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Proceedings
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The Field Of Education In The National Parks
The Educational Program And Its Place In National Parks Administration
Administration Of Park Museums
Scientific Aspects Of The Park Protection Program
The Research Program In The National Parks
Use Of Recorded Scientific Data
Libraries In The National Parks
Photography And Visual Education
General Administrative Problems
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Proceedings Of The
First Park Naturalists' Training Conference Held At Educational
Headquarters, Berkeley, California:
November 1-30, 1929 |
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ADMINISTRATION OF PARK MUSEUMS
SOME GENERAL POLICIES OF MUSEUM ADMINISTRATION
By Dorr G. Yeager.
The policies governing the administration of a museum, as other policies, should be strictly adhered to. Laxness in the adherence to these policies will result in failure of retaining an efficient museum staff.
Accessions: Among the most important policies are those relating to accessions for it is largely on the accessions that the success or failure of a museum rests. First of all as to the source of the gift. It has been pointed out in preceding papers that one need not be embarrassed in soliciting gifts. Tact must be used, of course, in this procedure. In accepting gifts, discretion must be used as to the type and relation, else the director will soon find himself overburdened with a collection of accessions which he is unable to use. We have pointed out the necessity and advisability of collecting only exhibits pertinent to the park itself. Gifts should be accepted only with the understanding that they are to be used as the director sees fit. The donor should never dictate the use to which a gift shall be put. Upon receipt of a gift, it should immediately be acknowledged in writing and it should then receive its accession number which should be attached. A brief history of the accession should then be made in the accession book with the number. The accession should then be catalogued, preferably in a card file with information similar to that entered in the accession book. It is advisable also to make an index of all donors. If the gift is not placed on display or in the study collection, it should be stored in a place where it will be immediately available when desired. Note of this storage should be made in the catalogue. Unless the above policies are carried out the collected accessions will be a confused mass of stored material with no order and less value.
Study collection: The study collections should be accessioned as anything else. They should then be made available for study. The policies governing these collections briefly are as follows:
Study collections should be orderly and a definite system should be followed in regard to sequence.
Study collections of birds, mammals, etc., should be fully labeled as to species, sex, locality, date, collector, etc.
Study collections should be open only to those who know how to use them, and should not be indiscriminately thrown open to the public.
Exhibits:
The policies governing the exhibits in a museum have been covered in previous papers. For the sake of convenience, however, they are set down in order.
Exhibits should be arranged to tell a definite consecutive story. Each exhibit is a paragraph or a page as it were in the entire book or museum.
Exhibits should be well labeled.
Exhibits should be so arranged that the effect is pleasing to the eye. They should never be crowded.
Library:
In our park libraries it is important, as in our museum exhibits, that we do not go beyond our scope. Books in the library should have some application to the park or immediate vicinity. It seems to me that all science books should be available for those who desire them. It has been my experience that the ranger naturalists are constantly desiring books during the summer and do much reading along scientific lines. It seems to me of great importance that we make a special effort to obtain all books relative to the park. Many of these are old and are being gathered industriously by collectors. It is a good idea to have all the available book stores send catalogues. These catalogues should be carefully scanned for books relative to the park. In Yellowstone we are constantly on the alert for books and we have built up a very presentable Yellowstone library. Just before I left the park, we sent in an order amounting to over $60 for old books. There are several ways of obtaining these books. A fund of $200 is available for the service which, as Mr. Hall has stated, should be increased. We rely on our income from the sale of publications for the purchase of our books in the park. Another method of obtaining funds is the writing of leaflets on birds, animals, geology, etc., and selling these at our information offices, the proceeds being put into a so-called "book fund." Still another method is the organization of Associations of Natural History as Yosemite has done.
The policy of opening those libraries to the public is a yet disputed point. My personal opinion is that, if a librarian is available, the less valuable books should be at the disposal of the tourists. They should not, however, be permitted to take them out of the library.
Naturally the books should be accessioned, catalogued and filed. as in any library. In connection with this a system for the entire service should be adopted and adhered to in each park.
Publications:
Publications are one of the important means by which a tourist can keep in touch with the park after he is out of reach of our naturalists. Certain policies are necessary relative to quality, distribution, etc.
Our publications reflect the standard of our organization. They should, therefore, be of the highest type. The material should be presented in an interesting manner and should be reliable in every detail.
There is one policy concerning Nature Notes which I should like to present. I should like to have the present policy of each park issuing a separate publication continue. If a combination of all Nature Notes is effected, as a whole they will lack local atmosphere and individuality.
Following Mr. Yeager's paper there was an active discussion of whether or not it is ever desirable to accept exhibits "with strings attached." It was concluded that some exhibits are so essential to park museums that they cannot justifiably be refused, even though it may be necessary to accept them under certain definite agreements with the donor. The chief reason for this situation occasionally being warranted is that the field of park museums is exceptionally limited and very often exhibits, especially in the historical field, can never be duplicated. Furthermore, conditions will often later be altered so that such conditions can be readjusted.
It was agreed that gifts are preferable but that exhibits may often have to be accepted as loans -- again, because of the local field of the museum and the scarcity of material. Whether a loan should be accepted or rejected will depend chiefly upon the desirability of such a loan as an exhibit. The purchase of exhibits may be justifiable if such accessions cannot be obtained by gift or loan and if the objects are of sufficient importance.
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