We had 175 chairs, 230 spoons, and 800 dresses. Do these items truly tell the story of Vermont?

Established in 1838, the Vermont Historical Society (VHS) has been collecting objects and archival materials for over 175 years. By the 2010s, we faced overflowing storage areas, many of them less than a decade old, and collections containing many artifacts that contributed little to advancing new programs, exhibits, research, or educational initiatives.

This challenge wasn’t unique to VHS. Across the museum field, other institutions were facing similar issues and seeking solutions. In 2012, Rainey Tisdale, Trevor Jones, and Elee Wood launched their grassroots Active Collections (AC) initiative, advocating for “leaner collections with greater impact.”

As we became proponents of the AC ethos at VHS, we also began collaborating with local historical societies, many of which were similarly overwhelmed by ever-growing collections and shrinking volunteer bases. Along the way, we’ve developed some guiding principles for institutions aiming to streamline their collections to better reflect their communities and today’s world.

How the Work Began

Standards, procedures, and policies developed in the museum field in the late 20th century aimed to improve collections stewardship—but often had unintended consequences. These practices treat all collections as equally important and emphasize owning and preserving collections over effectively using them. Detailed cataloguing practices have created backlogs of unprocessed items, tight environmental and storage standards create financial burdens, and reactionary deaccessioning procedures result in collections bloated with items that no longer belong.

AC recognizes a variety of factors, within society and the field, that brought us to this crossroads. While deaccessioning so-called “lazy objects” is a core tenet of the AC manifesto, it also offers broader strategies for realigning collections with mission and meaning. However, it is not the only pathway to better collections the movement offers. AC helps us uncover untold stories in objects that better connect with the communities we serve. By identifying the most meaningful objects in our collections, we can develop new exhibits and programs that allow people to connect with true touchstones of history.

By 2018, as we were continuing to evaluate our own collections at VHS, we were also supporting local historical societies and museums in this work. Vermont has over 190 local historical societies, most volunteer-run, that are struggling to manage large, aging collections while striving to more actively engage with their communities. AC seemed to offer a promising path forward.

In 2019, VHS hosted its first AC workshop with movement co-founder Rainey Tisdale in a packed room. We followed that with a virtual course in 2020 in which we introduced AC concepts to a small cohort of organizations and then updated policies and collections documents together. Ongoing mini-workshops introduce AC to even more organizations and are particularly helpful for those who are not collections professionals, such as trustees and volunteers.

In these offerings, we noticed a pattern emerging—participants understood and embraced the concepts but struggled with implementation. As one participant told us, “Too much to do, not enough of us to do it.”
In 2024, we applied for and received a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to pilot the two-year Activating 21st Century Local History Program, offering workshops, online resources, and collections care support for two local historical society cohorts. (As of this writing, the future of our IMLS grant is uncertain due to a federal proposal to eliminate the agency.)

To VHS, the project and the grant represented a significant step forward for Vermont and for the broader museum field. Most importantly, it recognized the needs and importance of small, volunteer-run organizations. While IMLS is working on the first National Museum Survey, existing data suggests that as many as half of the museums and historical societies in the US are volunteer-run or have minimal staff. Collections stewardship is often done by those passionate volunteers, without professional training.

Most collections aren’t held in climate-controlled buildings but in historic structures or retrofitted office buildings. The 2005 Heritage Health Index painted a dire picture of the state of collections nationwide. A 2019 update revealed minimal improvements, particularly for small institutions. We believe the AC approach can help reverse the trend.

What We’ve Learned

The Activating 21st Century Local History Program started in early 2025 with our first cohort: Bixby Memorial Free Library, Brookfield Historical Society, Sharon Historical Society, Thetford Historical Society, and Waterbury Historical Society.

Guided by VHS staff, these organizations are building advanced skills in applying the Active Collections framework. They attend group meetings and workshops and are undertaking a focused collections project tailored to their organization’s needs. Here is what we are learning together:

Dive Deep into Your Mission

Cohort members are developing processes to continually reassess their collections based on actual use and storytelling potential. A central AC tenet is that collections must advance the organization’s mission—or they must go.

Though previous staff and volunteers surely had the best intentions, many collections have items that no longer make sense. Collecting priorities evolve even when an institution’s mission remains constant. Many missions and collecting scopes are intentionally broad to cast a wide net.

For local historical societies, the mission is often clear: collect the history of a specific town. But what does “of the town” mean? For example, one cohort member is strongly considering deaccessioning an extensive basket collection donated by a former resident of the town because the baskets were not made locally. Another is reassessing a large newspaper collection from a neighboring town, included only because the publisher lived locally. These tough calls require clarity about what an institution’s mission really means in practice.

