Objects, Artifacts and Molas – Oh My!  Museum Collection Cataloging, Integration, and Stewardship in an Academic Library

 

Monday November 16, 2015

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m EST

 

Panelists:

Lourdes Santamaría-Wheeler, Exhibits Coordinator, University of Florida – Co-PI, IMLS National Leadership Grant;  Haven Hawley, Chair, Special and Area Studies Collections, University of Florida;  John Nemmers, Associate Chair, Special and Area Studies Collections, University of Florida;  Chelsea Dinsmore, Head of Digital Services and Curator for Digital Collections, University of Florida

 

Moderator:

David R. Curry, MSLS, Managing Principal, davidrcurryAssociates, Philadelphia; Senior Consultant – IMLS National Leadership Grant

 

In 1998, a group of volunteers created the Panama Canal Museum in Florida to gather and showcase personal artifacts related to a significant period of American history and cultural heritage. Years later, facing economic pressures and an aging member base, the museum faced a decision: close its doors or partner with an established institution to keep its collection intact. It chose the latter.

 

In 2012 the Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries a three-year National Leadership Grant to document the process of integrating the former Panama Canal Museum and its community and constituents into the Smathers Libraries. It was the first known example of the full closure of a small museum and the transfer of its collections and community to an academic library.

 

The panelists will discuss handling, storage, and digitization of diverse objects; adjustments to cataloguing processes (item level for museums vs. collection level for Special Collections); and community engagement strategies.

 

For more background on the institutions and the project read the original IMLS grant proposal at http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00009715/00001

 

Who Should Participate?

Museum registrars, curators, librarians, archivists, and digital collections specialists will benefit from a candid discussion of material handling and community accessibility in this precedent-setting merger.

 

How to participate?

The webinar will be freely broadcast through Adobe Connect. Please log on at http://ufsmathers.adobeconnect.com/libmuseum2/ to participate. You can also continue the conversation on Twitter using hashtag #UFPCM.