Master’s Project by Victoria Dennis (2016)
The purpose of this thesis project was to create a comprehensive Collections Management Policy (CMP) specifically for Kirkland Heritage Society (KHS) and to submit the CMP to the KHS Board of Directors for approval. KHS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit heritage organization managed and operated by a nine-member Board of Directors in Kirkland, Washington. While the KHS had employed some elements of a CMP, a fully developed CMP remained to be adopted as a means to manage the KHS collections legally, ethically and efficiently. The collection issues of most concern included policies and procedures pertaining to acquisitions, accessions, deaccessions, loans, and abandoned property. CMP prototypes were identified through the professional literature, past thesis projects, accepted standards in the field and similar organizations. The CMP was presented to the KHS Board of Directors at the April 27, 2016 board meeting. No decision for adoption had been made as of May 18, 2016. As of the time that this paper was submitted, the policy was still under review by the KHS Board of Directors with a vote to be taken at a later meeting. The primary limitation of this project was suggesting, creating, and presenting a CMP to a board as both a graduate student and member of the board of directors.
Keywords: project, volunteers, collections
Citation:
Dennis, V. (2016). Collections Management for an All-Volunteer Organization. Unpublished master’s project, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.