Things Great and Small

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 AAMs 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. Coverage of several key areas is greatly expanded or totally new in this second edition, particularly information about: 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.