OF ALL TASKS in the vast museum field, inventory is perhaps the easiest to explain to outsiders and the hardest to enforce among colleagues. It is easy to understand that to do exhibitions, guide tours, or conduct research that you first need to know where everything is. Maintaining a good inventory is a key task in every museum. In the narrow sense of the word, inventory just means to know what you have and where you have it, but in a broader sense inventory means to know why you have it (e.g., how did it end up in your collection and how does it fit into your mission) and what condition it is in.
As registrars, we are sworn into keeping our inventory always up to date:
Registrars, through the records maintained, are accountable for the objects in custody of their museums and must be able to provide current information on each object, its location, status and condition.1
In museums with a long tradition of professional care you will find each object meticulously listed in the collections management system (CMS) or at least on a list in a filing cabinet or spreadsheet. In other museums the inventory might only exist in one staff member’s head. The latter are the cases in which to run the museum professionally you need to conduct a complete inventory. An inventory might also be necessary to be accredited by a professional organization or as a requirement for a grant. But no matter how well-organized a museum is, it is necessary to conduct complete or partial inventories on a regular basis. Inventories discourage insider theft, help locate objects that are lost because they were put in the wrong place, help to detect hidden pests and unnoticed deterioration processes of objects, and also help detect problems with storage materials and facilities.
An inventory should reflect the current status of the collection. Keeping the inventory up to date should be a standing rule in every museum. To make sure that this really happens, the whole procedure should be mandated, preferably in a collections management policy (CMP; see CHAPTER 2, “Collection Management Policies”). You need to define which changes should be recorded, how, when, and—if you are not a staff of one—by whom. For the sake of simplicity this chapter will focus on location changes, but the basic principles hold true for other changes in an object’s record such as ownership, condition, or insurance value (see BOX 5K.1).
The museum should have a stringent system of object locations2 so that you know exactly where each object belongs. Usually the location will be in a hierarchical arrangement, from largest to smallest unit. For example: Main Building, Room 3, shelf 4, shelf board 2, box 17.
The location system must be understood by and accessible to all staff members who deal with location changes. Forms for location changes must be readily available (preferably there will be stacks of them3 in the vicinity of every storage unit), and there should be a printable electronic version available on each computer (i.e., on the museum’s intranet pages). The location change form should be easy to understand and fill out, and should not need too much required information because each additional required field reduces the likelihood that the forms will be filled out.
In larger institutions, the question of who should be allowed to update object locations in the CMS must be considered carefully and will depend on the frequency of location changes, available staff members, and level of training. Allowing just the registrar to change locations in the CMS will put pressure on this individual if the collection is active, and it can cause a lot of problems if the registrar is overworked or out of the office. On the other hand, if more people are allowed to update locations, it is more likely that objects will be misplaced or listed with incorrect locations or there will be failures to update the records. As a rule of thumb, the more active4 a collection is, the more staff members should be allowed to do location changes themselves. In this case it is recommended that partial inventories be done more frequently because of the greater likelihood of misplacing objects either by handling, entering the wrong location information, or changing the location for the wrong object in the CMS.
BOX 5K.1 CHANGE OF OBJECT LOCATION
Procedure for changing a location if the staff member handling the object does not have access to the collections management system (CMS) or does not have the permission to update locations in the CMS:
Procedure for changing a location if the staff member has permission to update locations in the CMS:
All location changes should be documented on the day the location change takes place. Exceptions from this rule can be granted by the registrar or collections manager and must be put in written form and signed off by the head of the department of collections.
Even in very well-organized museums, inventories are necessary and a good CMP will require them, so the museum benefits as mentioned. A complete inventory—also called a 100 percent inventory, wall-to-wall inventory, or full inventory—encompasses the whole collection and, therefore, is the most complete, but also requires the most time, staff, and money to complete. A partial inventory can take on several forms:
It is no surprise that the better the planning of the inventory, the better the outcome and the more likely the project will stay on schedule and within the budget. If the inventory is not a requirement in the CMP (and sometimes even if it is) you will need buy-in from the director, board, or governing authority. Because they will want to know what resources are required and how long it will take, you should be prepared to provide them with a plan and a schedule.
