How Museums Manage Their Collections
Quick view of collection management
- Deciding what to collect and what to decline, in line with the museum’s mission and ethics.
- Documenting every object so staff always know what it is and where it is.
- Protecting objects through preventive conservation, safe handling and good storage.
- Using collections in displays, loans and digital projects so they stay relevant and visible.
Why collections need rules
Collection management starts with clear rules: written policies that decide what the museum cares for, who can make decisions and how objects are treated as public heritage, not private property. These policies translate broad ethics into everyday choices about acquisition, care and access.
Many museums base those rules on the International Council of Museums Code of Ethics, which sets minimum standards for areas such as acquisition procedures, legal compliance, returns and responsible disposal of objects, and the proper use of resources. Staff and governing bodies use this code as a reference when they approve policies or face difficult decisions about a collection’s future.
Without these frameworks, a museum might collect randomly, store objects in unsafe conditions, or keep unprovenanced items that raise legal and ethical questions. A simple way to picture it is this: a collection management policy is like a road map; procedures and checklists are the step-by-step directions that keep every journey consistent.
Core steps in collection workflows
To make those rules workable, museums usually break collection work into repeatable steps: acquiring and registering objects, documenting them, caring for them in store, and managing their movement, use and, sometimes, deaccession. Many institutions follow the Spectrum standard, an international benchmark that organises this work into 21 recognised procedures and is widely adopted across thousands of museums.
| Area | Everyday activities | Typical tools |
|---|---|---|
| Policy & governance | Writing policies, reviewing collecting priorities, approving loans, sign-off for deaccession. | Board minutes, policy documents, committee terms of reference. |
| Acquisition & entry | Assessing offers, recording temporary deposits, creating accession records, agreement forms. | Entry forms, due-diligence checklists, acquisition registers. |
| Documentation | Describing objects, adding photos, updating locations, recording provenance. | Collection Management System (CMS), cataloguing standards, authority files. |
| Care & conservation | Monitoring climate, rehousing objects, integrated pest management, condition reporting. | Environmental sensors, pest traps, archival boxes, conservation lab. |
| Access & use | Exhibitions, loans, study visits, digital projects, research access. | Loan agreements, exhibition checklists, online catalogue, image rights database. |
| Review & change | Significance assessments, rationalisation projects, deaccession, repatriation discussions. | Review frameworks, risk matrices, consultation records. |
Recording what the museum owns
The first practical task is accessioning: giving each accepted object a unique number and linking it to a basic record. That record captures who donated or sold the object, its title and description, any known history, and its legal status. Once this is done, the museum has a formal responsibility to care for it; skipping this step leaves both the object and the institution in an uncertain position.
After accessioning, museums build richer catalogue entries. Staff add dimensions, materials, techniques, keywords, and cultural context, often following shared documentation standards so information can be compared and searched across institutions. A collection without good documentation is like a library without a catalogue: shelves full of stories that nobody can actually find.
Micro-tasks behind a single record
- Check legal ownership and permissions.
- Assign an accession number and physical label.
- Describe the object in clear, non-technical language where possible.
- Photograph it and link images to the record for quick identification.
- Note its exact location so staff can retrieve it without guesswork.
Modern museums usually store this information in a Collection Management System (CMS), a database designed for museum workflows rather than generic spreadsheets. Well-known examples include TMS Collections, MuseumPlus, CollectionSpace and Axiell’s museum solutions, which are built to manage complex data for many types of collections and to follow sector standards. These systems make it easier to run searches, export data to online catalogues and keep track of changes over time.
Keeping objects safe before they break
Good collection management emphasises preventive conservation: stopping damage before it happens, rather than only repairing objects after they fail. Museums monitor and adjust temperature, relative humidity, light levels and air quality, because all of these can speed up fading, cracking, corrosion or mould growth. Research in preventive conservation highlights that managing the enviroment, especially moisture and light, is often the most effective way to prolong the life of cultural heritage. Routine monitoring is usually the first step.
Museums also control risks from pests, physical forces and human error. Staff use integrated pest management to watch for insects, design storage that avoids crushing or distortion, and train teams in handling techniques such as using both hands, supporting weak areas and avoiding jewellery that could scratch delicate surfaces. A single dropped object may be impossible to repair; a few minutes of planning and the right trolley, box or support can quietly prevent that disaster.
What happens if a label falls off an object in storage? Without good records and photographs, the object can become “orphaned”, separated from its history. This is why many conservators consider documentation itself a form of preventive care.
