrch rvill depend on the internal structure of alr institution; sonetimes the line between curatorial and archival departments is hard, fast, and impenneable. If the mandate in such an organization is that all objects go to the museum collections, then so be it.

. l)uring

proccssirrg, the corsage is removed from the fcrlder, placed in an archivaily souncl storage container (an inert plastic envclope or an artifact box, perhaps), and described as clearly as possible on a separation sheet: "ltem is a semipresscd gardenia and baby's

with white sill< ribbon, The Star Spangted Banner in the West Wing of the Smithsonian whitc nc'tting, artcl g,reen florist tape Institution buitding before it undergoes its 1.914 restoration" arourrcl stem. A largc stickpin retttains 5M|r.HsoNlAN lNsilTUTroN ARcHrvEs, NEc.2746)- (RU 95, Uox 3LA, FoTDER 25) picrced through thc stem. Appcars tcr However, the pr
"

"

object in its no,r'location (cir in a catalog folder) rcfcrring tci its origitral Jocatiort. ln the fincling aid, a t-trentiott olt unusuirl clbjccts r-emovcd liilrn tl-re collc<"tion is macle, ;>ossibiy in thc c:olIcctiott clescriptiott ttat lative, and a foottrotc is addcci to thc b
li:;r;cn

tial to thcsc l)roccsscs are, agaitt, tltc prcscr-

vrr{iorr of thc clbjerc.t (by l
cJilrrcrtsional cibjects

by inrpl,-ll-.cr storag;c) aud lhc

able, the object slrould stay as closc to thc collcctiorr as possible, rvithin the limits affordccl [r1, appropriatc

envircrr nrcn tal cond

iI

ions.

in other instances, it rlay

bc: tl'rc oiriniorr o1'arr archivist workiug rvith a collcclicln thaf an objccl rnosI assr.rredly belclngs r,vitlr thc ri'tr-rsilr n.r's r:riratorial c <.r1. lcctiorr. Conr,erscly, aftcr a consultation u'ith tirt: crrrirtorial stafi you nrily cleterminc that a particular itcnr shoulcl st;r1, 1a,j1l1 lhc archives. l)crltaPs fhc itcrn is clccmcd "urrwor'1hy" (espccially itt ther ca,sc ol'firrc-at'tr; or "pure history" cttvironnrcttts), bccausc it is ir l,it', ,.' oIclctritus or an cxtrancoLls 2rp])crrcli.r; lrerlraps il's ttol cvi:n integral to or associalc(l ivith thc nrusctir.rr ob.ji'ct a1 tcr all.,,\gai u, rlcPcnclin.' tin thc t'r:lat iortslr iP bctrvct'ir

Obiut:ls irt tltc Archit,t's 't'/S

lltr'fti'rr rlcl-,tr1ttt"t'ts, itntl [hf] piavcrs irt''olvr:il

1n

thc-.i

corrvci sittions, this intcracfior.r can bc r:clucational or

.: r . , ..rctti r blings

sontething to tlrat table: public:

rancorous. 'l'he colk:ctions of l.ioth ;rrcas arer scrr,ecl bcst l'hen collaborative' rvork provides icleal carc for

.tii:r -,t,,iirrein.q; proper stclrage apd haldltnS; str;11.1r(i :i .ir il tL.rtu al izecl informatio n s).stems basecl on

and lobr.rst acccss to collectictns.

h

ln an idcal rvorld, lhc

inforrnirlion rrr.in ilger-nent professionals at an institution havc an open, ccillegial \^/orliing rclationship; tire lincrs betiveen rnllseunr, archives, ancl library are permeablc; and rigid Iines are drawn less often and lcss severcly. It may be that a particular piece from an archival coliection dovetails nicely wit}r a collection of similar pieces already in the museum's collections" Why not exhibit the one alongside the others, making the intit-uate r,'arioLrs

cor-rneclion betwccn ntuseum collections and archival holdings apparent to all (staff and visitors) and crosspromoting both clivisiclns, perhaps even getting more organic rcsearch across disciplines? For accountability's sakc, it probably would ncit be ir bad idea to catalog objccts from archival collections ancl qivcr them accession rrumlrers, assuring their place jn tirc institution's collcctions. In any collcction docuir rcntation, thclse recorcls lnust shclrn, wherc thc itcnr r,r'as originally lcicatccl.'I'his holcls lruc as lr'ell fbr any storage cabincts or container frrrniture fi:om u,hich archival holclings \\,erc ren-lovccl. Com'ersely, any archir,al docunentatioir of olrjccts removecl to slorage shoulcl include

the rnuseur"n's catalog number and docr"rmentation of t1're cibject's cnrrent u,herealrouts (although public clocur-uen1s shoulcl onl1, give enouglr inforrnation r.vitlr,)u1 r'c\'calinr1 spetr,ific sccltre locations).

lrr

I'd lihc lo

crnpha:;iz.c i1rat, llr.ri js i,onr;rlc.r aircl rvitlr a cltrstcl of fjclds r'1osin1:,,

:irtijlar' 1o cacJr othcr,

1rs1 so :;plinfcrccl

in a rr,orld lhat are so fi

orl

otre

,irroilri:r, tlrc'sc nrclrlcnts rvhcn an arcirivisl, il curatol', .riril a librarian alJ sit annrncl a tab]er rn,itl"r a t1rin5; in thc: !L'ntcr uright yrloviclc lhr.: intersc:ctirins rvhn:r: l'c rnahc

r)ur' ( ollcctions

ltost alivc to oLtr uscrs (patr"orrs,

isttt l j c .l rr i r r n rr..r.r Is; irppreci ation for the rr isito t" cxpericnce ; the irbilitl to inlerprct matcrials and educate a

lav public; plcliessional reference assi$tance to deal rvith cor-nplex resources--and so on, ancl so t'rr-r" \\rhile that imaginary table with three attendees and an object in the center is purely a theoretical image, there are practical ways to bring museum, library, and archives staff together" Developing those relationships earl1. antl cross-training will help build the collegial connections that make it easier for, say, a librarian to cross the hall to the conservator's table to asl< about repairing a spine on a nineteenth-century book" A registrar may \ rant to know more about tiris sap that's l;een talked about and see what sinrilar projects may help thc aecessioning and cafaloging r,vork done at that desh. A ncw exhibitiorr rnay be gearcd toward the user-basc of an instilr,rtion's library, require archival and librarl, research, ancl incorpclrate: materials--textuaI and nontexl-ual*--fi-om the arcl-iivirl or library collections. Curators and registrars could heip in identifying and advising on stor-age for objects frclm the archival collections. r\ major construction project may--most likely will.--requirc sornc collaborative efforts by curatorial, arrchives, and library divisions, as wcli as mainte nancc, aclministration, groundskeeping, securitr., ancl all clther officcs" Tlre

availabiiitl' of inforrnatiorr on thc: lnlr:rlet has chattgecl thc \\,a), \^/e--'its ilforrnaliorr profcssio'als- -rvorl<. ,As

our fir:lcls dr;uv lcarer to urrifii:cl inlclrr-latiorr

rcsource shalir.r11, these conversatiot'rs arc beconrirr1;,

not

i1'

necessary, then extreurclt, uscl'ul. tr,luserrrir archivists are irr a special position to bnrker tlLc relationship bctlver:n olrjcct iu.rd tcxhral resource; it's a rarc opportunity and one \\.c should loolt foru,arcl 1o.

;.5car'.ilcrs, r,isitors, othcr"staf lt). Ir.ach of tlrosc plol'es.

t76 rrusl,t \t .\R(-nlvt.:i : .-\\ lvl ttol)t cllo\

"tl