Getting Started with Active Collections
Active Collections is a movement towards leaner museum collections with greater impact. Started in 2012 by Elizabeth Wood, Rainey Tisdale, and Trevor Jones, this framework is built on the idea that collections must advance the mission of the museum or they must go. For smaller cultural institutions like local historical societies, the excess of collections means budgets, space, and volunteers are overwhelmed. Museums are not storage units; we need to shift the conversation away from “how much” and towards “how meaningful.”
The Vermont Historical Society has been providing workshops and training on this approach since 2019, culminating in the Activating 21st Century Local History Training Program for local historical societies and museums in Vermont. This resource center combines resources created by the Active Collections team, the Vermont Historical Society, and many other organizations doing important work in museums worldwide.
The Activating 21st Century Local History Training Program is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Grant 21MP-256386-OMS-24. The 21st Century Museum Professionals (21MP) grant program supports institutions across the country in preparing museum professionals to tackle contemporary challenges in the field.
You may find yourself asking, “How can I apply this to my organization’s collections?”
Use this introductory guide to take a few steps towards a more active museum collection. If you’re looking for help with a specific issue, use our filters to find resources tailored to your needs. Otherwise, read on!
Start with the mission
What does your local historical society or museum do for the community? What are your goals for the organization? If you don’t have one already, work with your board of directors or other staff and volunteers to write a clear, concise mission statement.
The mission of your organization will help you to write a poetic collecting scope. A collecting scope will help your museum only collect relevant objects. It can also lay the groundwork for finding a better use for any “lazy” objects in your collection.
Brainstorming Activity for Poetic Collecting Scope
Looking for inspiration?
Read through these examples of poetic collecting scopes.
Active Collections Handout: Poetic Collecting Scope Examples
Tiering your collections
A great way to start thinking about what objects to prioritize. Which objects tell the best story about your town’s history? Are there some that are in poor condition or that don’t fit your collecting scope as well as others? Use this worksheet to start laying out the criteria for how you can tier your collection.
Collections Tier Chart Template
See how other organizations have tiered their collections here.
Active Collections Handout: Collections Tier Charts
Collections Grading System Example - Vermont Historical Society
Next steps
What is the most pressing issue your organization’s collections are facing right now?
- We’re not sure where or what everything in our collection is! – Managing Collection Data
- We don’t have the time, money, or space to care for everything in our collection – Care & Preservation
- Our collection is taking up too much space and/or doesn’t match our mission – Deaccessioning
- We want to better meet the needs of our community and tell our story more clearly – Storytelling & Community
- We have old loans or objects that we can’t identify – Common Collections Problems
You can also search all of our collected resources if you're looking for something specific.
The Active Collections Online Resource Center is a work in progress. Please share your feedback using this form as we continue to build it out with resources. Contact program.coordinator@vermonthistory.org with any questions.
