Open Forum

Hi Steve. What museum or organization are you affiliated with? I may have missed reading that. Thank you.

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Shelby Henderson
Director
Bertha Lee Strickland Cultural Museum
Seneca SC
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Sorry not to include that information Shelby as it has been an i.d. in my past posts but obviously did not continue in this one.  I recently retired but am writing and speaking on various museum subjects.  I have three books published for our field and a fourth will be out this spring.  My career was in regional history museums in the northeast as a curator, administrator and director.  I was an adjunct professor for sixteen years with the Seton Hall University MA Program in Museum Professions.  I started my career on a curatorial track at the Museum of the City of New York in 1971.  I can supply a one-page resume to anyone interested.

Thanks so much,

Steve

3196 Burnt House Hill Rd.
Doylestown, PA 18902
215 794 7164


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Steven Miller
Doylestown, PA

Executive Director Retired
Boscobel Restoration, Inc.
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-04-2019 08:43 AM
From: Shelby Henderson
Subject: Museum Collecting: Acquisition Stories Told From the Inside

Hi Steve. What museum or organization are you affiliated with? I may have missed reading that. Thank you.

------------------------------
Shelby Henderson
Director
Bertha Lee Strickland Cultural Museum
Seneca SC
------------------------------

May I suggest posting to ASTC (Association of Science and Technology Centers) to attract science museums? Good luck with the book!

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Shari Berman
Partner
Evidence Design
Brooklyn NY
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-03-2019 12:46 PM
From: Steven Miller
Subject: Museum Collecting: Acquisition Stories Told From the Inside

Dear Friends:

In planning a book about how museums get their collections, I invite interested colleagues to submit a chapter.  Museum Collecting: Acquisition Stories Told From the Inside will present the range of ways museums acquire things.  Throughout my career this has been the favorite part of my work.  From paintings, to cars, to furniture, to prints, to airplanes, to musical instruments, to photographs, to you-name-it, I have dealt with all sorts of acquisition circumstances.  Those who have had similar experiences know the fascinating (and sometimes frustrating) ways museums collect.  The publisher I am working with is known for its museum-studies books but also feels the general public will find the subject revealing, to say the least.  

Anyone interested in learning more about this book is welcome to contact me directly.  I can provide my plan and a chapter I have written.  As outlined the book will also act as a text on the critically essential museum responsibility insofar as why museums acquire things, how, who makes these decisions, and, what the results are.  Collecting is both an ideal and a real activity, thus philosophical as well as practical considerations will be discussed in each chapter.   

I am especially keen on including science museums as they tend to be woefully absent in most current museum subject publications.  Furthermore, I seek contributions from beyond the United States.  Ideally the book will present global, diverse, and inclusive perspectives.  

Thank you,

Steve

sh.miller2@verizon.net   

Hello, 
I heard that the Vietnam war memorial museum, created by the NPS, has most of their collections come from the items left at the wall. Its a very intriguing concept and poses a unique challenge to collections acquisition decisions.
Elizabeth Kallebach

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Elizabeth Kallenbach
Collections Manager
Museum of Natural and Cultural History - University of Oregon
Eugene OR
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-03-2019 12:46 PM
From: Steven Miller
Subject: Museum Collecting: Acquisition Stories Told From the Inside

Dear Friends:

In planning a book about how museums get their collections, I invite interested colleagues to submit a chapter.  Museum Collecting: Acquisition Stories Told From the Inside will present the range of ways museums acquire things.  Throughout my career this has been the favorite part of my work.  From paintings, to cars, to furniture, to prints, to airplanes, to musical instruments, to photographs, to you-name-it, I have dealt with all sorts of acquisition circumstances.  Those who have had similar experiences know the fascinating (and sometimes frustrating) ways museums collect.  The publisher I am working with is known for its museum-studies books but also feels the general public will find the subject revealing, to say the least.  

Anyone interested in learning more about this book is welcome to contact me directly.  I can provide my plan and a chapter I have written.  As outlined the book will also act as a text on the critically essential museum responsibility insofar as why museums acquire things, how, who makes these decisions, and, what the results are.  Collecting is both an ideal and a real activity, thus philosophical as well as practical considerations will be discussed in each chapter.   

I am especially keen on including science museums as they tend to be woefully absent in most current museum subject publications.  Furthermore, I seek contributions from beyond the United States.  Ideally the book will present global, diverse, and inclusive perspectives.  

Thank you,

Steve

sh.miller2@verizon.net