Overview
The activities of museums, archives, and many historic places are built primarily around collections of material objects. This course discusses the management of heritage in its material manifestations in collections, primarily within museum and archival collections.
Collections cannot endure without care and management. HERM 322 deals with the acquisition, documentation, storage, and preservation of collections. Attention is also given to discarding materials from collections and issues surrounding access to collections. These activities require an understanding of how and why collections are formed, why an object is significant and worth keeping, how a collection is documented and organized, and the balance that needs to be struck between using and conserving the materials in a collection.
As noted above, conservation of collections is discussed in this course, but students should be aware that a more specialized course, HERM 339: Conservation, is available for those requiring a more in-depth study of conservation of collections.
Outline
Part I: Understanding Collections
- Unit 1: Heritage Collections: The Historical Legacy
- Unit 2: Museum Collections and Conciliation
- Unit 3: Collection Types and Uses
- Unit 4: Archival Collections
Part II Methodologies of Collections Management
- Unit 5: The Process: Collecting and Documenting
- Unit 6: The Process: Managing Collections Data
- Unit 7: The Process: Collections Care
- Unit 8: Managing Collections: Rationalizing and Deaccessioning
- Unit 9: Access, Collaboration, and Repatriation
Learning outcomes
HERM 322 introduces formative issues and practices in heritage collections management. After completing the course, students will be able to:
- Discuss current methods of and rationales for collecting and collection management in a range of heritage institutions.
- Identify and describe some of the important theoretical and applied issues in collections management in contemporary heritage institutions.
- Apply their knowledge of methods and theory for collecting, storing, documenting, and conserving heritage collections.
Evaluation
To receive credit for HERM 322, you must complete and submit all of the assignments, and achieve an overall grade of at least D (50 percent)for the course.
You will be evaluated on your understanding of the concepts presented in the course and on your ability to apply those concepts. Your final grade in the course will be based on the marks achieved for the following activities.
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1: Reflection | 10% |
| Assignment 2: Summary Report | 20% |
| Assignment 3: Collection Proposal | 30% |
| Assignment 4: Research Essay | 40% |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
Willie, Crystal, ed. Standard Practices Handbook for Museums, 3rd ed. Edmonton: Alberta Museums Association, 2014.
Other Materials
All other materials are available online.