MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

Museums all over the world are saddled with the responsibilities of collecting objects (both tangible and intangible heritage) which are of national importance for the primary purpose of conserving, researching, and exhibiting these materials remains of our forebears. These collections convey a significant message or messages which may be historical, religious, economic and technological aspect of man’s heritage and development.

“Museums collect and preserve both tangible and intangible evidence of man’s history, creativity and the physical aspects of the world he inhabits.” (K.N Monin and A.I Okpoko 1990).

According to Burcaw (1975) what determine any kind of museum are the kinds, volume and the quality of objects in its collection and the use to which these collections are put. Collections are the starting point of a museum. The principal function of the museum is to collect objects and specimens for the benefit of the public presently and for posterity.

Material collections in Nigeria is an age long activity of man dated back to the early Stone Age period long before 100,000 years ago.  These collections were made for different purposes i.e. economic, social and religious purposes. By 11,000 years ago, late Stone Age hunter/ gatherer find their ways to Nigeria up to at least, the forest fringe (Iwo-Eleru microlithic tools, pottery and skeletal remains). Pottery making was already predominant in the Jos Plateau northern part of Nigeria at about 5^th millennium B.C (Shaw 1978). From the 5^th century B.C. technological and cultural entities like the Nok (terracotta figurines and sculptures), Taruga where there are evidence of iron working and Ife where Terracotta figures were also discovered.

Museum collections varied widely from one museum to another. They range from collections of science, art, specimen, historic objects, and natural history specimen such as zoological garden. Museum collections are mainly for public interest; they serve as reference materials of aesthetic and educational importance and values. In whatever ways we tends to look at these collections, they comprises of both historic and contemporary works of art i.e. artifacts and antiquities. These collections are very precious to the museum professionals, for the primary reason of museum existence depends on the availability of these collections. Therefore, these collections must be well taken care of.

Types of museum collections

1.      Archaeological collections

2.      Ethnographical collections

3.      Scientific collections

4.      Natural History collections

5.      Zoological Collections

SourceS of collectionS

It most first be understood that what a museum will collect depends on the type and the scope of such museum. Although museum collects virtually all objects that comes it way, each new addition must be well taken care of as well others.

However the following are the various way in which museum acquired its collections.

1.      Exchange

2.      Purchase

3.      Donation / Gift

4.      Bequeaths

5.      Seizure

6.      Loan

7.      Excavation

Museum collections grow through various sources but we must be very careful to avoid accepting objects with conditions attached. 

WHAT TO CONSIDER BEFORE COLLECTING

Before a museum can embark on collecting objects into it object bank, it must first take into consideration the following.

Orientation of the documentation staff. How informed are those handling the documentation of such collections. Orientation will enable documentation staff to be well equipped with the knowledge and procedure for proper documentation.

Availability of documentation materials. This must be considered before embarking on objects collection. Materials such as stationeries and equipment must be made available.

Availability of storage facility. The capacity of the museum storage determines what the museum can collect. The museum must consider whether or not it has enough space to accommodation any new addition.

Availability OF racks in the store. The racking system in the storage area must be considered. This will determine what the museum should collect. Does the store have wardrobes / cupboards, drawers and boxes of different sizes and shapes? This is because, these collections come in different sizes and shapes, therefore their method of storage must be in conformity to their sizes and shapes.

Availability of conservation laboratory. Conservation laboratory should be provided before collecting objects into the museum. This is because any new addition into the museum is a potential threat to the entire museum collections. Some of these objects maybe infested with any kind of pest / disease and bringing them into the museum without treatment expose the entire museum collections to pest / disease infestation. Furthermore, the general health situation of objects in the storage must be taken into consideration such as the relative humidity, average temperature of the area, the level of sunlight etc these can only be determine by the conservator if laboratory is fully equipped

CLASSIFICATION OF MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

Classification of museum collections can be made according the material the object is made of e.g. wooden, metal, etc. We could also classify them according to their usage e.g. religious, ceremonial, agriculture, housing / shelter, warfare, transport and aesthetic collections.

1.      Religious collections: These are generally objects which are used for worship irrespective of the religion. It should however be noted that most of these objects depict traditional religion. The existence of these objects in some part of Nigeria has necessitated the creation of some museums like Essie Museum which comprises of soapstone. Some of these objects of worship include amulets, Ibeji figures, facemask, Islamic manuscripts etc.

2.      Housing / Shelter collections: These include collections such as MOTNA, Gida Makama House etc. and other housing related implement like domestic utensils such cooking pot, ancient plates, mats and housing materials like doors, door panels, house post and windows. Koko museum in koko village, delta

3.      TRADE: These are collections which are used in trade and trade related activities irrespective of the era of trade. These objects or collections include items like slave trade materials e.g. chains, padlocks, handcuffs, palm oil cans, manila, cowries, beads etc.

4.      Ceremonial collections: These refer to objects which are use for traditional ceremonies. They range from traditional drums, Regalia, staff of Office, Musical Instruments, facemask etc.

