Collections Management Policy
Written by Jacob Bridy at the behest of Director Cory Coverdell in February 2018. Adopted in the near future
Preamble
Purpose
The mission of the The Montana Dinosaur Center (TMDC) is to provide hands-on educational experiences for the public, based as much as possible on actual research sites and utilizing research personnel; to promote research and publications on the objects and information collected; and to collect, preserve, and interpret for the public, items relating to the physical and cultural heritage of the world. TMDC is dedicated to the sharing of information with other organizations for the advancement of science and the education and enjoyment of the public.
In service of this mission, this document seeks to ensure the careful and responsible stewardship of the collection of the The Montana Dinosaur Center to serve the public good through education and research.
Definitions
Accessioning: The formal documented process of legally adding an object to a museum collection.
Acquisition: The act of obtaining museum property, such as through donation, purchase, transfer, field collection, and exchange.
Agreement: A formal, written agreement between two or more parties that identifies roles, responsibilities, and/or outcomes. Use includes but is not limited to loans and exchanges.
Associated Records: All documentation generated by the activity of collection and analyzing objects. These must be maintained as part of museum collections. This includes site forms, field records, drawings, maps, object inventories, laboratory reports, and preparation forms.
Cataloging: The act of assigning a unique identifying number to an object or group of objects and completing descriptive documentation.
De-accessioning: The formal documented process of legally, permanently removing an object from the collection.
Facility: A building that has space dedicated to display, exhibit, study, and/or storage of museum property.
Inventory: An itemized listing of objects or the act of locating all objects of a collection.
Loan: The temporary transfer of custody of museum property on either a short or long term basis. A loan must be for official purposes and may be incoming or outgoing. The terms are defined in a loan agreement.
Museum Collection: An assemblage of objects that represents some aspect of human knowledge, and is retained for long term preservation, study, and interpretation. Museum Records - Records created to manage museum property, such as accession, catalog, loan, de-accession, and inventory records.
Object: A physical item of museum property.
Standards: Authoritative principles or rules for managing museum property.
This section is an edited section from DM 411.
Background
Founded in 1995 with the intention of providing research and education about the paleontology, geology, and anthropology of Montana, the The Montana Dinosaur Center has continued to expand in order to fulfill this mission. In order to better serve the public and scientific community, TMDC will continue to grow and preserve the collection. This document was written out of the desire to both more faithfully care for the collection and be more transparent about methods to be accountable to the public trust.
Applicability
The aim of the The Montana Dinosaur Center is to preserve, exhibit, research the biological, geological, and anthropological history of the great state of Montana. As such, the scope of this collection includes biological, geological, paleontological, and archaeological specimens from Montana, and in particular, the Two Medicine Formation and surrounding areas.
This document applies to any and all TMDC board, staff, agents, and volunteers that interact with the collection in any way, including tours and facility access, as dictated within the document.
Authority and Responsibility
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is responsible for selecting and hiring a Director for running of the museum. They also must approve all policies that affect the museum’s operations in a significant way.
Director
The Director is responsible for establishing all policy on the ethical treatment of collections from the moment they are considered for museum ownership to the moment they are formally deaccessioned. They are also responsible for appointing and hiring of all collections staff, as well as oversight of and enforcement of policies approved by the Board of Directors.
Curator
The Curator is responsible for overseeing collection direction and growth, as well as setting policy for proper collecting techniques. They also conduct research and coordinate research efforts with other institutions. Identification and determination of specimens for both collections information and research are also their purview.
Collections Manager/Registrar The Collections Manager/Registrar is responsible for all day to day operations of the collection and long term care of the collection. This applies to all specimens and associated information, in the form of both physical records, digital records, and inventories.
Collections Committee
This Committee, made up of the Director, Curator, and Collections Manager, must discuss and approve certain actions within the collection. If multiple titles are held by the same individual, the committee must include at least one member of the Board of Directors.
Field Paleontologist
The Field Paleontologist is responsible for collection of specimens from the field, including ensuring all permits and land use agreements are in place before ground is broken, careful excavation of specimens according to current best practices, and collection and recording of all relevant locality and specimen data, to be reported in a timely manner for preservation.
Staff
All staff are expected to follow collections policies to ensure the preservation of collections and information.
Ethics
The TMDC adheres to the ethics statement adopted by the American Alliance of Museums. This means that all collections are held in public trust for the benefit of the public, lawfully acquired and held, and accounted for and documented. Further, all actions done with collections are for the goal of maintaining and preserving that collection for public use, disposal of collection objects is solely for the advancement of the collection, objects associated with funerary or sacred rites are treated in that light, and all collections activity are for public good and not monetary gain.
Accounting for Collections
All collections owned or in the care of TMDC are not treated or to be used as assets for any accounting or budgetary purposes. They are kept in trust for the public good and cannot be used for financial gain.
Exceptions
Prudent exceptions to the CMP may be permitted in unusual cases when it is decided in the best interest of TMDC to do so. They must be approved by the Collection Manager, Director, and Board of Directors, and be documented thoroughly.
Compliance and Regulations
All employees are responsible for compliance set forth in this policy, but the Director in particular is responsible for implementing policy and the ultimate compliance of all employees. All museum policies must be in compliance with both state and federal laws.
Collection Management Policy Review
This document will be reviewed every four years after the year of adoption by the Board of Directors. Any changes will be presented to the Board of Directors for consideration and approval. Documents in appendices may be updated on an as needed basis with the approval of the Director.
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