The first consideration should be the depth of the inventory. The minimum things to be checked are:
These will tell you if everything is where it is supposed to be, help discover missing or misplaced objects, and will most likely resolve quite a few “found in collection” objects (FIC) (see chapter 3j, “Found in Collection”). However, it will not provide any additional benefits for preservation or documentation. If your goal is to improve the documentation so that it meets a bare minimum of quality, you should also check the so-called tombstone information:
The inventory will become more valuable the more information you check. A high-quality inventory might also check the catalog entry for:
Another aspect of the inventory is the condition and the quality of object housing. You might also want to include:
There are a few additional things you might want to do while taking inventory, such as adding an object photo to the documentation, marking objects directly with their accession or catalog number (see CHAPTER 5F, “Marking”), and rehousing objects that are not stored properly.
After you have an idea what you want to check in the inventory, determine whether you have the resources you need to do it. This is usually a balancing act in which you might find that you either have to cut down your wish list of things to check or increase the resources allocated for the project.
In an ideal world, an inventory team consists of at least three:6 a curator, a conservator, and a registrar or documentation officer. This way, you have one person who has the necessary topic-based knowledge about the objects, one who knows materials and conditions, and one who can add the information to the CMS correctly and keep the inventory process moving in a structured way. If you do an inventory with only minimum requirements it is possible to work with less specialized staff members, although it is always necessary that they have at least basic object handling and documentation training (see CHAPTER 5B, “Object Handling”). For a large inventory project, you might need several teams to get the inventory done in a reasonable time span. For an enhanced inventory project, you might want to have a photographer, an art handler, or mount-maker on board.
Sometimes you will not be able to conduct the inventory with the staff you have, and must get help from other departments or recruit interns or volunteers. Sometimes it is necessary to hire outside professionals. In any case, make sure that you communicate your needs early and clearly to everybody involved so they can schedule time for the inventory. Keep in mind that hiring professionals takes time, especially in larger institutions.
Keep in mind that a staff member who is dedicated full-time to the inventory project will be more productive than one who has other tasks to do; other projects that require attention tend to come into conflict with each other and far too often push the inventory task to a lower priority. But also keep in mind that inventory is a job that requires a high level of concentration and involves many repetitive tasks, which make it hard to stay focused. Depending on the personalities of those involved it might be wiser to assign a person to the inventory for only a few hours of the day and allow the worker to do something different for the remainder of the day. Consider the repetitive nature of the tasks when you think about the time frame and be sure to schedule enough breaks; otherwise there will be more errors caused by fatigue and routine.
Workflow and logistics play a huge, but often overlooked, role in planning an inventory. Often inventories are slowed down by issues that could be avoided by detecting and resolving them before starting the project. This is why it is important to think carefully about the necessary steps, how they will be done, and where they take place. Take time to identify the issues that might block an efficient working process and look for ways to make everything go smoother. Do not think only about the actual process of checking records against objects, but consider also the things you might discover while conducting the inventory and how to handle them:
The more complex and complete your inventory is, the more you have to think about workflow and logistics. There are quite a few decisions to make so it is best to write down the procedures that you and your team will follow. When you start the test run for scheduling is a great opportunity to give the workflow procedures a try and tweak them as necessary. You will likely run into quite a number of obstacles and have to think about possible remedies—some examples of obstacles and possible solutions are in TABLE 5K.1.
The next consideration is time. As a rule of thumb, the more people you have, the faster your inventory will go, but staff is not the only factor. If you cannot organize the work so that teams do not block each other, more people are useless. For example, this is often the case when working in tight spaces or when the internet connection is so weak that only one team can work with the CMS.
