Open Forum

Hi Colleagues,

I'm wondering – who sits on your museum's Collections Committee? Staff only, or are board members, community members, or others on your Committee? If so, are they voting members?

At the Buffalo Bill Center of the West (BBCW), our committee is composed of our Library Director, Curators from each of our 5 museums, Registrar, Conservator, Director of Curatorial, Education, and Museum Services, Exhibition Production Manager, and Executive Director – all FT staff. Others may be invited to sit on the committee at the discretion of the Executive Director, who serves as Chair.

The role of the Collections Committee at the BBCW is to review and approve acquisitions, deaccessions, loans, temporary custody agreements, and other collections transactions in accordance with our Collections Management Policy. In addition, they advocate for the needs of the collections, have specific expertise in current legal, ethical, and cultural aspects of collections, and discuss potential additions or changes to collections policies and procedures for presentation to the Board of Trustees.

The Advisory Boards of each of our 5 museums are invited to make recommendations on acquisitions and deaccessions. Our Trustees approve acquisitions over a threshold value and approve all deaccessions.

Thank you in advance! I am looking forward to comparing Collections Committee membership rosters across several institutions.

Best,

Karen

Hi Colleagues,

I'm wondering – who sits on your museum's Collections Committee? Staff only, or are board members, community members, or others on your Committee? If so, are they voting members?

At the Buffalo Bill Center of the West (BBCW), our committee is composed of our Library Director, Curators from each of our 5 museums, Registrar, Conservator, Director of Curatorial, Education, and Museum Services, Exhibition Production Manager, and Executive Director – all FT staff. Others may be invited to sit on the committee at the discretion of the Executive Director, who serves as Chair.

The role of the Collections Committee at the BBCW is to review and approve acquisitions, deaccessions, loans, temporary custody agreements, and other collections transactions in accordance with our Collections Management Policy. In addition, they advocate for the needs of the collections, have specific expertise in current legal, ethical, and cultural aspects of collections, and discuss potential additions or changes to collections policies and procedures for presentation to the Board of Trustees.

The Advisory Boards of each of our 5 museums are invited to make recommendations on acquisitions and deaccessions. Our Trustees approve acquisitions over a threshold value and approve all deaccessions.

Thank you in advance! I am looking forward to comparing Collections Committee membership rosters across several institutions.

Best,

Karen

The Collections Committee at CCHC is a standing committee of the Board of Trustees. The number of people is usually no more than 7. It can include non-Board members but it is expected to have a Board member as the Chair, and at least one other Board member plus the Board Chair as ex officio. Non-Board members are typically knowledgeable in the field (retired conservator, former Board member of other museums, volunteer in the department, etc.). The staff members who participate in addition to the committee members include the Director of Collections/Curator (Library, Museum, Photo Archives) and the President (Director).

The primary work of acquisitions and deaccessions is handled by the staff, who report in summary to the committee (quarterly meetings and bi-monthly reports). The committee must approve acquisition purchases over a threshold dollar amount and must approve all deaccessions. The Committee Chair than requests Board approval and the Director of Collections may elaborate if there are questions. On rare occasions the committee weighs in on an outgoing loan request, particularly if it's highly valuable but it is the staff responsibility to make the final decision. The committee may advise on collections department projects or may sought be for input about sources for incoming loans, appraisal specialists, or local history topics. They are rarely involved in acquisition donations.

The context for this structure: CCHC has a volunteer Board of no more than 24, staff (FTE, PTE) total 14 of which 2.5 are responsible for all three areas of the permanent collection (library 750,000 mss, museum 80,000 artifacts, 100,000 photos).

Hope this helps.

Ellen E. Endslow

Director of Collections/Curator

Chester County History Center

225 N. High Street

West Chester, PA  19380

610-692-4066 x257

Hi Colleagues,

I'm wondering – who sits on your museum's Collections Committee? Staff only, or are board members, community members, or others on your Committee? If so, are they voting members?

At the Buffalo Bill Center of the West (BBCW), our committee is composed of our Library Director, Curators from each of our 5 museums, Registrar, Conservator, Director of Curatorial, Education, and Museum Services, Exhibition Production Manager, and Executive Director – all FT staff. Others may be invited to sit on the committee at the discretion of the Executive Director, who serves as Chair.

