Jackets, Pedestals, and Threats of Disassociation: Analysis of Tracking Systems for Unprocessed Materials in Museums

Collection management means knowing what a museum has and where it is located. Unprocessed materials, such as jackets and pedestals, which are often located separately from their associated collections and require additional treatment before joining those collections, need to be treated as part of collections instead of being left out of collections management practices. Using the Roland Springs Ranch Locality-1 collection, four steps were undertaken to investigate whether using tracking systems on unprocessed materials can minimize disassociation and increase effectiveness in collections management. First, the extent of disassociation within the RSR-1 unprocessed materials was determined. Second, other institutions with unprocessed materials were surveyed to determine how they track these collections. Third, the current tracking in place was assessed and revised. Finally, a comparison of the old, current, and revised tracking methods determined which was most effective. The study found that disassociation can happen even in collections with effective tracking systems, but, without an effective tracking system, disassociation takes place to a much higher degree. When using the revised tracking system, collections management effectiveness was significantly improved.

Embargo status: Restricted until 06/2027. To request the author grant access, click on the PDF link to the left.