© 2013 History Associates Inc. All rights reserved.
300 N. Stonestreet Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850-1655 - (301) 279-9697
588 Explorer Street, Brea, CA 92821-3108 - (714) 529-3953
CALL US:
(301) 279-9697
CALL US:
(301) 279-9697
Specialized services for museums and other historical institutions, libraries, and private collections
You play a critical role in knowing what assets your organization holds and how to retrieve them. Cataloging a collection, planning for a move, and selecting and implementing a collections management system are all daunting tasks, but they also present opportunities to take a fresh look at your collections.
You can rely on our experienced collections managers and technicians, not just for advice in navigating such complex projects, but also for the knowledge to establish systems, databases, and protocols that will help bring the full value of your collection to light.
We are consultants who roll up our sleeves to get the job done. We have successfully managed the relocation of collections – even an entire museum – to new facilities. We’ve also helped clients upgrade their collections management systems to new platforms and migrate collections information from card catalogs to electronic systems.
Call us at (301) 279-9697 or contact History Associates to discuss your project.
Read our article on museum software selection from AAM’s Museum magazine.
Change can be hard to implement, but we can help make it as smooth as possible. We are particularly adept at translating the needs of a museum into clearly-defined tasks for outside contractors such as database administrators, IT personnel, specialized moving companies, exhibit conservators, and other experts.
A thorough understanding of the process also puts us in a position to anticipate and address potential issues with you before they can become bigger problems later on, saving you time and money. For example, time spent standardizing your data first before importing it into a new collections management system will result in more efficient data retrieval moving forward.
If you are in the early stages of a move or renovation, we can assess your collections to identify artifacts that require preservation, or conduct a review of your collections to ensure they are properly documented to professional standards such as the American Association of Museums (AAM) or the International Council of Museums (ICOM).
Relocation planning and project management
Collections processing and surveys
Collections cataloging, reorganization, and rehousing for fine art, historical artifacts, medical collections, and natural history specimens
Supervision and tracking the movement of artifacts and specimens
Bar code integration
Creation and management of collections inventories and databases
Development of standard operating procedures to museum standards and/or your industry requirements
System evaluation, selection, and implementation
Data standardization, migration, and import
Digital imaging
Recording institutional knowledge of collections
Identifying heritage assets for preservation
Developing and implementing collections management policies and procedures
Assessing collections to ensure proper documentation
Conducting collections research
Are you planning a new exhibition to correspond with your move? We can integrate the management of your collections with our exhibit content development team. Is your heritage asset management project a component of a larger archival assessment? Our professional archivists are ready to assist. Our diversified staff is capable of assisting you on a wide variety of projects.
Call us at (301) 279-9697 or contact History Associates to discuss your project.
