The National Collections Planning Colloquium took place November 15-16, 2002.  It was developed by AAM in collaboration with the National Museum of American History. 

Colloquium participants – 80 people representing 36 institutions, as well as 11 facilitators – worked to distill their wisdom and experiences in implementing collections planning at their institutions to assist the field as a whole in identifying effective ways to engage in the planning process.  The colloquium was AAM’s response to data from the field that indicated many museums wanted to engage in collections planning in order to:

• Support their mission
• Ensure that financial resources support collections commitments
• Coordinate collections growth with interpretive and research plans
• Leverage resources for collections acquisitions
• Identify material appropriate for deaccessioning

Participants at the Colloquium:

• Analyzed sample collecting plans to identify elements that are broadly useful and desirable, or may be needed by museums on a case-by-case basis
• Created guidelines for the purpose, content, and structure of collecting plans
• Identified strategies to surmount the challenges of writing and implementing collecting plans

The results are also being used by the AAM Accreditation Commission to inform their assessment of collections planning in accredited museums. This colloquium is part of AAM’s ongoing role as a venue and catalyst for the exploration of new ideas, and in the identification, analysis, and dissemination of best practices.

Resources

Collections Planning: Pinning Down a Strategy,Museum News, July/August 2002.

The results of the Colloquium are available to the field through resources in AAM’s Information Center.