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Department of the Interior

Departmental Manual

Effective Date: 3/19/97

Series: Property Management

Part 411: Managing Museum Property

Chapter 2: Actions Required for Managing Museum Property

Originating Office: Office of Acquisition and Property Management

411 DM 2

2.1 Plan a Course of Action. In this chapter, we identify actions required to manage museum property. You must provide for curatorial staff and, as appropriate, property and discipline specialists, to review and contribute to planning documents that affect museum property. You can find more advice and information to assist you in managing museum property in the Departmental Museum Property Handbook, 411 DM Volume I and Volume II. 411 DM Volume I covers procedures for preserving and protecting museum property, and 411 DM Volume II tells how to document museum property. The handbook volumes add no mandates to those in 411 DM.

A. What planning is done at the bureau-level? The bureau plan must:

(1) Address the needs of all bureau museum property;

(2) Identify priorities that, if applicable, include, but are not limited to, managing museum property housed in Federal facilities; museum property that has high informational (e.g., scientific or cultural), or monetary value; is highly vulnerable to the environment; is sensitive subject matter; or is mandated by Federal law and/or bureau-specific authorities.

(3) Identify bureauwide strategies and policies for managing museum property.

B. What planning is done at the unit-level? A unit must address the following elements in its planning process. You may incorporate the elements into other related unit planning documents. Revise planning documents when needed to reflect changes in the status of your museum property and progress in managing it.

(1) Write a Scope of Collection Statement to outline the parameters of collecting activities and define the purpose of the museum property collection, set limits on collecting, and consider the uses of the collection;

(2) Develop a Collection Management Plan to help you preserve, protect, and document museum property. In it, you must:

(a) State problems you are having;

(b) Describe corrective actions you will take and list them in priority order;

(c) Identify who is responsible; and

(d) Estimate costs for appropriate programming and budgeting documents.

(3) Complete an Emergency Management Plan for museum property to identify vulnerabilities to events such as earthquakes, floods, tornados, or civil disturbances, and detail ways of responding to them while giving priority to human health and safety;

(4) Obtain a Conservation Survey (or surveys), if needed, to provide information on the environment of spaces housing museum property, record the condition of individual or groups of museum property, determine conservation treatment needs and priorities, and record baseline data to assess future deterioration.

(5) Complete a Museum Property Management Survey. This survey is a tool to help you assess the status of efforts to manage museum property in your custody or for which you are responsible. In it, you must:

(a) Document the status of collection management documents at your unit;

(b) Document the types (disciplines) and numbers of museum objects held by the unit (you may quantify document collections in linear feet instead of object counts using the formula 1,600 items equals one linear foot);

(c) Document the types and numbers of your museum property that is managed in other institutions. Do not include facilities holding your museum property as short-term loans; and

(d) List the names and locations of all non-bureau facilities that manage museum property for your unit.

2.2 Carry out your plan. Unit-level staffs have primary responsibility for carrying out museum property plans, using standards in 411 DM 3.

2.3 Use reports to track museum property management.

A. You must complete unit-level Museum Property Management Survey Reports [see 411 DM 2.1 B(5)] on a schedule your bureau determines. The interval between reports must not exceed five years. You must submit the report to a representative your bureau identifies.

B. You must submit an annual Bureau Museum Property Management Summary Report to the Director, Office of Acquisition and Property Management. You must submit the report by January 30 of each year. In it, you must report a bureauwide summary of your bureau's museum management activities during the preceding fiscal year.

Your report must follow this outline.

(1) Summary of Accomplishments. Summarize major highlights in implementing your bureau plan for managing museum collections.

(2) Resources. Summarize the resources (funds and FTE) allocated or expended for managing your bureau's museum property during the reporting period.

(3) Issues. List and describe issues that impact your ability to implement your bureau plan for managing museum collections. Describe actions you are taking to address these issues.

(4) Revisions to Bureau Plan. Summarize any revisions to your bureau plan for managing museum property.

(5) Goals. Identify the goals of your bureau plan for managing museum property.

(6) History. Provide a brief history of the bureau's museum collection.

(7) Oversight. Describe the structure of museum property oversight within your bureau. Identify individuals currently representing your bureau on the Department's museum property committees.

(8) Collection Size. Summarize the size of your bureau's collection by discipline and location.

2.4 Standardize forms you use in managing museum property.

A. You can find sample forms that you may use for managing museum property in the Departmental Museum Property Handbook, 411 DM Volume I and Volume II; and

B. You may develop bureau-specific forms to supplement or to adapt sample forms illustrated in 411 DM Volume I and Volume II.

3/19/97 #3142

Replaces 1/8/93 #2967

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