The curator/collections manager has many
different
duties, including the acquisition, cataloging, inventorying,
monitoring,
researching, and preservation of all artifacts and archival collections.The collections manager also develops and
administers policies and procedures in regards to the collections. Exhibit design, publication development, public
outreach, and educational programming are also additional responsibilities
of the curator.
Collection
Policy and Donation of Artifacts:
The mission of DakotaCityHeritageVillage is to collect,
preserve, and
interpret the rural and agricultural history of DakotaCounty.
DakotaCityHeritageVillage and Museum frequently
accepts donations of all types.If you are interested in donating to Dakota
City, please contact the Curator/Collections Manager
at dccurator@dakotacity.org before visting the Museum.All items from donors are reviewed by staff members before being
accepted, which ensures that the items do not duplicate those already
owned by DakotaCity.
While DakotaCity
collects many things, not all items are appropriate for its collections.DakotaCitymainly collects items from Dakota County, with a focus
on the southern towns and cities.We collect items pertaining to home and rural life, farming, business,
recreation, and government.These items include objects, photographs, and documents.
Our collecting period for our Museum, which features agricultural implements, tools, and other agricultural objects is 1950 and
earlier.For Village buildings and Museum exhibits, we accept items from 1920 and earlier.
People wishing to donate items to DakotaCity
should first submit the Potential
Acquisition form to the Curator
either by e-mail at dccurator@dakotacity.org or by mail to:
Curator
Dakota City Heritage Village
P.O. Box 73
Farmington, MN 55024
Assessing Potential
Donations:
Before the museum acquires an item, the curator needs to assess each possible donation and determine if the objects fit
within the collection policy guidelines.The
cost of acquiring, processing, conserving, storing and providing access
to
collection items is large and Dakota City does not accept every
donation that
is offered for a variety of reasons. Some
of the following questions need to be
asked in assessing each potential acquisition:
Is the item historically significant
to DakotaCounty, or the
surrounding region, and why?
How does the item relate to DakotaCity’s mission and the ability
to uphold/carry out that mission?
Who created the object, where was it
created, who used it, and where was it used?
Does the museum already have a similar
object in its collection already? Are
there other items in the collection related to this object?Would the item be redundant, or is it filling
a gap in the historical timeline of the collection?
Is DakotaCity
the best repository for this item, or would it be better in another
museum's collection?[For example: our primary focus is on agriculture and rural
communities.There are many items offered
to DakotaCity that would more appropriately fit with
the broader focus of the Dakota County Historical Society in South Saint Paul.]
How much will it cost us to store,
preserve, exhibit, and make this item accessible, and is the donor
willing to help pay for it?Where might we
obtain money to catalog, store, and exhibit the item?How much space does this item need and is there room for it?
Is this item in good condition?
Could it be exhibited in the Museum or Village?
How well documented is its provenance?Provenance is the history of an object’s
ownership and is an essential part of the historical value of that
object.
Does the donor want any type of
restrictions on the object, such as that it must always be exhibited?DakotaCity only accepts unrestricted
items.
After it has been determined that an object would benefit
the museum's collection, a Deed of Gift is signed by both the donor and
museum
representatives transferring all ownership and rights to the museum. Then, historical information about the
artifact and the donor are collected to add context to each item. The artifact is described, measured,
photographed and numbered for the museum’s records and entered into the
database.
Control of Artifacts:
To properly care for and preserve artifacts
donated to DakotaCity,
the museum needs to have three controls: intellectual control, physical
control,
and legal control.
Intellectual Control:
properly identifying the object, its
use, and who created and used the item.
Physical Control:
knowing the exact location of the object
in storage, on exhibit, or on loan. This
ensures an artifact will not be lost or stolen.
Legal Control:
evidence of the transfer of ownership of the
artifact from the donor to the museum. This
allows the museum to exhibit, interpret
and store the artifact without limitations or restrictions and is proof
that
the museum legally owns the object outright.
Artifact
Preservation:
Why does it cost so much to care for museum objects?That is a complicated question to answer as
there are so many factors involved in caring for each individual
artifact.In order to properly preserve an
artifact,
each object should be stored in acid-free containers in a
climate-controlled
building.Some items take a considerable
amount of time to properly document.The
museum keeps records on everything that can be found out about an item
including its history, information on how it was used, when and where
it was
made, who made it, and who used it.Museum
staff records the physical description of each and every artifact, and
keeps a
record of its condition (such as if it has stains or is broken in some
way).Hard copy records are entered into
a computer database, and finding aids are created and added to DakotaCity’s
website to make material available for research.
Many steps are involved in caring for and
documenting just
one object, when you multiply that by the thousands of objects in the
museum’s
collections, it becomes easier to see why collection management costs
the
museum so much time and money.
Without these essential supplies and time spent
caring for
objects, future generations may not be able to see the valuable things DakotaCityHeritageVillage
has been working to preserve. If you
would like to contribute time or money to preserving the artifacts in
our
collection, or if you have items to donate to the museum, please
contact Tracy Behrendt at 651-460-8050 or dccurator@dakotacity.org.
