Things Great and Small: Collections Management Policies

Care of the collections is a core responsibility for all museums and related cultural institutions. The foundation of collections care and stewardship is good collections management policies. This revised edition of Things Great and Small is a comprehensive resource for preparing and implementing collections management policies. Drawing on his extensive experience as a collections manager, educator, consultant, and surveyor for the AAM's Museum Assessment Program, John E. Simmons reviews current ideas and literature on the subject, highlights the issues that collections management policies should address, and explains the pros and cons of choosing some policy options over others. In the second edition, coverage of several key areas is greatly expanded or new. Information includes: - digital collections, - intellectual property rights, - deaccessioning and use of deaccessioning proceeds, - laws & regulations, - changes in standards and benchmarks for collections care, - the way US museums are funded and administered, and - new standards and practices for collection storage environments. Featuring more than 40 tables and charts and nearly 20 model policy templates, this major publication is aimed at museums of all kinds, historic houses and sites, and other cultural institutions.

Author: John E. Simmons
Publisher: American Alliance of Museums
Published: 12/01/2017
Pages: 258
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.35lbs
Size: 10.90h x 8.40w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9781442277458


Review Citation(s):
Choice 09/01/2018

About the Author
John E. Simmons has worked in museums for more than forty years. He has been a zookeeper, collections manager, museum studies instructor, director of a graduate program in museum studies, and a museum consultant. He has taught workshops, training programs, and museum studies classes for undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals in the US and internationally. At present, Simmons is an independent museum consultant and he teaches museum studies classes for Kent State University, the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and Museum Study. He also serves as the Adjunct Curator of Collections for the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery at The Pennsylvania State University. Simmons is the chairman-elect of the Registrars Committee of the American Association of Museums, and also serves on the board of ARCS (Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists).