Accounting for National
Museum Property
James Walther
Museum Director
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
[email protected]
October 1, 2014
Accounting for National Museum Property
• 17,500 Museums exist in the United
States
• Approximately 500 are federal, state or
municipal in operations
• 98% hold collected property assets
• Estimates up to 25 million objects in these collections
alone
Museum Collections Programming
museums hold massive property assets
• Why do museums collect materials?
• To hold significant material in the public trust for future
generations
• To interpret the significance of human achievement,
events, tragedy, skill, experience
• To meet a standard of ethical preservation of real
authentic objects for future generations
• To ensure continuity of context and relevance for the
present into the future
• Because it is human nature to collect
• Because it supports the science process
Museum Collections Programming
• What do museums collect?
– Results of human ingenuity & history
– Fine Arts
– Natural and Geologic history
– Cultural Ethnography
– Technology and impact
– Historical materials
– Records and Archives
– Photographs, movies, TV & popular media
– Music, song, dance, tradition, life-ways
Museum Collections Programming
• Collections Management Plan
– Records Plan
– Objects Plan
– Care & handling processes
– Accessibility
– Emergency rescue
Museum Collections Programming
• Collections Policy
– Acquisition
– Accession
– De-accession
– Loan of materials
– Environmental control
Collecting Framework
– What to collect, why and how to use
About the
National Museum of
Nuclear Science & History
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Congressionally designated and Chartered
One of 7 true national museums not on DC Mall
Backed by Federal Public Law
Operated for DOE by a public-private partnership
– Between Sandia National Labs and Museum
Foundation
Smithsonian Affiliations Member since 2002
Accredited by American Alliance of Museums in 2013
Museum is a private facility
Has two separate collections
The National Museum of
Nuclear Science & History
The National Museum of
Nuclear Science & History
Museum Collections
• Federal Collection
– Approximately 4,000 items
– Includes 3-D artifacts, film, video, photography, materials,
(from a B-52 to bottles)
– Owned directly by DOE – or
– Owned by Sandia - or
– On long-term loan from other federal agencies, Air Force,
Navy, CIA, etc.
– Most items are tagged and track-able in Sandia Fixed
Asset Property system
– Subject to inventory requirements at Lab
– All are track-able in Museum “Past Perfect” system
– Marked as NNSA property
– Consider GFP to Museum Foundation
Museum Collections
• Museum Foundation Collection (Privately
Held)
– Approximately 12,000 items
– Includes 3-D artifacts, film, video,
photography, paper archives materials
– Owned directly by non-profit organization
• Most items donated by public
– All are track-able in Museum “Past Perfect”
system
– About 60% of items on display currently
Artifacts
Anger Camera – first gamma scintillation device used on humans c 1950
Artifacts
Atomic Culture Collection items
Artifacts
B-47 acquired October 2013
Artifacts
Actual “gadget” aluminum casing, implosion atomic device, Trinity Test 1945
Artifacts
The Newman – Wachs “Go Nuclear” MAZDA, in the Museum
Artifacts
The Los Alamos Clipper Limousine, at Trinity and as discovered in Grants NM in
2007
Artifacts
WIPP TRUPACT II unit placed in museum in 2012 weight 6+ tons
The National Museum of
Nuclear Science & History
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Open 7 days/week 9-5
Wonderful gift store
601 Eubank Blvd. SE
245-2137
www.nuclearmuseum.org
The National Museum of
Nuclear Science & History
THANKS!