My favorite catalog card at a museum I once worked for listed the
contents of the museum shop paint cabinet, including all of the paints
and paint thinner.

James "Kimo" Tichgelaar
Project Coordinator, Hands on History
Ohio Historical Society
1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43211-2497
614.297.2523
614.297.2546 (fax)

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Rockwell's America at the Ohio Historical Center from November 1 through
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Training is provided. Please call Mary Cannon at 614.297.2392 or visit
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-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Vetter, Kara
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 12:20 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Bizarre Accesssions (was Outreach & artifacts)

I believe back in the early days (1920's - 1930s?) we accessioned a
boxed piece of birthday cake.  One of our interns came across the
catalog card while researching a donor. I can say that that cake has
never been found in the collection, so I assume it is safe to say that
the cake was removed (hopefully not eaten!) soon after it was placed in
the collection.  

I hope that is bizarre enough for you!


Kara
 
Kara S. Vetter, Registrar
Indiana State Museum & Historic Sites
650 West Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317.232.8179
[log in to unmask] 
 

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.


-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Dan Bartlett
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 12:10 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Bizarre Accesssions (was Outreach & artifacts)

Kind of like the coffee-making equipment accessioned in the 1980s by
well meaning volunteer collections folks at my last museum...

Sarah's post got me thinking, what are some of the other strange objects
people have found accessioned into their collections?

Dan

Dan Bartlett
Curator of Exhibits and Education
Instructor of Museum Studies
Logan Museum of Anthropology
Beloit College
(608) 363-2678


-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Sarah M. Allen Sarah Allen Museum Technician Knife River
Indian Villages NHS Stanton, ND 58571-0009 701.745.3300
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 10:12 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Outreach & artifacts

My 2 cents.

Be sure they are actually "artifacts", I know that sounds dumb, but bear
with me. Once, I was doing an inventory of  American Indian artifacts in
a collection and could not find a pair of moccasins the computer said we
had, with no description... I got out the accession book and found who
had donated them and when, but nothing for a description there either. I
about pulled my hair out looking for these things, as the museum was
small and mostly archeological items, the moccasins should have stuck
out like a sore thumb.

One afternoon, I had an epiphany. I shared my office space with the
education specialist. I got in his traveling discovery trunk and behold,
there were the moccasins, numbered and all. It did not take me long to
realise looking at them that they were not authentic. but why catalog
them?
I found an employee who had been there for ages. she told me that some
people a few years back had started cataloging everything that came thru
the door as artifacts, regardless of origin. They were quickly told to
stop, but several items were never "fixed". The moccasins had been made
by a vendor specifically for the use they now had. they were not gifts,
but a commissioned and paid for prop for the interpretive staff, over 15
years prior.

Sarah Allen



 

             Julie Blood

             <julieblood@SANJO

             AQUINHISTORY.ORG>
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             02/02/2009 01:00

             PM

 

 

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We have traveling trunks that docents take to outreach programs for
schools.  Recently I found out that there are actual artifacts in these
trunks.  I am thinking that these should not be the actual artifacts,
but reproduction items or objects taken strictly for education purposes
only.
Has anybody else experienced this before, if so how did you handle it
with your education coordinator?

Thanks!

Julie Blood
Collections and Exhibit Manager
San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum P.O. Box 30, Lodi, CA
95241
(209) 331-2055
(209) 953-3460
[log in to unmask]
www.sanjoaquinhistory.org



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