Collection Planning and Management

Having an expert on the team makes a difference.

For archives, museums, and cultural heritage organizations, it can be a big challenge to create and run a collection program. Regardless of whether you're a new, emerging, relaunching, or existing collection program, the truth is you could use some help. We specialize in collection assessment, planning, and management. Our goal is to give you the tools you need so that collections care and management is sustainable.

You don't have to figure it out alone.

Whether you need to digitize, prepare an exhibit, implement a new collections management system (CMS), or process a collection, we can help you craft and manage these projects to a successful completion. Our step by step approach focuses on pragmatically structuring projects so that they can be managed sustainably and completed efficiently. We not only know the best way to assess, organize, digitize, catalog, and display your collection, we're also familiar with the latest specialized tools needed. For organizations that don’t have enough full-time or permanent staff, this can mean saving valuable time and money, while making the most of your collection. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the size of your project, we can simplify what can be a daunting process and empower you to get the job done right!

If you're ready to partner on a project, please send an email to: [email protected].

Rachael was consistently clear and reliable as to how and when her services would be delivered under the Scope of Work of our contract and I was never disappointed or let down by performance less than promised or delivered late. She is always on time and exceedingly well prepared for appointments and is a real pleasure to work with. Her archival 'products'--agreed-upon work for us--have been thoughtfully composed and customized to meet our specific needs and circumstances. She is able to communicate clearly about what we often found to be confusing standards and mysterious software, as well as a vast spectrum of subjects like museum-related policies, accessioning, numbering, collections care and storage environment. I would highly recommend her to anyone needing a qualified consulting archivist and consider the Foundation very fortunate, indeed, to have stumbled upon a person of her caliber.

Rachael quickly turned around a collection survey, processing plan and draft budget for a large collection important to our university. Her work was high-quality, on-time and clearly communicated.

We contracted with Rachael to provide a review of our policies and processes for handling institutional records at a small liberal arts college. She was extremely detailed in her questions prior to the site visit, very efficient and thorough during her time on campus and delivered a report with clear guidance and recommendations. It was a great experience to work with her during and after her visit. In addition to her professionalism and attention to detail, she asked good, insightful questions that made us think about the nature of our work and forced us to make some tough decisions. I am hopeful that her consultation and report will help us move our institution in positive, new directions.

Services Offered

Here are a few examples of how we can work with your organization. If you don’t see what you need on the list, please contact us to get support.

Assess Collection Needs: Conduct an assessment and create a collection plan or preservation needs report. Assess the collection and make recommendations on: collection health, subject alignment, format and preservation issues, facility upgrades, budgeting, staffing, supplies, and technology. These reports are helpful when seeking grant or donor funding for future collection work or for reporting to higher administration to request resources for the collections.

Train Staff: Lead trainings for staff and volunteers in collection handling, rehousing, preservation, repair, processing, cataloging, or digitization.

Preservation Practices: Recommend the best way to preserve your collection, from artifacts, to paper, to photographs, to digital records.

Oral History: Create an oral history program and provide an interview template with technology recommendations. Conduct, edit, and publish recorded oral history interviews.

If you're ready to partner on a project, please send an email to: [email protected].

Watch Our Expertise in Action

Check out our webinars to see our expertise in action. We have an entire playlist dedicated to collections care and management. Click the top right corner to see the full playlist.

Not quite ready to get to work? No problem!