The Cultural Resource Management Program at the University of Victoria, on
southern Vancouver Island, is offering an intensive eight-day course in
mid-November for museum professsionals working with natural history
collections. This course can be taken on a credit or non-credit basis - please let
us know if you'd like to receive further information or registration materials.



MANAGING NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS
The diverse, complex, often delicate nature of natural history collections-and
the increasingly vital roles they play in environmental research and public
education-create special challenges for collections managers and curators.
This course explores current principles and practices in the management of
natural history collections, and discusses the impacts of new technologies,
diminished resources, and pressures for increased accountability, relevance,
and access. You will strengthen your ability to develop and manage natural
history collections by exploring and analyzing:
o       the roles and nature of natural history collections in both specialized and
general museums
o       their relevance to institutional mission
o       the expectations of internal and external users
o       policy and management frameworks
o       documentation requirements
o       systems of organization and information management
o       implementation and evaluation strategies
o       preparation and preservation requirements
o       approaches to interpretation and exhibition

Instructor: Dr. Paisley Cato is a specialist in the development, management and
care of natural history collections, and is co-author of Developing Staff
Resources for Managing Collections, published by the Virginia Museum of
Natural History with assistance by the Canadian Museum of Nature

Dates: November 12 - 21, 1997

Please register by: October 17

Fee: $589 (Canadian funds)

Travel: Victoria is easily accessible by air or ferry from both Vancouver and
Seattle

Accomodations: Program staff can recommend inexpensive accommodation,
either on-campus or in adjacent B&Bs.


Course Objectives
Through this course, participants will:
1.  Understand the role of natural history collections in the museum
community.
2.  Appreciate the complexity of the collection management
profession.
3.  Be knowledgeable about the functions that comprise
management of natural history materials.
4.  Be familiar with
literature, sources and references that assist with developing and
improving standards and practices for managing natural history
collections.
5.  Be familiar with a management framework for
problem-solving and improving collection management practices.


Draft Outline
*  Course introduction - logistics and expectations

*  Nature and role of natural history collections;
     - within the museum and research communities;
     - within the scope of the institution's mission;
     - relative to the expectation of the users

*  Policy and management frameworks;
     - how to develop a framework that works for your institution;
     - definition and goal of collection management;
     - professional standards
     - institutional mission and structure

*  What happens to a specimen in your institution?
     - tracking physical location and history;
     - tracking use of specimen;
     - tracking information associated with specimen

*  Documentation
    - why and what to document
    - managing documentation
    - specific concerns for natural history specimens

*  Preventive conservation
     - professional standards - what are they?
     - institutional frameworks that define basic parameters

*  Preservation of specimens
     - overview of range of methods
     - importance of documentation
     -  impact of methods and materials on storage needs, etc.

*  Nitty gritty functions
     - overview of policy issues, professional
        standards, procedural issues, resources for problem-solving;
     - acquisitions and deaccessions
     - cataloging
     - access to specimens and data (organization, storage...)
     - information management
     - use

*  Framework for managing natural history collections
     - value of natural history collections within institution's
     mandate
     - importance and role of strategic planning;
     - development of policies;
     - managing resources and projects;

*  Perspectives - where is collections management headed?
Joy Davis, Program Director
Cultural Resource Management Program
University of Victoria
Phone 250-721-8462
FAX 250-721-8774
email  [log in to unmask]

For detailed Program information, please visit our Web Site at
http://www.uvcs.uvic.ca/crmp