Collections Projects

For institutions that need another pair of hands, MMM can accomplish a variety of collection management & preventive conservation projects...from re-housing collections, space planning, packing & moving, housekeeping, exhibit installation, condition assessments, cataloging, digitizing, photography & much more.

Project-Based Consultation

Another way MMM serves its small museum & historic house clients is by creating practical policies & procedures for projects that can be carried out by volunteers & interns. MMM can provide guidance on how to carry out collections projects, such as improving storage, digitizing the collection, packing & moving & much more. MMM can also help institutions identify grants & other funding sources to carry out collections projects.

Space Planning

Storage space is a commodity & all museums should plan for how to better use their storage space. MMM's Owner & Founder has helped 12 museums plan for their long-term collection storage needs through Collection Storage Plans. These plans include: 

• in-depth reviews of a museum's existing space

• an audit of collection storage equipment to determine capacity

• analysis of collection growth over time

• projection of expected collection growth in the future

• estimation of when collection storage will meet capacity

• recommendations for how to delay meeting capacity

Collection Assessments

MMM's Owner & Founder is a certified Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) Program Assessor.

CAP Assessments provide small & mid-sized museums partial funding toward a general conservation assessment. The assessment reviews all of the institution's collections, buildings & building systems, as well as its policies & procedures relating to collections care. Museums receive an assessment report with prioritized recommendations to improve collections care. CAP is often a first step for small institutions that wish to improve the condition of their collections.

Couriering

Museum collection items move around for many reasons, including for exhibition, donation & treatment. Under certain circumstances, museums elect for the artifacts to be accompanied by a courier, somebody who oversees their transport, unpacking or repacking, condition reporting & installation (or deinstallation). Couriers physically travel with the pieces, ensuring their safe arrival.

Digitization

With experience in archives processing & photographic documentation of museum collections, MMM's Owner & Founder is equipped to digitize all collection types. This service is vital as more museums seek to create online exhibits that feature collection items. Digitizing collections also serves remote researchers & allows the collection to be accessed by more people. In many instances, having a digitized collections saves museum staff time, as they can send researchers digital versions of the collections & archives without having to accommodate research in-house.