A Look Inside the GRPM’s Acquisition Process.
By: Holly Waldenmeyer (Registrar and Collections Manager) and Sarah Humes (Associate Registrar)
Founded in 1854 as the Grand Rapids Lyceum of Natural History, the Grand Rapids Public Museum has amassed a collection of over 250,000 artifacts and specimens over the past 167 years. The Museum collects objects to help preserve and tell the stories of our community, the places of West Michigan and the wider world around us. While the Museum started with just a few “Cabinets of Curiosities,” now 98% of the Collection has been donated by members of the community and folks like you.
The process for an object to become an artifact in the Museum Collection involves many steps and people but it starts with you!
Donations.
The Museum’s Curators receive artifact donation offers from the general public, companies and other institutions almost on a daily basis. The Curator’s job is to shape and define the Museum’s Collection; they determine if the artifact has research value, fills in gaps within the Collections, helps further the mission of the Museum or helps tell the ongoing story of our community.
Temporary Deposit.
If accepted by the Curator, the artifacts are taken onsite as a temporary deposit, and inspected for unwanted hitchhikers – pests! Pests can include insects, rodents, birds and mold. Natural fibers are susceptible to pests such as webbing moths. Webbing moths and other pests can be very harmful to the Collection and precautions must be taken to preserve the integrity of the artifacts and specimens. The Collections Manager, who is responsible for the care and preservation of all the artifacts, puts appropriate artifacts into a freezer set to -30° for 2 weeks. This will kill any lingering pests!
Registering Artifacts.
Next is the registrar! The registrar is responsible for tracking the artifacts throughout the acquisition process and creates records in the Museum’s online Collections database called Collective Access. Each artifact receives its own unique record in the database along with an assigned accession number. An accession number is a unique identifying number that helps the Collections department track artifacts. Then, the artifact is then cataloged by a Curator. The Curator will include information about the object’s history such as who made it and why it is significant.
Organizing Artifacts into the Database.
The Curator will also determine the tier designation for each of the artifacts. The tier system was created by the GRPM as a way to strike the balance between hands-on accessibility and long-term preservation. The Collection is divided into three designations: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3.
- Tier 1 artifacts are considered restricted access and can only be handled by trained Museum staff wearing gloves. These artifacts are often the most significant, rare and/or fragile.
- Tier 2 is facilitated access which means Museum staff and authorized handlers wearing gloves can handle the artifacts. These artifacts are still significant but other examples also exist in the Collection.
- Tier 3 can be used in hand-ons activities with or without gloves, are more common and can be replaced. These artifacts are regularly used for primary-source learning programs, such as Discovery Kits, available for loan to school groups.
Artifacts are then photographed in great detail, including various angles, in a high resolution format. Having images in the database helps with identification, tracking different components, and monitoring the condition of the artifact. Detailed images in the database also allows for researchers from around the world to study the artifacts without having to step foot in the Museum.
Approval Process.
All donations and purchases must now go through an approval process. Various times throughout the year, artifacts are presented to the Collections Committee first, and if approved, reviewed by the Board of Directors for final approval into the Collection. These committees are composed of individuals from the community to represent all facets of the community, allowing for a checks and balances system
Once fully approved, the registrar creates a gift agreement that will be sent to the donor. A gift agreement is a legally binding agreement between the donor and the Museum that finalizes the transfer of ownership of the artifacts to the Museum.
Once the artifacts are approved for the Collection, it is now time for the Collection Tech to integrate the new acquisitions into the Collection!
The Collection Tech is responsible for preparing the artifacts for storage. Using gloves and proper artifact handling techniques, the Collection Tech will carefully measure each artifact and take detailed condition notes. Using the artifact’s accession number, the Collection Tech will physically apply the accession number onto the artifact for tracking purposes. How the accession number is applied to the artifact is determined on a case-by-case scenario based on what type of material the artifact is made from. For example, clothing will have a label made of cotton twill tape with the accession number written on it with an archival pen. The twill tape will then be stitched carefully onto the textile. Plastic, metal and wood artifacts will have the accession number adhered to them with an acrylic resin and a paper label.
Storing Artifacts.
Once the accession numbers have been applied, the artifacts are ready for storage at the Community Archives and Research Center (CARC). The CARC is a secure, climate controlled building that houses artifacts when they are not on exhibit or being used for educational programs. Artifacts are stored in archival material such as acid-free boxes or folders. Other artifacts are stored on open shelves or hung on screens. The Collection Tech ensures that the artifacts are stable and safe from any potential harm such as light damage or water leaks.
Typically artifacts are stored with similar pieces from the Collection. Factors such as material, size, fragility and theme are also considered. Some are very straight forward such as a cotton dress being hung on a padded hanger with the other dresses in the clothing Collection. The location of the dress is recorded in the database for easy access. Since the location for artifacts are being tracked in the database, some objects that do not fit neatly into a single collection, have more flexibility in where they can be stored as long as they can be safely retrieved.
There’s never a dull moment while being a part of the Collections team at the GRPM. New artifacts and specimens are continually being donated to the Museum. This allows us to continue telling the stories of West Michigan and the world around us, as well as preserve them. We’ve discovered that even simple objects can tell extraordinary stories.
Please help us continue preserving history and instilling curiosity for generations to come by donating to the GRPM’s Collection.