Museum Magazine

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Achieving Active Collections: The Vermont Historical Society helping volunteer organizations

By Eileen P. Corcoran and Hannah Kirkpatrick

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, …
Market and Meaning: Indigenous art at the crossroads of commerce and repatriation

By Maeve R. Donnelly

Maeve R. Donnelly is a collections assistant at the Syracuse University Art Museum in New York. The research presented in this article was conducted independently as part of her graduate studies in Museum Studies and does not reflect …
The Case for Change: Environmental controls in collecting institutions

By Danielle Sakowski

A new study examines the relationship between energy, carbon, and T/RH parameters in collecting institutions. As part of their mission-driven work, museums are committed to protecting and preserving the objects in their care. Yet …
Risk and Responsibility: Sustainable collection care and fine art insurance

By Adrienne Reid

Environmental sustainability is an urgent global priority, and cultural institutions are striving to do their part. Many are exploring greener practices, including reducing energy use and waste and adopting more sustainable transportation …
Evolving Standards: Incorrect Cultural Care as an 11th agent of deterioration

By Melanie Deer, Angela Garcia-Lewis, Amanda Lancaster, Martin Schultz, and Reylynne Williams

When asked to teach a museum administration class about collections management, Melanie Deer centered the discussion on the 10 Agents of Deterioration (10 Agents), which focus heavily on the traditional “preservation forever” approach. She …
How to Let Go: Collections care meeting audience needs

By Jenny Durrant

Museums strive to be permanent institutions that make cultural objects accessible for the benefit of society. Does this mission imply that museum collections must also be permanent, or can objects be transient? When is it acceptable to …
Message from the President: Taking Good Care

By Marilyn Jackson

No matter what type of museum you work in, properly managing the institution’s collection is a core function—and a monumental undertaking. In museum collections, our world’s most invaluable objects are not only publicly accessible but …
Message from the President: Decoding AI

By Marilyn Jackson

This column introduces Museum magazine’s July/August 2025 issue, a benefit of AAM membership. Do you ever get the feeling that AI came out of nowhere? When did talking, thinking robots go from a sci-fi fantasy to daily reality, and how …
We’ve Seen This Before: Lessons to help incorporate AI into museum operations

By Carolyn Royston

With AI, museums face another moment in their digital evolution. We are already seeing some truly innovative AI applications across the sector that are enabling audiences to access collections and content in expansive new ways, enhancing …
Improving the Search: Uncovering AI bias in digital collections

By Madeline Schill & Kathy Jones

The ethical stewardship of our cherished collections has increasingly become a priority for North American museums grappling with centuries of Eurocentric and colonial-imperial history. Museums are enhancing stewardship of their physical …