Historical Commission Agenda and Packet 2015 07 01

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Louisville Historical Museum Collections Management Policy Draft — June 2015 I. Items associated with geographical features of the Louisville area. m. Items associated with natural history or archaeological material acquired through the lawful excavation of Louisville area sites. n. Written, transcribed, photographed, or otherwise documented aspects of Louisville area history, including oral history recordings. o. Items relating to the histories of the buildings on the Museum campus and the people that occupied them. Artifacts that do not have a direct association with the Louisville area, such as items that are representative of an activity practiced in the Louisville area, may still be accepted into the collections if they are potentially useful in fulfilling the mission of the Museum. 2.4 Classification of Collections Items in the collections shall be classified in the following categories: a. Permanent Collection: Items accessioned into the permanent collection are intended to be retained permanently. Oral history recordings and items that are owned by the Museum only in digital form may be part of the permanent collection. In keeping with professionally accepted museum standards, the best possible care will be given to protect the long -term preservation of items in the permanent collection. b. Education Collection: Items in the education collection are those which fulfill the educational mission of the Museum. Unlike items in the permanent collection, they are intended to be used by staff and the public for programs, demonstrations, and /or hands -on use. It is assumed that they eventually may be used up and possibly replaced. Education collection items may be historic or reproductions, and as such may be confused with permanent collection artifacts. Education items will be distinguished by putting an "E" in front of the object ID number. c. Reference Collection: Items in the reference collection are published items that are made available to the public for research at the Museum or used by Museum staff. It is assumed that they eventually may be removed and possibly replaced. Reference collection items may be confused with books that are part of the permanent collection. Reference items will be distinguished by putting an "R" in front of the object ID number. Nonaccessioned items: These items can be donated to the Museum, but are not added to a collection. They may include such things as a photocopied family history of a Louisville area family or a printed history of a Louisville area house. These items, if not of a particularly unique nature, may be used at the Museum and not accessioned into a collection. Care should be taken to avoid the items being confused with "found in collection" items. 3. Acquisition & Methods of Acquisition 4