Museum Studies Blog at Tufts University

A brief but meta museum musing from me today: as my co-editor Ava and I have been settling into our new editor roles, we’ve been performing some site maintenance. When we first started, because of the nearly fifteen-year history of the blog, the media gallery was bursting with content. The creativity, cleverness, and ingenuity of our blog ancestors meant that there were hundreds upon hundreds of images, graphics, and visuals in the media gallery. These visual aids had been used in posts since the blog’s inception and ran the gamut from statistical figures to exhibition photos.

At first, this wasn’t something even meriting consideration—the photos were a part of collective blog history and were essentially ephemera in an archive of past Tufts Museum Studies history. But we quickly encountered an issue: because of the amount of storage space taken up by these visual aids, no new ones could be uploaded. Until some photos were deleted, there would be no space for current and future authors to add visuals to their articles.

So we faced a conundrum: preserve blog history and the work of previous students or preserve future authors’ flexibility? It felt like an impossible task, in some ways. I understand that the presence or lack of photos with articles on a university blog may seem trivial, but to me, it felt like a question of respect. I wanted to give credit to the students who shaped this blog at the same time as uplifting my current peers. The blog is dedicated to supporting both current and former Tufts Museum Studies students—how could we do both when one group had to be prioritized for storage’s sake?

And then I realized something: this is essentially collections management on a much smaller, perhaps less strenuous scale. These media items are a part of the blog’s collection. Much as museum objects can be deaccessioned when they no longer serve the mission of the museum or when there is no longer space for them to be stored, so too must blog visual aids. I recalled something Elizabeth Farish, Chief Curator at Strawbery Banke said when I met with her—paraphrased, she articulated that every artifact or historical object is important, but circumstance determines whether it is useful in a particular context. Essentially, even if a museum turns down an object donation from an individual, that object is still important; it may just not fit with the current needs of the museum.

The solution we settled on, for the purposes of the blog, is a five-year retention policy: for five years after an article is posted, any visual aids will remain attached. After five years, the visuals will be deleted to make space for new images from present authors. The articles themselves will remain intact and in place—anyone coming to the blog will be able to read the wonderful work of our peers past, present, and future. Just the images will be “deaccessioned.” To echo the statement above, this makes no judgement of the images’ importance—they are all important in that the original author deemed them fitting to accompany their writing and that our blog ancestors chose them—it merely allows for the “collection” to stay current.

So at least for the present, while Ava and I are editors, older graphics will be removed to make space for new ones. If the policy is in place long-term, my work could have its photos removed. In fact, if you’re reading this in May 2030 or beyond, you may see an article devoid of the accompanying graphic I created. Or maybe not—the policy itself may be “deaccessioned” by future editors. That remains to be seen! But it is almost comforting that the mark we make on this virtual space will be both ephemeral and permanent at the same time—and isn’t that history?

Welcome to Memos from the Museum World, a series that highlights the wonderful work our Tufts students are doing as they complete the in-field practicum component of the Museum Studies Program. Each student has a unique practicum experience, and we are excited to share the impacts they are making on the field in their own words. Check back throughout the year for more practicum updates from the Class of 2026!

Sydney Slack: Programs Fellow, Boston Children’s Museum

What have you been up to as a part of your practicum?

The Programs Fellows at the Boston Children’s Museum wear a lot of different hats, since we work with so many different departments. First and foremost, we help with programs and even get to create some original programs of our own. We also help with collections inventorying, writing alt-text for marketing, collecting data for evaluation, etc. It’s something a little different everyday, so you never get bored!

What has been the most impactful moment during your Practicum experience?

As a Programs Fellow, I get to work with a bunch of different departments. Everything from Collections to Marketing. So I’d say it’s less of a singular most impactful moment, and more that I am so glad that I get to experience so many different aspects of the museum world to really inform where I want to take my career. Though I’m sure when I actually get to run the program I’m in the process of creating will also be a huge highlight!

What is something you’ve gained that you’d like to take with you into your future career?

One thing that my site supervisor advises me to do is to really observe the people I work with and note which of their habits are things I would like to emulate. Now, this can be pretty tricky when you are actively working with them. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from both this experience and the Museum Studies program generally, it’s how important it is to learn from other people, and this is just another way of doing that. 

Sophie DeWitt: Arms and Armor Intern, Worcester Art Museum

What have you been up to as a part of your practicum?

I worked with the curatorial team in the final months leading up to the opening of the permanent arms and armor galleries at WAM. Coming on in the eleventh hour means I’ve gotten to do all manner of things, including working on interactive elements, creating graphics, and doing conservation work.

What has been the most impactful moment during your Practicum experience?

By far the most impactful thing I’ve gotten to do, the thing I brag about to absolutely anyone who will listen, was getting to work with the A&A conservator Bill MacMillan on restoring an Indian mail set from the 19th century. I’d never done conservation work before and was equally intrigued and intimidated by it, but after getting to try my hand at it I can say with confidence that I would happily sit on the floor weaving tiny links together every day if given the opportunity.

What is something you’ve gained that you’d like to take with you into your future career?

The through line with all the projects I found most enjoyable was a connection to art and design, which shouldn’t be as surprising given my art background, but prior to this internship I had felt that art-making and museum work would be separate parts of my life. Through the design and conservation work I’ve gotten a better understanding of how those two could intermingle in my professional life, and I have a direction to pursue when seeking out future career opportunities.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your practicum?

The arms and armor galleries officially open November 22nd, and if you’re reading this, you should take a trip out to Worcester to see them as soon as you can! The open storage gallery in particular is going to be, in the purest sense of the word, awesome.