There is a wealth of resources available to for the various topics addressed in a collections management policy, and we have compiled a few here to help you answer any questions you may have as you work through each section. Please note that this list is not exhaustive and encourage you to pursue additional research as needed.
general resources
The CMPToolkit
- CMPToolkit Glossary: A quick reference guide of key terms and resources you used throughout the questionnaire.
- Sample Policy: Preview an example of a complete Collections Management Policy created with the CMPToolkit
Books
- Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA) International. Sample Forms for Records Management & Archival Programs. ARMA International, 2002.
- Behrnd-Klodt, Menzi L. Navigating Legal Issues in Archives. Chicago, IL: Society of American Archivists, 2008.
- Buck, Rebecca A. and Jean Allman Gilmore. Collections Conundrums: Solving Collections Management Mysteries. Washington, DC: American Alliance of Museums, 2007.
- Malaro, Marie and Ildiko DeAngelis. A Legal Primer on Managing Museum Collections. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books. 2012.
- Merritt, Elizabeth E., ed. National Standards & Best Practices for U. S. Museums. Washington, DC: American Alliance of Museums Press, 2008.
- Reibel, Daniel B. Registration Methods for the Small Museum. 5th Edition. Washington, DC: American Alliance of Museums, 2017.
- Simmons, John E. Things Great and Small: Collections Management Policies. 2nd Edition. Washington DC: American Alliance of Museums, 2018.
- Simmons, John E. and Toni M. Kiser, eds. Museum Registration Methods. 6th Edition. Lanham, Maryland: American Alliance of Museums Press, 2020.
Online Resources
The following websites offer a wide range of technical bulletins, recordings, and other resources that you may find useful for writing your collections management policy:
- Canadian Conservation Institute Notes https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/canadian-conservation-institute-notes.html
- Connection to Collections (C2C) Care Online Community https://connectingtocollections.org/
- Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts Guides & Fact Sheets https://ccaha.org/resources
- Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts Recorded Webinars & Presentations https://ccaha.org/recorded-webinars-and-presentations
- National Parks Service Conserve-O-Grams https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/cons_toc.html
- National Parks Service Museum Handbook https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/MHI/mushbkI.html
- Northeast Document Conservation Center Preservation Leaflets https://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/preservation-leaflets/overview
- Society of American Archivists Standards & Best Practices Resource Guide https://www2.archivists.org/groups/museum-archives-section/standards-best-practices-resource-guide
Resources by Policy Section
Acquisitions, Accessions, Deaccessions, & Disposal
- American Alliance of Museums. Direct Care of Collections: Ethics, Guidelines, and Recommendations. https://www.aam-us.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Direct-Care-of-Collections_March-2019.pdf
- “Accessioning!” Webinar for Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York, January 2019. https://youtu.be/9RDwD9Yyg7Q.
- Theobald, Sharon Smith, ed. To Give and To Receive: A Handbook on Collection Gifts and Donations for Museums and Donors, 2nd edition. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2020.
- “Policies and Procedures for Deaccessioning.” Webinar for Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York, January 2019. https://youtu.be/hnLyQ9W0h2s.
Loans
- Richardson, Erin. “Legal Issues: Old Loans and Unknown Sources.” Webinar for Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York, February 2018. https://youtu.be/HR_Lfyf1sdU.
- https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/state-laws-handling-abandoned-property.html
- Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists. “Museum Property Acts and Abandoned Loan Legislation.” https://www.arcsinfo.org/content/documents/arcsmuseumpropertyandoldloanlegislationjune2018.pdf
Documentation
- “Labeling Lightning Round.” Webinar for Connecting to Collections Care, February 2021. https://connectingtocollections.org/labeling-lightning-round/
- Southeastern Registrars Association; Deborah Rose Van Horn, Corinne Midgett, and Heather Culligan, eds. Basic Condition Reporting: A Handbook, 5th edition. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2022.
- “Managing Previously Unmanaged Collections: A Survival Guide for Messes Great and Small.” Webinar for Connecting to Collections Care, September 2016. https://connectingtocollections.org/managing-unmanaged-collections/
Collections Care
- Museums Galleries Scotland. “Introduction to Collections Care.” https://www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/advice/collections/introduction-to-collections-care/
- Foundation for the American Institute for Conservation. Connecting to Collections Care Webinar Archives. https://www.connectingtocollections.org/archives/.
- Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts. “Ideal Preservation Process.” https://ccaha.org/resources/ideal-preservation-process
- Government of Canada. “Caring for Sacred and Culturally Sensitive Objects.” https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/preventive-conservation/guidelines-collections/caring-sacred-culturally-sensitive-objects.html
Insurance & Risk Management
Insurance
- “Insurance – How to Manage Your Organization’s Risk.” Webinar for Connecting to Collections Care, December 2019. https://connectingtocollections.org/insurance-manage-risk/
- Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency, Inc. “Insurance Checklist for Museums.” http://museum-sos.org/docs/InsuranceChecklistforMuseums.pdf
- Merritt, Elizabeth E., ed. Covering Your Assets: Facilities and Risk Management in Museums. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005.
Emergency Preparedness
- “Introduction to Emergency Planning and Risk Assessment.” Webinar for Regional Heritage Stewardship Program (Appalachian Region), July 2019. https://youtu.be/Xw5v5D8wU8o
- CoSA. “Pocket Response Plan PReP Templates.” https://www.statearchivists.org/research-resources/emergency-preparedness/pocket-responce-templates
- “Preparing for Extreme Weather: Fire and Hurricane.” Webinar for Connecting to Collections Care, August 2022. https://connectingtocollections.org/extreme_weather/
Security
- “Museum Security Fundamentals.” Webinar for Connecting to Collections Care, July 2022. https://connectingtocollections.org/security_fandamentals/
- National Park Service. “Chapter 14: Museum Security.” National Park Service Museum Handbook, Part I. 2002. https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/MHI/chap14.pdf
Fire
- Kilby, Michael. “Fire Protection Strategies for Collections & Museums.” Webinar for FAIC’s Connecting to Collections Care, May 2020. https://www.connectingtocollections.org/fire-protection-strategies/.
Access & Use
- “Creating Physical Access: Setting Handling Guidelines.” Webinar for Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York, September 2021. https://youtu.be/m3Q254pvu1w
- National Parks Service. “Chapter 1: Evaluating and Documenting Museum Collections Use.” National Parks Service Museum Handbook, Part III. 1998. https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/mhiii/mh3ch1.pdf
Intellectual Property
- American Library Association Office for Information Technology. “Copyright Advisory Network”. https://librarycopyright.net/
- Cornell University Library. “Copyright Information Center”. https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain
- Harry Ransom Center and University of Reading Library. WATCH and FOB Databases. https://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/watch/
- United States Copyright Office. “Copyright Basics,” Circular 1. Library of Congress. 2019. http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf
Professional Organizations
Throughout the Toolkit, we refer to various professional organizations for collecting organizations. We have compiled a list of these organizations here. Many of these organizations offer a range of resources you may find useful for writing your collections management policy.
- American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) https://aaslh.org/
- American Alliance of Museum (AAM) https://www.aam-us.org/
- American Library Association (ALA) https://www.ala.org/
- Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG) https://www.aamg-us.org/
- Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) https://aamd.org/
- Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) https://www.ala.org/acrl/
- Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists (ARCS) https://www.arcsinfo.org/
- International Council of Museums (ICOM) https://icom.museum/en/
- Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries (RBMS) https://rbms.info/
- Society of American Archivists (SAA) https://www2.archivists.org/