Jessica (and others with questions about archival
collections documenting museum activity) --
Even if your organization cannot keep and care for all
the material you have, chances are there's an archives
(at a nearby college or larger public library) that
would be willing to take responsibility for preserving
documents of historical interest no longer needed for
current operations.
There's always interest in museum activities --
descendants of donors and former employees and people
who remember visiting your museum "years ago" and want
to know whatever happened to some object or exhibit
they recall seeing, no to mention NAGPRA, CITES,
journalists, DA's, etc.
If your museum cannot establish an archives, there's
generally a way to designate an outside repository and
transfer materials there as they are no longer
current.
First of all, though, I'd want to make certain that
the "old maps old exhibition notes" are in fact
multiple copies printed and distributed (like the
other types of documentation you describe.) If these
items are one-of-a-kind documentation, designate them
as such for your own purposes or to assist whoever
takes the material.
About 20 years ago, I uncovered a box of archival
material collected by Henry Ward, an early 20th
century museum director. Ward saved photographs,
programs, extra copies of publications and other
materials documenting American Association of Museums
activity, specifically the annual meeting held in
Milwaukee.
After consulting with interested staff because the
material was excellent but extensive and out-of-scope
of our collecting policy, I arranged to transfer it to
the Smithsonian Archives. There the Ward files joined
AAM materials from many other members. In the era
before digitized collections and finding aids, it was
infinitely more helpful to scholars and students to
have a membership organization's material in one
place, rather than scattered among the files in the
places where the members once worked.
In a more general answer to your question and others
I've noticed -- there's a very helpful listserv
specifically devoted to issues and concerns of
archivists working with museum records. It's the
Listserv of the Society of American Archivists Museums
Section. It's a good place to post the questions like
the one below but the poster needs to subscribe (at
least for a while) in order to see replies.
Museum archivists are very helpful individuals and are
used to getting questions about how to handle
collections of museum documentation. Many have
experience juggling multiple responsibilities at their
respective institutions and are used to operating on a
shoestring budget so their suggestions may be more
applicable to your situation than archivists working
in major research libraries or archives.
Here's the info about subscribing to, and posting to
the Museum Archives Listserv (SAAMUS-L)
The Museum Archives Listserv, SAAMUS-L, is hosted
by the Smithsonian Institution.
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Archives Listserv, please contact Kristine Kaske at
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Judy Turner
Whitefish Bay, WI
--- Jessica Casinelli <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> My museum is moving to a new office space and while
> we were packing we
> discovered a huge supply of our old museum printed
> matter such as old
> maps old exhibition notes, invites, old letterhead,
> and our old
> quarterly journals. We do not want to move all of it
> as it is a large
> amount, but we do want to create a archive for them
> so we have a bit
> of everything. Our registrar does not know what to
> do in this matter
> and we do not have an archivist on staff. Can any
> one give us some
> advice as to how many we should keep and how we
> should keep them? We
> are a contemporary art museum but with a tight
> budget (like all
> museums).
>
> Any advice would be helpful!
>
> Thank you,
> Jessica
[Snip]
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