SPEC Kit 333: Art &Artifact Management · 57
Strategy 1 Strategy 2 Strategy 3
Treat in the same manner as any archival
collection, but with special housing
needs.
Treating art and artifacts as integral parts
of larger collections they come in.
Try to only acquire such objects in the
context of an archival collection, not as
one offs that end up "orphaned."
Consult with appropriate professionals
to ensure we are practicing good storage
and preservation techniques.
Used a practicum student to document
our artifacts/art objects. Student
photographed the items, uploaded them
to the Media Manager system, and
created metadata for the objects.
Only now is the Polar Archives using EAD
encoding for finding aids. My intention
is to link to these records in the Media
Manager from the EAD finding aids, once
the finding aids have been encoded.
Utilizing volunteers, students, and staff,
we have nearly 100% of our artifacts
cataloged in PastPerfect.
All of our artifacts are rehoused in acid-
free storage containers.
Our artwork is also completely rehoused.
We are very fortunate to have a fully
equipped conservation lab at the
library. The staff are supportive and
understanding of our needs and go the
extra mile for us when we need it.
We manage our collections as a whole,
not at the item level, so it helps that they
blend with the archives collections from
a management/arrangement/description
perspective.
We do the best we can trying to tie them
into our collecting policy.
Keeping them with the collection
provides context for the material.
We have written a set of guidelines for
cooperation between three of our special
collections departments pertaining to
collecting, storage, and record-keeping.
We are currently working on a
CONTENTdm database that will allow
researchers to learn about many of the
artifacts we hold.
We unhesitatingly invest in proper
housings and rehousings. The expense is
considerable, but the rewards are great:
above all, easy and safe storage, retrieval,
and transport.
We deliberately and planfully integrate
non-book objects into our exhibits. This
not only better "animates" these exhibits,
but also draws attention to the fact that
although we are largely a library, we also
have a museum component.
We collaborate actively with the campus
art museum, and their curators are in
our reading rooms all the time, seeking
out material for their exhibits and
researchers.
We use PastPerfect collections
management software to manage our art
objects and their metadata, which has
been a successful strategy for us. It also
allows us to track donors and accession
information about each donation.
Western Archives: Describe as integral
part of the fonds/collection.
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