James Madison Museum: Collection Challenges
The storage areas within the James Madison museum contain hundreds of donated and loaned historical artifacts. (Photo Credit: Bethany Sullivan)
This column is the introduction to a series on artifacts rediscovered during the reorganization of the James Madison Museum’s collection. Come back soon to read about a few of the hidden gems that have been uncovered.
From small-town museums to the largest entities, collection challenges exist. Things get lost or are simply stored in the wrong place until they are found. Sadly, some things are stolen. Collection challenges are a common thread between museums. We all have them.
For a more than a year, we’ve been inventorying, photographing and cataloguing the James Madison Museum’s collection. Unfortunately, prior to about 2011, recordkeeping and accession of artifacts was not uniformly accomplished. What I mean is that some individuals entered information differently than others. Some took photographs; some did not. Some individuals left out descriptive information while others left out the history behind the artifact. For some items, no paperwork was completed. All of this becomes a practical problem when trying to match records with artifacts, especially if there is not a good written description of the item in question.
There were handwritten records, typed records, and eventually electronic records in a museum software program called PastPerfect. Each artifact should have an individual paper file as well as an electronic file in PastPerfect. We’re finding artifacts that have one or the other, or were never recorded as accessioned but have the paperwork.
Another challenge is that at some point before the electronic records were begun, there was a numbering shift, so artifacts obtained prior to 2000 have two identifying numbers. From 2013 onward, I’ve been trying to clean up our PastPerfect records, ensuring uniformity of data. Most recently, with the help of a part-time employee, we have been performing an inventory and recording where artifacts are stored. For example, “CS” indicates “Collection Storage,” the original dedicated storage area.
Within the museum’s storage areas, there are hundreds of artifacts for which we are guardians. These five rooms contain all but the farming and transportation artifacts, which are stored in the basement of the building under the “Madison Exhibit” room.
The image above is of one side of the “CS” room. Each shelving unit is assigned a letter, and each shelf a number. Each box has a label bearing the donor’s last name, the accession number that indicates the year donated, and the order the item was donated within the year. For example, 2023.001 means the first donation of 2023.
When you look at the Master Collection List or search for an artifact in PastPerfect, you can see exactly where that box or item is stored. CS:B4. Collection Storage, Unit B, Shelf 4.
Each box may have one or several items, wrapped in acid-free tissue. We try to avoid “crushing” textiles but will only be able to alleviate the multi-artifact situation gradually as we can purchase additional textile boxes.
This work is important because while I know where things are, if I were suddenly unable to work, others may not know where to find artifacts and would waste a lot of time searching.
When an item is received, donation or loan, the information we need is:
1. Donor/loaner name, address, email and telephone/cell phone number.
2. Full description of the artifact or artifacts.
3. History – who, what, when, where and how the individual obtained the item(s).
4. Provenance: chain of ownership, if known. If purchased from a dealer or at auction, we need any certification documentation provided. Not all items have this type of documentation.
When we accept a donation, we will have the above information presented in both an “accession form” and “deed of gift,” which the donor will sign and receive a copy of the fully executed document. There are also “object files” for each donation, which are for the actual artifact and do not provide information on the donor beyond his or her name.
In a few more weeks, the manual check and paperwork end of this project will be completed. We will then update the PastPerfect files with the “home location.” Once this is finished, we can begin trying to research any unknown donor artifacts by going through all of the 1976 – 1999 records and notes.
I hope you have found this glimpse into the less-than-glamorous side of working in a museum of interest.
Until next time ,
Bethany Sullivan, director, The James Madison Museum of Orange County Heritage
The James Madison Museum of Orange County Heritage is located at 129 Caroline St. in the Town of Orange. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.thejamesmadisonmuseum.net.