Table 5K.1 Inventory Obstacles and Solutions
| Obstacle | Solution |
| Objects record is long and difficult to scroll through on screen. | Create a special object record format in your CMS that holds only the fields you need to check for the inventory. |
| Internet connection is weak or unavailable, so the team cannot work directly with the CMS. | Prepare forms that make the physical inventory go smoothly and make the later input process easy. Print out lists with objects to check their location before the actual inventory phase starts. |
| The CMS runs on a desktop computer in another room. | Find out if it is possible to use the CMS on a tablet with a Wi-Fi connection in storage, or transfer the desktop computer to the storage area for the time of the inventory. |
| The object records are on a card catalog in the registrar’s office. | Consider developing a CMS as part of the inventory project. There might be grants available to fund this. If not, take the cards to storage for the inventory. |
| Aisles are so narrow that objects cannot be checked directly on location. | Prepare a specialized area with enough space to examine the objects and check their records. Consider whether a cart or trolley can speed up the process of moving objects to and from the examination area. |
| Storage area is crammed so it is hard to get to the objects. | Consider a storage reorganization project linked to the inventory project. Consider adding an additional step of removing unnecessary clutter to speed up the inventory project. Consider whether a deaccessioning project should be part of the inventory project. Prepare a specialized area with enough space to examine the objects and check their records. |
| The toilet facilities are inadequate (e.g., there’s only one toilet for staff of all genders, so volunteers usually leave after having worked two hours to never show up again). | Arrange for portable toilets to be installed that meet the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration.1 |
1. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, Standard 1910.141(c)(1)(i). Available at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=interpretations&p_id=22932.
Another factor that affects time is the level of storage organization. If the collection storage space is tidy and well-organized, with locations clearly labeled and every object marked with its accession number, the inventory will go significantly faster than in a tight, crammed storage space where it takes quite some time to find the accession number of an object or the correct name of a storage unit.
Note that checking objects against their records occupies only a fraction of the time it takes for an inventory. You will find that the physical movement of objects (e.g., taking an object off the shelf, transporting it to a table or a photographic area, unwrapping and rewrapping it, or searching for the accession number) uses up a considerable amount of time. So does the correction of database entries, which takes at least twice as much time if the necessary information must be recorded on paper before it is entered into the database.
To create a schedule that reflects reality, it is best to do a test run. After you have decided what you want to check, select a small unit such as a few shelves or several different cabinets that are a good representation of the whole collection slated for inventory. Then, assign a team (which you can be part of) to do all the inventory tasks you planned for. Monitor the workflow and the time it takes. In this way, you will encounter the first logistic hiccups and procedures that do not work well.
After the test run, you can multiply the time that the testing phase took by all the units that you will have to check in the project. Do not forget to include time for breaks, and add at least 10 percent of buffer time for the unexpected such as server failures, emergencies, and the update cycles of the CMS. Increase the amount of buffer time if you have previously known issues such as regular staff meetings, holidays, or downtime because of a major exhibit opening. You might want to adjust some of the required checks for the sake of time or plan for more staff to participate in the process.
After you have an idea of the things you want to check, the staff you need, and the time it will take, make a list of materials that are needed for the inventory. Depending on your plan these might include (but are not limited to) markers, notebooks, tablets, barcode scanners, printers, labels, archival packing materials, carts or trolleys, tables, and photographic equipment.
During the test run you may have discovered other things that need to be fixed before the inventory can take place such as the installation of additional power outlets, network connections, or more Wi-Fi routers in remote storage areas. Make sure you have thought of everything before calculating your budget needs.
If you need external staff such as a photographer or additional art handlers, calculate their salaries or compensation. If you plan to work with volunteers, think about perks such as snacks and coffee or a regular Pizza Friday (or other, perhaps less calorie-ridden incentives) that need to be included in the budget.
As you wrap up your calculations for the schedule, needed staff, and required budget for a report to upper management, consider the organizational things you might need for management to decide. For example, the loan program and new acquisitions might interfere with inventory requirements. You might need the higher-ups to put a hold on outgoing loans during the time you will need staff members to focus on the inventory, or you might need a moratorium on new acquisitions during the inventory (or at least for acquisitions in specific collections). Depending on which staff members are available you might want to reduce or suspend other programs (e.g., guided tours or workshops) because you are in dire need of the curator who is usually assigned to do them. Make sure to spell out everything you need so upper management can decide on the whole inventory package and will not be unpleasantly surprised by more needs coming up after the inventory started.
As soon as resources are granted, you have the go-ahead from upper management, have purchased the necessary tools and materials, and any necessary work to improve the facilities has been done, the process of conducting the inventory can start.
