Accessing Collections

Accessing Collections discusses who accesses collections and investigates ways that access can be expanded. Please note that the emphasis in this module is on in-person access. Please see the Digitizing Collections module for an in-depth treatment of digital access. This module asks the following questions:

  1. Who accesses museum and special collections and why do they do so? 
  2. How can museums and libraries balance preservation of and access to fragile or sensitive collections? 
  3. What steps can museums and libraries take to expand the communities that access their collections and reach new participants?  

Downloads:

The documents for this module include a powerpoint presentation and accompanying moderator notes. The moderator notes include a slide-by-slide script, guidelines for facilitating the integrated discussions, ideas for customizing the presentation, and suggested supporting activities. The presentation may be delivered as written, but you are also encouraged to adapt or excerpt it for use in different contexts.

Accessing Collections (All)

Download Individual Module Items:

Suggested Readings:

Short Reading:
Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, “The Depot explained.”

  • The Museum Boijmans, an art museum in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, is building a new open access collections facility, where visitors will be able to see every item in its collections. What are the benefits of increasing access in this way?  
  • This strategy required building a completely new structure. Do you think some of the same ideas or principles could be adapted to provide improved access to stored collections in existing museum facilities? How? 

Academic Article: 
Priddle, Charlotte. “Bridging the internal gap: Special collections and “in-reach”.” RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage 16.1 (2015): 35-47.

  • Why are special collections often perceived as difficult to access?
  • What are some of the ways that special collections have successfully raised awareness of their collections to different participants? Do all strategies work for all participants? 

Professional Resource:
School for Advanced Research, Guidelines for Collaboration, 2019. 

  • What principles and practices result in successful collaborations between museums and communities? 
  • Why did the project develop guidelines for both museums and for communities rather than just for museums?  
  • How do collaborative relationships with communities increase collections access?