Museum and Archaeological Collections Management
Various Locations, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States
Assistance with the management and care of artifacts is a need faced by many of our clients. In some instances, they hold archaeological materials recovered from digs, or they may be local governments, historic house museums or historical societies with mixed collections of objects donated by members of the community. In each instance, Hunter Research’s archaeologists and historians, several with combined backgrounds in museum studies and public history, have developed collection plans, policies, inventories and treatments to fit each situation. Our staff are particularly knowledgeable in the care of materials made of wood, ferrous and non-ferrous metal, glass, ceramic, bone and stone, while we call on outside experts for the special requirements of fragile textiles, paper and leather.
Projects have ranged in scope from a few hundred to tens of thousands of artifacts. Hunter Research surveyed over 90,000 artifacts housed in 20 separate collections for the General Services Administration (GSA), National Capital Region, making recommendation for long-term storage and care. Fosterfields Living History Farm in Morristown, New Jersey, hired Hunter Research to assess a collection of agricultural machinery and tools to determine each artifact’s relevance to a new exhibit to be developed in the farm’s restored dairy barn. The C. Howard Hiester Canal Center in Berks County, Pennsylvania, approached Hunter Research to evaluate a collection of tools and materials salvaged from canal locks, bridges, shipyards and boats, which had been in storage for many years. In Plainsboro, New Jersey, Hunter Research worked closely with the Township administration to assess, inventory, catalogue and curate a collection of over 2,000 artifacts that had been left to the Township by a local historical society. This ultimately led to the Township adopting an official collections policy and a commitment to caring for the collection in a historic house museum with galleries and spaces outfitted for public display and climate-controlled storage. In each instance, Hunter Research’s ultimate goal has been assisting our clients with managing their collections in responsible, low risk and cost-effective ways that promote public enjoyment.