Although there are generally two possible8 ways to proceed, it is usually recommended to check which objects should be in the location according to your files and then see what you actually find in the location—that way, you will not overlook things that have gone missing. Ideally, you should empty the room you are checking and then return the objects one by one as they are inventoried. Although this adds an additional object handling step, it will ensure that nothing is overlooked, reduce the risk of knocking over an object in front as you reach for an object behind it, and it is generally the tidiest option. There are, of course, a few exceptions to this rule such as painting racks or storage units holding extremely heavy and bulky items. Either way, you will end up with three types of objects:
In an ideal world, you would be able to mitigate all of these situations as the missing objects show up in other locations. In the real world, you will always end up with a few mysterious cases.
If you have done a complete inventory, once it is finished you can be sure that you checked everything meticulously, which means that the missing objects really are missing and the things you have FIC really never came in through a formal process, or the former accessioning procedures were so shady or the documentation so badly done that you cannot really tell if the records match the objects. If you have only done a partial inventory, you will not have this satisfying state of completeness.
As for how to deal with the objects that mysteriously show up, refer to CHAPTER 3J, “Found in Collection.” For the objects that are missing according to your inventory, ideally your CMP will spell out how to proceed (e.g., by filing an insurance claim, informing the authorities). If the CMP does not help, make sure it is revised so that it does in the future and work out with upper management how to proceed. The weakest form of acknowledgment is to have a location entry “missing in inventory.” The most robust form is to handle it as a potential theft. Keep in mind that most thefts in museums are inside jobs, so the wishful thinking that missing objects will turn up somewhere else sometime in the future might actively help a criminal in your own ranks. Choose a procedure that aligns with the law, your professional code of conduct, and your institution’s mission.
Most inventory projects have a clear start and end date, but the everyday work of the registrar or collections manager is an ongoing preparation for the next inventory—which is to say, it means making sure the next inventory goes smoother than the previous inventory by ensuring that all the policies for acquisition, accession, cataloging, marking, housing, making location changes, and condition checks are followed meticulously. In most cases, the person following the procedures is not the problem, rather it is raising awareness for the importance of following procedures among your colleagues. It requires persistence and a patient and polite way of teaching the right procedures again and again, no matter how far down on the hierarchical ladder the registrar is. Keep in mind how William James Durant put it, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” •
1. Code of Ethics for Registrars. The Registrars Committee of the American Association of Museums, accepted and endorsed on June 11, 1984.
2. A. Kipp, Managing Previously Unmanaged Collections: A Practical Guide for Museums (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2016), 41–45, 119–124.
3. Preferably accompanied by a pencil, which is attached with a string to the storage unit, so it cannot be taken away from the forms. Probably billions of pencils get lost in storage areas every year.
4. I use the term active because the sheer number of collections objects is not the determining factor. A collection can have more than a million objects, but if there is only one object taken out per week documenting the location changes is far less stressful than if you have a collection with a mere handful of objects that are taken out frequently for pop-up exhibits and education programs all around the county.
5. There are numerous possibilities to decide how the randomization is done. You might write down the different collections listed in your collections policy on slips of paper and do a blind draw. You might run a numbers generator and check the equivalent object record. You might blindly draw numbers from one to twenty and then check every record that is a multiplication with this number. The possibilities are endless. The only important thing is that the result of items to be checked is not foreseeable for anyone.
6. This very wise recommendation is based on the German book on collections audits: Lina Lassak: Revision—ein Handbuch zur Durchführung, 2016, page 34. Available at: https://zenodo.org/record/157342#.XERju81CfIV (translation: Audits—a handbook for conducting them)
7. Second team here refers not necessarily to a real second team, it can also be the same team conducting the tasks in a later step.
8. Look what is in the location and check it against the record in the CMS (or whatever you have that holds your inventory in written form) or look what should be in the location according to your CMS and tick off what you find.
I’m eternally grateful to Maureen McCormick who wrote the original chapter on inventory in MRM5 . Although I restructured the chapter by giving the maintenance of the inventory the top spot and added a few additional thoughts, the core work was done by her.