Perhaps objects curators in museum settings need to add to their 'bag of
tricks' the appraisal step that archivists use to determine whether or
not a document should be accessioned into the collection. I never hear
this step mentioned in so many words, although most museums do have
collection policies which should take care of the matter.



Lucy Sperlin Skjelstad wrote:
>
> > I am reminded of my "Fourth Law of Museum Work": You can't save everything
> >
> > Not every piece of material culture can go into a museum or be preserved,
> > and certainly not forever.  Choices -- and often difficult ones -- need to
> > be made about what is kept.  And even once in museums choices need to be
> > made about level of use ("total" preservation, exhibit, research,
> > destructive analysis).  And those choices may change over time: what was
> > once common may become rare and need more preservation and less use.
> >
>
> ....leading to my long held contention that decision makers in
> historical museums need to be futurists as well as historians.
> Projecting the ramification of current trends into the future, we can
> have some sense of what of our own time is likely to be important to
> those working 25 to 50 or more years after us.  Having been lucky enough
> to have worked at a museum with quite 'old' collections, many times I've
> blessed (or occasionally cursed) the foresight of curators who were
> working 20 - 60 years before me. Those working in newer museums may not
> realize how quickly what they are working with will have that time
> depth.
>
> Of course we can't be right on all the time, thus the need to perhaps
> over save a bit at the front end, then weed regularly and routinely, but
> oh so carefully, perhaps 20 - 25 years out.  Of great frustration to me
> are those who say, if our museum can't make use of it *now* we won't
> take it.
>
> And, as an additional thought to the non-collecting museum thread, I
> believe that non-collecting history museums impoverish themselves.  Who
> is taking responsibility for collecting the past of their area -anyone?
> no one?  Do history museums have at least some obligation to collect in
> their area of mission, as part of a greater obligation to preservation
> of the nations cultural heritage?  Or has the 'me generation' come upon
> museums as well as individuals?
>
> Isn't it wonderful how rather simple questions can evolve into
> philosophical threads?
>
> Lucy Sperlin  (formerly L. Skjelstad)
> Chico, CA
>

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