AM7: Measuring the Cost of Museum Collections
About
If museums could reliably quantify the entire direct and indirect cost of an acquisition over the very long term, how would we use that information to inform collection development decisions? This consortium of scholars and collections professionals aims to gather and analyze data from across the wide range of museum genres and collections in order to examine and model equations and strategies to inform the calculation of financial impact that the stewardship of objects has on our institutions, and our communities, over the long term. Engaging a broad coalition of museums within the corridor, this working group will collaboratively consider facets of collection practice including the accession, maintenance, storage, documentation, digitization, and preservation of museum objects to discuss issues of financial sustainability, budget allocation, and ethical collecting strategies for any collecting institution.
Open to New People
Active since: 2022
- Syracuse University
- Cornell University
- Skidmore College
Collaborative Goals
The collaborative goals of the inaugural working group will be to establish the primary matrix for the research project: to define and inform the parameters for what will be evaluated and how that information can be utilized across the broad spectrum of collections practice. Goal #1 (initiation of working group, Fall 22): participants will collectively strategize as to what collection expenses, both direct and indirect, are measurable, relevant to the study, and should be collected, reviewed and assessed; as well as the timeframe that the study should consider. Participants from each institution will collect and present practical data for collective analysis and discussion for future working group meetings. This data may include a survey of collections material types, as well as budget reports associated with the identified expenses and practice, and indirect factors including budget resources, sponsored funding and external support used to maintain collection materials. The initial meeting in Fall 2022 will be an invaluable brainstorming and dialogue cluster that will inform progressive phases of outreach, data collection, and the generation of final equations for use in heritage collection practice.
Group Organizers
Group Members
- Victoria Gray Registrar, Syracuse University Art Musem Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
- Shivam Pawar Graduate student, museum studies, G’24 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
- Erin Richardson Principal, Frank & Glory Cooperstown, NY
- Warren Bunn Senior Manager, Collections and Exhibitions The Corning Museum of Glass Corning, NY
- Tom Guiler Director of Museum Affairs Oneida Community Mansion House Oneida, NY
- Thomas Hunter Museum Collection Curator Onondaga Historical Association Syracuse, NY
- Gina Stinkovitz Director of Museum Programing All things Oz Museum Chittenango, NY
- Emma Dailey Director of Collections Seward House Museum Auburn, NY
- Karen Covertino Registrar Everson Museum Syracuse, NY
- Steffi Chappell Assistant Curator Everson Museum Syracuse, NY
Activities
Collections Professionals Roundtable on Research Design
April 28, 2023, 10 a.m.
Group Outcomes
As a result of the working group meeting, the next phase of developing a survey to distribute to the larger professional field is in development. A trial data collection will include additional collaboration from AM7 members to validate the feasibility and relevance of acquired information. In addition, a direct result of the AM7 meeting will inform the proposal for external funding from the IMLS (Institute for Museum and Library Services) Museum Leadership grant in November of 2023.