Heritage League Collections Care Workshops
BACKGROUND HISTORY/NEED
The irreplaceable collections entrusted to the care of museums and historical agencies in our community are at risk and deteriorating from inherent and external forces. These collections represent the social, ethnic, and commercial history of American culture. Their deterioration can be prevented by providing broad-based training for those responsible for the care and maintenance of these collections.
Many of the museums and historic sites in this country have one professional staff member responsible for the care of all of the collections of the organization, in addition to myriad administrative and programmatic responsibilities. Ofter, this staff person has academic training in an area related to the institution's mission, but rarely the broad-based collections care background or experience necessary to manage the wide range of collections entrusted to their institution. Most seek training through one-day workshops offered on a local or regional basis, however, these programs are not offered regularly or consistently. One-or two-day workshops are useful in that they can provide introductory information on a specific material or issue related to collections care and identify resources where they can trun for help.
A coordinated, consistent and regular schedule of training offerings is needed to provide a comprehensive view of the interactions of materials found in museum collections with the environment; to train museum workers to recognize potential problems, prevent deterioration by establishing maintenance programs, and identify when outside help is essential in preserving their collections; and to provide professional network opportunities via the interaction of presenters and participants.
In July of 1992, the Board of the Heritage League of Greater Kansas City unanimously voted to establish a 30-day program based on the Training for Collections Care and Maintenance Curriculum, published by the National Institute for Conservation of Cultural Property in 1991. With the generous support of foundations (the Bay Foundation, Mason L. Dean Trust through Nation's Bank, R.A. Long Foundation, Henry and Marion Bloch Foundation, William T. Kemper Foundation-Commerce Bank Trustee), the National Endowment for the Humanities, Delta Designs, Inc., the Kansas Museums Association, and in-kind support from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the National Archives-Central Plains Region, the Kansas City, Missouri, Parks & Recreation Department, the Program was offered nationally in 1996, 1997, and 1998.
Through this program, the Heritage League was successful in providing museum professionals with information, hands-on training, and skills to improve the care of collection in museums and historic sites. With the completion of this three-year grant-funded program, the Board carefully evaluated the results and found that each year, it became more difficult for agencies within the Heritage League's membership base to commit to a 30-day program, and more and more of the participant came from outside the Greater Kansas City area. Although the need for such training is great throughout the country, the Heritage League's program objectives are first and foremost, to serve the needs of its members, and to strengthen the network of professionals working to preserve the region's heritage. To that end, and recognizing the barriers that prevented more area institutions from participating in the 30-day training program, the League decided to offer a series of one-day workshops over the next three-year period, to better serve the needs of its members. This new program offering will build upon the strengths of the Collections Care & Maintenance Training Program offered by the League in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
Workshop Format
The workshop series utilizes curriculum outlines, speakers, training manuals, equipment and tools organized and tested in the Collections Care & Maintenance Training program offered by the Heritage League in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Each workshop is limited to 20 participants for the most effective learning environment, and, limited to those individuals currently working in museums or historic sites.
Workshop Content
Each year, different topics are addressed, such as care of wooden artifacts (2002), care of photographs, care of historic structures.
Workshop Outcome
Curators, registrars, and collections managers, who otherwise would not be able to participate at all gain new knowledge, skills, confidence, and a network of other professionals to contact for help and advice, thus promoting greater care and preservation of collections of local and regional history.