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Re: Museums and documents



Throughout my archival career I have had occasion to participate
in both the archival and museum worlds and am continually
fascinated by the dynamic between the two.

As to Lee's original comments:

> >Many museum curators seem not to understand the difference
>between documents and artifacts, nor the difference between
>archival and curatorial practice.
Neither do many archivists. Two different traditions. I've worked
in archives with 3-D objects and no curator, and I have worked and
consulted with museums with manuscript and archival collections
and no archivist. In general, I have found that most archivists and
museum curators understand there are differences in how they
handle their respective materials. Rarely have I found the relationship
to be adversarial - although it happens (I can't help but wonder whether
that is what prompted Lee's query).

> >Apart from preserving its own archives, is there a general feeling
>about the propriety of a museum collecting papers and records,
>as well as museum artifacts?
I think in an ideal world institutions (whether museums or archives)
would have appropriate staff to care for whatever types of material
they collect. Does it matter whether a museum or a library or an
archive is collecting paper materials if there is an archivist caring
for the material?

If we look at a small, understaffed historical society which is offered
papers, photographs and the like are we to demand they do not
accept such materials? I have heard many archivists argue exactly
that (is a small HS a museum or an archive anyway?). Yet they are
quite often the only game in town (or county, or region). And the
material is quite often of local interest, not to repositories with
a statewide collecting policy. So do we tell them you cannot accept
materials you haven't been trained to care for? I don't think so . . .

>Does the museum world have any ethical guidelines or standards
> >about documents versus artifacts?
Hmmmm does the archival world?

>As an archivist, I try very hard not to get into the museum business.
Just curious, how successful are you? Have any plaques? paintings?
buttons? pins? other ephemera? Samurai Swords? (yes I worked at
a college archive which had a set of fine Japanese family samurai swords
which easily dated back to the 1600s).

If I recall correctly from the last time I visited your website Lee, you
have some fascinating art collections (as do many archives). Do you
treat those sketches and watercolors the same as an art curator would?
Does it matter whether we do? Perhaps your special collections
is fortunate enough to have an art curator?

>Are museum curators likewise taught not to dabble in documents?
Hmmmm, I don't remember any class in school teaching me
"not to dabble" in artifacts. Common sense would indicate we
take care of the things we have been trained to - yet the real world
often forces us to care for eclectic collections comprised of widely
varying types of materials.

Happy Weekend to everyone,
Craig Wright


We should take care not to make the intellect our god;
it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality.
        -Albert Einstein

___________________________________
Craig G. Wright
Associate Curator of Manuscript Acquisitions
Minnesota Historical Society
651.296.7989           craig.wright@mnhs.org

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