Perhaps reframing the question would be in order.  Look at contemporary collecting as contemporary documentation.

The first step is to examine your existing collection.  What's there, and what doesn't seem to be there?

Then, examine your community now.  What is going on that is new, and wasn't happening 10, 20, or 50 years ago?  How has the population changed?  How has the industry/business changed?  How has the culture changed?  Has the landscape changed in other significant ways?

Identify those new things that you believe you ought to be documenting.  Approach people in a position to know best about those things.  As them what would be most representative of their area of expertise.  Don't be afraid to call them "advisors", as that is what they surely will be.

Accept that sometimes, you won't be able to collect the things you think you need--some artifacts have cultural importance to a community, and they would no more think of donating it to you then cutting off their right arm.  In that case, you need to think of other ways to document the activities/artifacts.  This could include photography, oral history, and other types of documentation.

I believe that museums need to look for more comprehensive methods of documenting their communities.  

And everyone that you contact about your collecting efforts has the potential to become an ally of the museum.

Take the long view.  Uncovering all of the new things you should be documenting, making the community contacts, and ultimately, collecting something takes time.  You have to overcome a lot of suspicion sometimes before people will part with their precious stuff.  And they certainly don't want to see it collected, and then not used.

Consider creating a series of exhibitions documenting the museum's new areas of interest--then go out and make the relationships and collect what you need to support the exhibits.

There are lots of ways to make this work.  But first, you have to do the intellectual heavy lifting to study your existing collection, study your community, and make some decisions.

Best of luck!

Claudia Nicholson
Independent Curator,
Soul on the Loose,
Collections Management Consultant,
Supermarket Cashier

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