Dear Wanda,
Whenever I'm training new staff or volunteers in artifact handling I start
with a little philosophical discussion about what an artifact is.  I tell
them that once an item is accessioned and becomes part of the museum's
collection it is no longer what it once was.  If it is a table, we no
longer use it as such; if it is a chair we no longer sit in it.  If it is
a record player, we no longer play records on it; if it is a clock, we no
longer wind it and it no longer tells time.
The reasoning behind this is that every time you handle something, you use
it up a little.  Every time you use it, you use it up some more.  We have
a public trust responsibility to make artifacts last forever.  Although
the laws of physics prevent this, we do everything in our power to make
them last as long as possible.  We want these things to be around in
virtually the same condition 100 years down the road (I personally can
envision 100 years more than "forever"). There is no way we can fulfill
that obligation if we continue to use these things.
So, props or "museum use" collections are used in the manner they were
intended to be used.  They are used up and discarded.  Artifacts, on the
other hand, are imbued with a preservation mandate and must be protected
from handling and use.  I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
David Ryan
Registrar
Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum
www.cspm.org

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