No Judgment

Another guiding principle of our work with local historical societies is to always assume good intentions. Previous volunteers and staff did their best with the resources and information they had. It is OK to revisit and revise their decisions.

Especially in volunteer-run organizations, turnover and inconsistent application of museum best practices are common. But that doesn’t mean we can’t do better now. Passionate and dedicated people steward our collections: we can honor their work without shouldering their burdens.

Free to Be You

This work encourages local historical societies to embrace their unique characteristics. While it is important to know the “ideal” for collections care and management, most standards are unattainable even for larger organizations. The program (and Active Collections) encourages organizations to make choices that work best for their goals and resources.

For one cohort member, this means identifying objects for use in history kits that could be “checked out” by teachers or community members. For another, it means reaffirming the community’s support for a large, specialized collection by involving them in volunteer opportunities to move, evaluate, and deaccession parts of it.

Lean into Sustainability

A huge challenge for local historical societies and small museums today is simply continued existence. Declining volunteerism coupled with increasing costs means that large, unfiltered collections are even more overwhelming. One solution to that is deaccessioning, but embracing sustainable practices goes beyond that.

We could adopt broader environmental and storage standards, including “tiered” preservation plans. Instead of striving for unattainable ideals, we can create realistic standards in care and management that are both achievable and sustainable. The updated Bizot Green Protocol leads us somewhat along that path, stating, “Museums should apply whatever methodology or strategies best suit their collections, building and needs, and innovative approaches should be encouraged.”

We can embrace the idea that nothing lasts forever, and plan for the decay, obsolescence, and loss of certain objects or collections. Some in the historic preservation field, such as Caitlin DeSilvey, author of Curated Decay: Heritage Beyond Saving, are already championing these ideas. One of our cohort members is considering using some deaccessioned textiles for a community project that coincides with its yearly exhibition theme on “mending.”

We Work Best Together

This program continually highlights the benefits of building networks and working collaboratively. In April, after several virtual meetings, our cohort gathered for an in-person workshop. This first face-to-face interaction led to deeper engagement and robust discussion. Afterwards, we saw a surge in conversations on our cohort-only listserv related to the workshop and other collections topics. Cohort members are now regularly sharing ideas, examples, and documents.

Too often, collections staff are siloed in basements and storage areas. Building local, regional, or statewide groups to tackle shared challenges can help everyone move forward. We could also think even bigger. What about a regional or national shared deaccessioned object “clearinghouse” like the Netherlands’ Rejection Database and Museum Depot Shop, or the United Kingdom’s Find an Object website (see the Resources box below for more information).

Tackling collections overload within our own institutions is a great start, but Active Collections can serve as a framework to shift the broader field. We can update antiquated property laws whose requirements no longer fit today’s realities (does everyone even have a local newspaper anymore?) and slow the work down. We can acknowledge our limitations as institutions—and as a field—that lack the resources to provide the care we say we should.

Much of embracing Active Collections is about giving ourselves permission. Permission to make decisions, to say “enough,” and to be our own experts. Rather than chasing the ideal, we embrace the real. Small historical societies and museums actually have no other choice.

Tips for Starting Your Active Collections Journey

Do one thing. This doesn’t have to be a big project. Start small by treating newly acquired collections “actively” before tackling the backlog. Break the work down into manageable steps.

Invite others to the party. Bring in kids, artists, community members, and other interested individuals to find their “favorite” pieces. Use their input to create an exhibit, online slideshow, or video about these items.

Find your cohort. Look for similar institutions that want to do the same work as you. Even discovering shared frustrations can be a valuable first step.

Know thyself. What makes your community special? Think about the objects you already have (and the ones you wish you had) that can tell stories reflective of the people and events that shape your local identity.

Have fun. Don’t take an “all work, no play” attitude. Create opportunities for your team to build camaraderie and have fun together.

Resources

• Active Collections initiative: activecollections.org
• Active Collections Online Resource Center: vermonthistory.org/resource-center
• Bizot Green Protocol: Access the PDF
• Rejection Database: afstotingsdatabase.nl
• Museum Depot Shop: shop.museumdepotshop.nl/en/
• Find an Object: museumsassociation.org/find-an-object/

---

Eileen P. Corcoran is Director of Service & Outreach and Hannah Kirkpatrick is Program Coordinator at the Vermont Historical Society in Barre.