I have managed both the museum at the American Academy of Ophthalmology and it's institutional archives for 15 years. The archives can be tricky in my kind of situation with untrained staff and/or only one staff person. I'm not sure your situation, but here are some thoughts:
1. I invested in archival software (a module of our collections software, Re:Discovery's Proficio Elements). Like all off-the-shelf software, its more robust than I need, but it really helped to set up the collection properly by seeing all the fields.
2. I separated the collecting scope of the archive from the retention schedule. Its important to know the difference for your organization- the archive is not a dumping ground for all things we don't want to throw away just yet or might come in handy some day!
3. I organized the archive by subject, not the organizational chart. The org chart can change - departments come and go, people move around the organization - its important to view the archive from an outsiders perspective. What would they be looking for?
4. Finally, we have a large film, photo, and audio collection. I try to make this about the institution and not the staff. Again, staff come and go, but the institution will remain. In 100 years who will be remembered? Who should be? When I keep that in mind, its easier to let the photos of the Christmas parties go and keep our archives clear of strictly staff related items.
I have cataloging guidelines for our archives that I would be happy to share if your interested.
-Jenny
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Jenny Benjamin
Director
Museum of Vision
San Francisco CA
Original Message:
Sent: 07-01-2016 08:34 AM
From: Leslie Cade
Subject: Institutional Archives
Ideally, museums should have an institutional archives managed by a professional archivist. There are many resources available through the museum archives section of the Society of American Archivists, including a web page on standards and best practices at Standards & Best Practices Resource Guide
| Archivists |
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| Standards & Best Practices Resource Guide |
| Over the past five years, the Museum Archives Section Standards and Best Practices Working Group has gathered examples of museum archives best practices, such as policies, procedures, and sample forms. We have focused on the full range of activities that museum archivists perform. |
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Please feel free to contact any of the archives that have contributed to this web page. We're happy to help!
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Leslie Cade
Interim Director, Ingalls Library and Museum Archives
Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland OH
Original Message:
Sent: 06-30-2016 10:44 AM
From: victoria king
Subject: Institutional Archives
Greetings Everyone!
I am writing to find out how other institutions handle their institutional archives.
Right now all of our institutional records (photos, files, CD/DVD, misc. documents) have been placed in collection storage. There have been brief discussions on archiving this valuable information and making it accessible in a digital way for our staff.
Before we charge forward, some of my questions are:
What department within a museum is responsible for the institutional archives?
Is there a software or program used to record and archive this information? Best recommendation?
If anyone is willing to share their experiences, information, or suggestions we would greatly appreciate it!
Thank you all,
Tori
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Victoria King
Registrar
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