Collections Manager [Rye Historical Society, Rye, NY]

Description

The Rye Historical Society operates the Square House Museum which is accredited by the AAM. We have an extensive collection of objects dating from the early 1700’s through 1970. Part of the collection is an extensive textile collection primarily of women’s clothing. We have dresses dating back to 1840 and have something representing nearly every decade up until 1960.

Collections Manager/Registrar Job Description:

Main responsibilities:
• Completing Inventories
• Maintaining our catalogue/database
• Physical care of collection
• Accessioning new objects

Educational Background:
• Prefer someone with a Bachelors in museum collections management (preferred over general museum studies)
Completing Inventories-

Responsible for making sure everything we say we have in our database is in our collection and making sure the location of every item is known. It also includes making sure the collection is documented correctly according to museum standards. This is an ongoing process but can be structured to take a physical inventory by section/storage area to make it more manageable.

Maintaining our catalogue and database-

We use Past Perfect to maintain our database which is used widely in the museum world. One of the initial responsibilities will be to make sure everything in our collection has been entered into our database. We know we are missing some years.

Secondly, we need to verify the information already in the system is accurate and includes all the necessary information. This can be done in conjunction with a physical inventory.
Physical care of collection-

Maintain the physical care of our collection according to accepted museum standards (i.e., what kind of storage box is the item in. Is it appropriate to the kind of object? Are there too many items in a box?, are any of the objects in need of conservation work). Any objects in need of conservation work would be identified so that we can apply of a grant for their care.

Accessioning new objects-

An important part of the job will be accessioning new items according to museum standards: maintaining log books; cataloguing using Museum Standards; marking the item correctly; arranging for proper storage; etc. This is traditionally known as the Registrar function.