MS209: Collections Management Policies for Museums and
Related Institutions
Dates: Feb 1 - Apr 30, 2010
Price: $475   
Instructor: Bill Tompkins
Location:  online at http://www.museumclasses.org

Description::
Acquiring and holding collections impose specific legal,
ethical and professional obligations. Museums must ensure
proper management, preservation and use of their
collections. A well-crafted collections management policy
is key to collections stewardship. Collections Management
Policies for Museums and Related Institutions helps
participants develop policies that meet professional and
legal standards for collections management.

Collections Management Policies for Museums and Related
Institutions teaches the practical skills and knowledge
needed to write and implement such a policy. The course
covers the essential components and issues a policy should
address. It also highlights the role of the policy in
carrying out a museum's mission and guiding stewardship
decisions. Participants are expected to draft collections
management policies.

Course Textbook:
John E. Simmons, Things Great and Small: Collections
Management Policies, American Association of Museums, 2006,
$40 non-member, $30 member, 208 pages, ISBN: 1-933253-03-7,
available from the AAM bookstore

Course Outline:
1. The Principles of Collections Management
2. Collections Stewardship: The Role of a Collections
Management Policy
3. Policy Versus Procedure
4. Issues to Consider When Developing a Collections
Management Policy
5. Essential Components of a Collections Management Policy
      · Statement of Purpose
      · Statement of Authority
      · Definition and Scope of Collections
      · Acquisition and Accessioning
      · Deaccessioning and Disposal
      · Preservation
      · Collections Information
      · Inventory
      · Risk Management and Security
      · Access
      · Loans
      · Intellectual Property Rights Management
      · Staff Responsibility / Ethics
6. Monitoring and Revision
7. Potential Problems
8. Emerging Issues
9. Drafting a Collections Management Policy


Logistics:
Participants in Collections Management Policies work
through sections at their own pace. Instructor Bill
Tompkins is available for scheduled email support.
Materials and resources include online literature, textbook
readings, slide lectures and dialog between students and
online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited
to 20 participants.

Collections Policies runs for twelve 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 MS209: Collections Management
Policies:
The online chat provided a personal touch to the class.
Bill's comments were very helpful. The required readings
were a good length and complemented the section overview
and PowerPoint presentations. The class was extremely
flexible for dates and times.

Bill's readings were very helpful, more so than the
textbook. The PowerPoint slides provided a nice overview of
the section.

I enjoyed the readings, and applying what I read to writing
the City policies. The class helped write policies in a
logical and practical manner, which will ultimately help in
the overall goal - developing policies for our institution.

Bill did a great job and I really enjoyed the chat times
and reviewing his comments.

The reading materials, slide shows and feedback given by
Bill were outstanding in quality.

Bill's reviews of the assignments were thorough and
detailed.

Bill's lecture notes provided a good summary of the topics
covered in each section. I found them very helpful when I
wrote my cmp.

I learned a great deal about cmps and am confident that I
have the tools to put my cmp in good form.

The Instructor:
William G. (Bill) Tompkins is the national collections
coordinator for the Smithsonian Institution. Bill serves as
a principal advisor to senior Smithsonian management and
staff on collections-management policies, procedures and
standards. He develops, implements and interprets
Smithsonian collections management standards. This includes
reviewing and approving the policies of the Smithsonian's
individual museums to make sure collections are maintained
according to policy, professional standards and legal
obligations. Previously, Bill was assistant director of the
Smithsonian's Office of the Registrar. He is also a former
collections manager at the National Museum of American
History. With nearly thirty years experience in the museum
profession, Bill regularly speaks at professional meetings,
workshops and university programs.

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