Standards, checklists and Spectrum
To avoid reinventing the wheel, museums draw on shared sector standards. The Spectrum collections management standard, maintained by the Collections Trust, sets out a series of procedures for everything from object entry and location control to loans and deaccession. It is widely recognised as a benchmark, with its latest editions (including Spectrum 5.1) updated to reflect digital practice and the way museums now use collections. Accreditation schemes in some countries require museums to meet key Spectrum procedures or have a plan to reach them.
Using such frameworks, teams can build local checklists and workflows that match their resources. A small community musem may record data on simple forms and then enter it into a shared regional database; a large institution may manage millions of records with automated reports, auditing tools and APIs. In both cases, the aim is the same: reduce errors, make responsibilities clear and keep the collection history unbroken.
Tracking movement, loans and exhibitions
Every time a museum object moves, there is a risk of loss or damage. Collection managers track locations closely: storage room, shelf, crate, display case, or another institution thousands of kilometres away. They log each move in the CMS, sometimes with barcodes or RFID tags, so the team can see not just where an object is now, but its full movement history.
Loans and exhibitions add more layers. Staff negotiate loan agreements that define responsibilities for insurance, packing, transport and security, and they prepare detailed condition reports before and after travel. These reports often include photos and notes on existing cracks, stains or losses, so any new change is clear. Exhibition teams work with collection managers to choose mounts, lighting and text that show objects safely while still making them engaging for visitors, balancing access with risk.
An object’s exhibition life is also recorded: which shows it appeared in, how often it has been displayed, whether it has light-sensitive materials like dyes or paper, and any limits on future use. This helps curators and conservators decide when to rest an object and when a facsimile or digital image might be a better option for frequent display.
Digital tools and data-driven care
Collection Management Systems have become more powerful in recent years. Many link object records with high-resolution images, conservation notes, exhibition histories and digital assets such as videos or 3D models. Some connect directly to online catalogues, so updates in the internal database quickly refresh public information, reducing duplicated work and keeping details consistent across platforms.
New research is exploring predictive approaches, where environmental data and material science are combined to model how objects may age under certain conditions. Studies in preventive conservation and environmental monitoring show how better data can guide decisions about climate set-points, micro-climates and risk priorities across large collections. International projects such as those discussed in recent conference proceedings highlight these integrated, data-driven methods.
For smaller museums, the priority is often simply to move from paper or scattered spreadsheets into a structured system. Even a basic, well-maintained database can transform how staff find objects, respond to enquiries and plan future projects. The key is to choose tools that match the scale of the collection, train people properly, and make sure backups and access controls keep data as safe as the objects themselves.
Making collections available to people
Collection management is not only about storage; it is also about use. Well-described objects with clear legal status are easier to show online, lend to other museums, or share in community projects and research. When staff know exactly what they hold, they can connect that material to current questions and audiences, instead of leaving important stories hidden in boxes or databases that few people check.
Digital access has expanded this role. Many museums now publish online catalogues with search filters, curated themes and high-quality images, while still respecting cultural sensitivities and copyright. Some items may be restricted because of community protocols or rights issues, and collection managers work closely with communities and rights holders to decide how information and images should be shown. This careful approach helps ensure that wider access does not come at the expense of respect and trust.
Behind every popular exhibition or online story there is usually a trail of quiet tasks: updated records, new photography, conservation checks, and agreements that define how an object may be talked about and reproduced. Visitors rarely see this backstage work, but it shapes what they can experience and how collections remain relevant over time.
Risk, review and the long view
Over decades, collections change. New research may alter how an object is interpreted; storage buildings may age; priorities may shift. Collection managers use risk assessments and significance reviews to decide where to focus limited resources. They identify high-value or vulnerable items, check which stores need improvement, and plan gradual upgrades in packing, shelving and environmental controls, rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Sometimes objects leave the collection through deaccession or return to communities or owners. These processes follow clear policies, ethical guidance and legal frameworks, with full documentation so the history of the decision is preserved. Thoughtful review can free space and capacity, allowing museums to care better for the objects that remain, and to take on new material that reflects contemporary life and the stories people want to see represented.
In the end, managing a museum collection is about balancing care, knowledge and use. The work is systematic rather than glamorous: writing procedures, checking data, reading sensor logs, updating locations. Yet these steady tasks make it possible for future staff, visitors and researchers to encounter real objects with reliable histories, long after today’s teams have moved on, and that quiet continuity is one of the most powerful results of good collection management and of the public trust placed in museums.