Design and implementation of a collections management system for the Baytown Historical Museum

This report is concerned with the planning and coordination of a system designed to record, store, and retrieve artifacts and archival materials in the permanent collections of the Baytown Historical Museum. Organized in early 1970 by a group of local civic leaders, the museum began active collection and display of material related to the Bay Area's long and colorful history. By the end of 1980, the museum's acquisitions, which ranged from prehistoric dart points and scrapers to mid-l9th century medical manuals and instruments, numbered well over one thousand. Because the museum was manned by a volunteer staff which changed regularly, the registration and general conservation of the collections had been either inconsistent or totally neglected. Recognizing the potential loss of information resulting from the permanent separation of artifacts from provenience information and donor records, the museum director and trustees decided to take whatever steps were necessary to bring the collections management system up-to-date and secure its future operation. The procedures involved in recovery and stabilization of the acquisitions and registration records of the Baytown. Historical Museum are discussed in the following pages. Also included are a series of appendices developed to encourage elaboration of the collections management system and professional growth of the museum and its staff.