MS218: Collection Inventories
Dates: Nov 2 to Nov 27, 2009
Price: $475                   
Instructor: Peggy Schaller
Location: Online at www.museumclasses.org

Description:
Collection inventories are vital to collection management
and security. You need to know what is in your collection
to be able to manage it well. This means regular
inventories must occur. But knowing you must do them and
actually having the time and manpower to complete an
inventory are two different things. Collection Inventories
discusses everything you ever wanted to know about
collection inventories. From how to set one up to how to
conduct an inventory. Other topics include what to look for
during an inventory and how to reconcile the information.

Course Outline:
Why are Collection Inventories important?
Collection Management
Collection Security
Preparing for an Inventory
Preparing The Museum
Preparing Staff: Who Will Do the Inventory?
Compiling Data and Supplies
Conducting an Inventory
Where to Begin
What to Look for During an Inventory
Reconciling an Inventory: What do you do when the inventory
is done?
Fixing Problems
Processing "Leftovers"
When Should You Do It Again?

Logistics:
Participants in Collection Inventories work through
sections on their own. Instructor Peggy Schaller is
available for scheduled email support. Materials and
resources include online literature, slide lectures and
dialog between students and online chats led by the
instructor. 

Collection Inventories runs four weeks. To reserve a spot
in the course, please pay at
http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html  If you have
trouble please contact Helen Alten at
[log in to unmask]

Student Comments for MS218: Collection Inventories:

I liked: a. Assignments were fun b. Chats were informative
c. Lots of emails that had good suggestions-seemed like
more emails that the other classes-I guess a good mix of
people and museums. I have enjoyed each online course-hope
to take another one next year. Peggy your emails were
helpful-I think people this time emailed more than the
other classes. I liked that. I liked the variety of museums
represented.

Exceptional. All of the classes I have taken from NSCC have
been valuable to me and the work I do in my museum. If my
count is correct, this is my tenth online class - all from
NSCC. Peggy, I think you did a very good job.

I had numerous classes in graduate school with online
components or that were strictly online. I have preferred
the more straightforward layout offered at Northern States
Conservation Center to those I had in graduate school.

Absolutely a 10. I really enjoyed the class and getting to
know Peggy and all of my fellow students through forums and
discussions.

It delineated the difference between an inventory project
and a cataloging project. I think it will help our
institution narrow our current project to fit the greatest
need.

There was just enough reading material to provide the
information needed but not too much to overwhelm. I liked
the handling instructions for each different type of
artifact museums might encounter. I plan on providing it to
new interns and staff as a concise introduction or
reminder.

I enjoyed the chats. Hearing other people who have the same
goals and challenges state the case of inventory vs.
inventory/cataloging really made it sink in that our
institution is overreaching our current need and should
scale back the current project.

Thanks for offering the course. Keep up the good work.

It was good fact-based material, presented in a succinct
and useful way. I printed much of it out for future
reference.

I liked the course and found it extremely useful. Peggy was
an excellent instructor, offering encouragement and helpful
hints, and managing the chats gracefully.

The course material was extremely thorough and will be an
excellent guide and resource as we continue to plan our
inventory project. I really thought the forum and chat
sessions were helpful, its nice to hear that other
institutions are facing the same problems. It was very
thought provoking to hear how they solve their problems and
to try to apply their solutions to our situation. The
assignments were very effective exercises in applying the
concepts introduced in the course.

I really liked the class chats. After the first one I felt
like I had made great connections with the others in the
class even though we had never met.

It actually exceeded my expectations. I have been having
such an issue with the inventory here that I just had hope
that this would work. But I feel that I actually have a
game plan now. I have a logical set of steps that will work
even for a collection as far behind as mine. It's been a
great relief to me to know that this can be done and done
in one lifetime.

The Instructor:
Peggy Schaller, founded Collections Research for Museums in
1991 to provide consulting on cataloging,
collection-management training and services. She has worked
with a large variety of museums and collections for more
than 17 years. Peggy, who lives in Denver, Colorado, has a
bachelor's degree in anthropology with minors in art
history and geology from the University of Arizona in
Tucson. She has a master's degree in anthropology with a
minor in museum studies from the University of Colorado in
Boulder and is a certified institutional protection
specialist. She provides workshops to museums and
historical societies in Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and
Wyoming. The mission of Collections Research for Museums is
to inspire museums to improve their professional standards,
collections stewardship and service to their constituency
through training in, and assistance with, documenting,
preserving, protecting and managing their collections.

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