Have you ever packed away an old wedding dress or quilt, only to uncover it decades later and find it discolored, faded, or bearing unfamiliar holes? Perhaps you have an old photo or letter inscribed with the penmanship of a great-great grandparent that appears yellower and more brittle every time you uncover it? It’s not a mystery as to why aged items deteriorate. Environmental elements such as temperature, moisture, chemicals, and insects all play a part. But if the item was priceless to your family, symbolic to the nation, or valuable on a worldly scale, deterioration wouldn’t be an acceptable outcome. This is the scenario faced by a museum that is entrusted to preserve invaluable objects forever.

How a collection is cared for differentiates a curiosity shop from a public institution. The first presents an accumulation of items which may or may not have any record of receipt or document chronicling its origin or significance. Items are likely to deteriorate and in time be lost forever. Additionally, the owner(s) are under no legal obligation to the public or care of the items in question. Public institutions, however, adhere to mandated standards that require specific materials and protocols to ensure objects and associated information are preserved and organized for accessibility to the public in perpetuity. For many, a museum is the preferred home for an especially meaningful historical relic. A museum promises that items will be preserved, and that the donor’s legacy will be shared with future generations.

Preserving a community’s treasured items is costly, and is part of what museum visitors help support when they pay an admission fee at a museum. Many visitors want to know this: what could be so costly about archival collections care? In short—the standard of care and curation of exhibits (stories) for the public, are why museums exist. These standards must be upheld to maintain relevancy and retain the public’s trust. The materials, equipment, and expertise required to maintain collections are specialized and expensive. A few high-ranking items on a museum’s budget list include (but are not limited to):
• supplying specialized acid-free materials including boxes, photo sleeves, custom mounts, cases, and supports

• utilizing environmental monitoring devices and electronic record-keeping

• employing professionally trained staff equipped to make economically sound decisions regarding the adoption of new collections (often with space and budgetary limitations) and a vision for curating exhibits for the public

• updating database software, digital storage, and scanning equipment to back up files and photos in the event of an unforeseen fire, flood, or theft

• installing archival-grade exhibit platforms, vitrines, and mounts.
Museums serve as critical conduits for educating the public about the region’s past, and ongoing local and state history. Yet, for reasons including staffing turnover and resource inaccessibility, many small, rural museums across the country struggle to achieve or maintain accreditation, or even meet best practice standards. This is why they rely on the public through admission fees, memberships, and other generous gifts, to continue stewarding historic collections and archives.

The Moab Museum welcomes your questions and invites you to share comments and visions for the future. Please feel free to contact staff directly with your questions at 435-259-7985 or info@moabmuseum.org.

The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Consider becoming a member. When you join the Moab Museum at any membership level, you directly support the preservation of the region’s cultural and natural history. Members empower the Moab Museum to grow, inspire, and serve the community now and for future generations. Business memberships are also available.

www.moabmuseum.org • 118 East Center Street, Moab, UT • 435-259-7985