The Basics of Museum Registration online course
begins on January 28, 2008. We still have positions open for the
course. It will not be available again until 2009. Here is
the course information:
MS103: The Basics of Museum Registration
Instructor: Peggy Schaller
Dates: January 28 to February 23, 2008
Price: $425
The Northern States Conservation Center (
http://www.collectioncare.org
) is pleased to announce the return of one of its
building-block courses: The Basics of Museum Registration at
www.museumclasses.org
. This course covers the basics of museum record
keeping. The mission statement is emphasized as the foundation for the
museum. Then students learn of the importance of establishing set
policies and procedures. The terms 'registration' and 'accession' will be
defined and the process discussed. Three common types of numbering
systems will be reviewed and the answer to the question "Why do
museums put those little bitty numbers on all their artifacts?" will
be revealed. Finally, the Museum Registration Manual, its importance for
the museum and what it should contain will be reviewed.
Participants will be asked to create a mission statement, collection
policy and acquisition policy for a 'new' museum; comment on one of the
selected readings about museum missions; complete an accessioning
exercise; and for the final class project create a sample registration
manual for our 'new' museum.
Class Outline:
1. Introduction
2. The Museum Mission
Statement
3. Accessioning and
Numbering
4. Registration
Manual
5. Conclusion
The course format is self-paced through 5 sections. The instructor will
be available at predetermined intervals throughout the course. Students
will be working individually and interact through forums and scheduled
on-line chats. Materials include web versions of reading materials and
lecture notes. Supporting resources include message forums, weekly online
chats, email support, projects, quizzes, and links to relevant
websites.
The course will last for four weeks and cover all the details needed to
begin processing a collection. This course will include handouts, on-line
literature, slide lectures, and student-teacher/group-teacher dialog. The
course is limited to 20 participants.
If you are interested in the course, please sign up at
www.museumclasses.org
and pay for the course at
http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html
. If you have trouble with either, please contact Helen Alten at
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Student comments:
"I thought the powerpoint was great and that the resources
(readings etc) kind of applied the stuff we learned to real life. I
definitely think I got a good survey of the registration process. I liked
the exercise where we chose the different items we would have in the
museum. That one was hard because I didn't always know how to justify
something I wanted or didn't want. It was a good exercise. I really had
to spend some time on it. I was even asking my family at the dinner table
and we were all talking about what we would keep and what we wouldn't!
I would definitely take another class." - Student in MS103
----------------------------------------------------
It covered a lot of good information in the time allotted. I
will look forward to taking more in the future. It is a great way
to meet people in our field and share experiences. I felt that the
instructor was very helpful and available. - Student in MS103
----------------------------------------------------
“I liked that everything was online at one location… it was easy to find
and read the assigned readings. The class was set up so that someone with
very little time could learn a lot in a short period. It provided
information that was useful in the actual context of work.” - July
2005 Student in MS103
-----------------------------------------
I have taken numerous NSCC classes prior to this one. I have enjoyed many
of the classes offered through NSCC and really learn a lot. … I thought
the class was taught extremely well and provided grateful information.
Peggy was an inspiring person with so much to learn from! - July 2005
Student in MS103
About the instructor:
Peggy Schaller is the President of Collections Research for
Museums in Denver, Colorado. She has a BA in Anthropology with minors in
Art History and Geology from the University of Arizona in Tucson, a MA in
Anthropology with a minor in Museum Studies from the University of
Colorado in Boulder, and I am a Certified Institutional Protection
Specialist.
Peggy Schaller established Collections Research for Museums, a museum
consulting firm that specializes in cataloging/collection management
training and services, in November 1991. It is the mission of Collections
Research for Museums 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. During the last 13 years, I
have worked with numerous museums and institutions and many different
types of collections.