The role of the Collections Committee at the BBCW is to review and approve acquisitions, deaccessions, loans, temporary custody agreements, and other collections transactions in accordance with our Collections Management Policy. In addition, they advocate for the needs of the collections, have specific expertise in current legal, ethical, and cultural aspects of collections, and discuss potential additions or changes to collections policies and procedures for presentation to the Board of Trustees.

The Advisory Boards of each of our 5 museums are invited to make recommendations on acquisitions and deaccessions. Our Trustees approve acquisitions over a threshold value and approve all deaccessions.

Thank you in advance! I am looking forward to comparing Collections Committee membership rosters across several institutions.

Best,

Karen

Hi Colleagues,

I'm wondering – who sits on your museum's Collections Committee? Staff only, or are board members, community members, or others on your Committee? If so, are they voting members?

At the Buffalo Bill Center of the West (BBCW), our committee is composed of our Library Director, Curators from each of our 5 museums, Registrar, Conservator, Director of Curatorial, Education, and Museum Services, Exhibition Production Manager, and Executive Director – all FT staff. Others may be invited to sit on the committee at the discretion of the Executive Director, who serves as Chair.

The role of the Collections Committee at the BBCW is to review and approve acquisitions, deaccessions, loans, temporary custody agreements, and other collections transactions in accordance with our Collections Management Policy. In addition, they advocate for the needs of the collections, have specific expertise in current legal, ethical, and cultural aspects of collections, and discuss potential additions or changes to collections policies and procedures for presentation to the Board of Trustees.

The Advisory Boards of each of our 5 museums are invited to make recommendations on acquisitions and deaccessions. Our Trustees approve acquisitions over a threshold value and approve all deaccessions.

Thank you in advance! I am looking forward to comparing Collections Committee membership rosters across several institutions.

Best,

Karen

Hi Colleagues,

I'm wondering – who sits on your museum's Collections Committee? Staff only, or are board members, community members, or others on your Committee? If so, are they voting members?

At the Buffalo Bill Center of the West (BBCW), our committee is composed of our Library Director, Curators from each of our 5 museums, Registrar, Conservator, Director of Curatorial, Education, and Museum Services, Exhibition Production Manager, and Executive Director – all FT staff. Others may be invited to sit on the committee at the discretion of the Executive Director, who serves as Chair.

The role of the Collections Committee at the BBCW is to review and approve acquisitions, deaccessions, loans, temporary custody agreements, and other collections transactions in accordance with our Collections Management Policy. In addition, they advocate for the needs of the collections, have specific expertise in current legal, ethical, and cultural aspects of collections, and discuss potential additions or changes to collections policies and procedures for presentation to the Board of Trustees.

The Advisory Boards of each of our 5 museums are invited to make recommendations on acquisitions and deaccessions. Our Trustees approve acquisitions over a threshold value and approve all deaccessions.

Thank you in advance! I am looking forward to comparing Collections Committee membership rosters across several institutions.

Best,

Karen

Hi Colleagues,

I'm wondering – who sits on your museum's Collections Committee? Staff only, or are board members, community members, or others on your Committee? If so, are they voting members?

At the Buffalo Bill Center of the West (BBCW), our committee is composed of our Library Director, Curators from each of our 5 museums, Registrar, Conservator, Director of Curatorial, Education, and Museum Services, Exhibition Production Manager, and Executive Director – all FT staff. Others may be invited to sit on the committee at the discretion of the Executive Director, who serves as Chair.

The role of the Collections Committee at the BBCW is to review and approve acquisitions, deaccessions, loans, temporary custody agreements, and other collections transactions in accordance with our Collections Management Policy. In addition, they advocate for the needs of the collections, have specific expertise in current legal, ethical, and cultural aspects of collections, and discuss potential additions or changes to collections policies and procedures for presentation to the Board of Trustees.

The Advisory Boards of each of our 5 museums are invited to make recommendations on acquisitions and deaccessions. Our Trustees approve acquisitions over a threshold value and approve all deaccessions.

Thank you in advance! I am looking forward to comparing Collections Committee membership rosters across several institutions.

Best,

Karen