How Archives Can Enrich Museum Collections Online

I’ve often heard archives referred to as hidden troves of information. This is both romantic and a little untrue.

Whether through collection descriptions, inventory, or searchable online catalogs, archives strive to deliver access to information. Staffed archives are in constant motion in their attempt to provide and broaden access to the archival collections. Often, however, there’s room for improvement in the connection between the museum object collection and the museum archives.

Ultimately, the materials in the museum archives are about the objects in the collection. Much of the information in the archives can deepen object interpretation and understanding. But how can we best build that connection? That’s what we’ll review today.

What’s in a Museum’s Archives?

Collections typically found within museum archives are the papers of archaeologists, art dealers, artists, previous owners, and researchers. Their collections hold correspondence, site maps, purchase receipts, photographs, and other delicious documentation that feature objects in the museum’s collection.

From these collections, we can see past purchase prices, previous acquisition sources, details of archaeological sites, how the object may relate to others, previous research, and a sense of the object’s past lives.

How to Mine Museum Archives for Information

Archives don’t typically digitize all their holdings as it would likely take decades with the current technology. With that in mind, some good old-fashioned research may be needed. Research time can often be viewed as a luxury so you may have to get creative with prioritizing time for this work. (For example, it could make a great grant application!)

In terms of how to proceed, here are the basic steps:

• Review the collection descriptions, catalog, and/or finding aids
• Consult with the archivist
• Dig into some boxes (respectfully)

How to Connect Archived Information to the Object (in Your Museum CMS)

The last item to consider in this area is how you can connect this additional information to the objects in your museum Collections Management System (CMS). This may involve a deepening of existing fields such as the object description or provenance, but more likely, you may wish to add a couple of custom fields to better describe the type of information.

For example, the following custom fields may be of interest:

• Archaeological Notes
• Archaeological Site Information
• Artist Notes
• Art Dealer Notes
• Research Notes

How to Perform the Work Strategically

Many of us can lose ourselves in an archive, but few of us have the luxury to do so! With a chronic lack of time, we need to be strategic in how we use the archives and apply their information to the object catalog.

Using the archives strategically to enhance museum collections online requires:

• A selection of objects you wish to work on.
• Using the database, indexes, or other existing aids to identify areas of the archives to view.
• Connecting with the archivist to request an appointment and verify your work.
• Time in the archives to read and review the materials.
• Making notes or copies of information with an indication of the object(s) they refer to.
• Creating a plan for how to ingest the new information into the CMS.

Stay Tuned for Examples of Using Archives to Enrich Museum Collections

Now that we’ve reviewed how museum archives can meaningfully connect to the museum objects collection, it’s time to look at some examples! Next week we’ll end this mini-series with examples of how archives can be used to enhance museum object collections online.

Additional Reading

• What Does Museum Data Enhancement Mean?
• An Overview of Common CMS Data Areas to Enhance
• How to Assess Museum CMS Data for Enhancement Opportunities
• How to Create a Plan for Museum CMS Data Enhancement
• How to Perform Museum CMS Data Enhancement