5.      Warfare collections: These are implements which are used during war for protection against the enemies, and they include Dane gun, sword, spear, cutlasses, local shield etc.

6.      Agricultural collections: These are agricultural implements such as those of farming, fishing etc.

7.      Transport collections: These are collections that depict mobility, they include all forms of transportation e.g. cars, saddles, canoe and rail.

ANTIQUITIES AND ARTIFACTS

Museum collections consist basically of two major types. These are artifacts and antiquities.

Artifacts: 

These are objects or collections that are less than a century old but just like antiquities they also have aesthetic, cultural as well as historical values.  They are basically objects made by man.

ANTIQUITIES:

1.      Antiquities are any objects of archaeological interest in which it is believed to have existed for a century and above.

2.      Any relics of early human settlement or colonization.

3.      Any work of art or craft including any statue, clay figure, cast in metal, carving, house post, door, ancestral figure, religious mask, staff, drum, ornaments, utensils, weapons, armours, regalias, manuscript or document and if such work of art or craft is of indigenous origin.

4.      Any object or work of art fashion before the year 1918.

5.      Any object or work of art that is of historical, aesthetic or scientific interest and is or has been used at any time in the performance of any traditional ceremony.

Factors to consider before accepting object into the museum

1.      The significance of the object.

2.      The Variety

3.      The aesthetic beauty of the object. This depends majorly on the type of museum

4.      The author or maker of the object

5.      The method of production

6.   The age of the object

7.      The research purpose in which the object will be subjected

ACCESSIONING

As objects are brought into the museum, these objects must been formally and legally accepted into the museum collections. This process of accepting these objects is what is referred to accessioning. When accessioning, object are acquired or received in an ascending order, which is, according to the way in which they were received. These objects will then be assigned accession numbers serially e.g. IB.P.2013.1.1, IB.D.2013.1.2, IB.S.2013.1.3 etc.

This is one aspect of accessioning; the necessary preventive / curative conservation treatment is also part of accessioning. Accessioning of the object continuous right through the process of keeping the object in its respective equipment or rack in a clean storage.

Before any object should be accepted into the museum collections, the following questions should be answered.

1. Is the object relevant to the museum mission and scope of collecting
2. Was the object lawfully acquired by the vendor and if of foreign origin, was it imported in accordance with the international law.
3. Do the owner/ vendor of the object have legal title to the object and therefore have the right to transfer / sell same.
4. Are there any other parties with interest in the object?
5. Does the object have any legal obligation or constraint?
6. Will the object pose any danger or threat to other objects or staff?

DEACCESSIONING            

This is the total removal of object or objects in the museum. De-accession is mostly done as a result of a need in another museum or as a result of an object being in a terrible state or condition and such object does not serve the museum purpose any more. You must note that de-accession is different from loan, because it is permanent removal of object or objects from the museum collections. Any museum that is de-accessioning any of its object must ensure that it has more than one of such object or that such object fall out of the scope of the museum.

METHODS OF DEACCESSIONING                                                                                            

1.   Exchange with other Museum

2. Transfer to other Museum
3. Sale to other Museum
4. Long-time Loan to other Museum
5. Gift / Donation to Institution for research Purposes
6. Destruction

ETHICS OF COLLECTIONS

Collecting ethics deals with the morals which must be observed during any collecting activity. It is the code of conduct that guides professional collecting activity and care of museum collections. This enables the museum professionals to discharge their responsibilities to the collections and public for whom the collections are kept.

The following are the ethics of collections

1. Management of collection: This constitutes maintenance of the collections. It covers the conservation aspect (both the preventive / curative conservation). Each of these collections has a body of information which makes it important. This information must be properly maintained and kept in an orderly and easy retrievable manner before successful collections can be achieved or else the value of these collections will be diminished.
2. Accessibility: The Museum must be ready to make easy access to its collections. The public is entitled to have a reasonable access to these collections. Although the museum has a primary obligation of safe-guarding its collections.
3. Truth in Presentation: When displaying objects in the museum, the exert truth about these collections must told irrespective of religion or cultural affiliation. The exert information must be outline in a summary form.
4. AUTHENTICITY AND PROVENACE OF OBJECTS

The provenance and authenticity of objects brought to the museum must be investigated before acquisition of such object. This is to ensure that such objects are not stolen. Hence collecting museum, must only acquired objects whose provenance can be established.

Conclusion         

It is pertinent to know that museum collections of whatever types have a vital role to play in research. Indeed one of the justifications for any collection is that it forms permanent body of research materials for future generations; therefore without accurate records or information the value of these collections is insignificant. These collections if properly documented constitute research facilities or aid to the museum staff and the general public.

It must however be noted that the value of these collections in the museum is not in the size but its utility.

REFERENCE

Alex, I. Okpoko. 2006. Fundamentals of Museum practice, Afro-Orbis Publication Limited Nsukka.

Bassey W. Andah. 1990. Cultural Resource Management: an African Dimension, Wisdom Publishers Limited, Ibadan.

International Council of Museums (ICOM), 1990. Statues and Code of Professional Ethics. Paris. ICOM.

Kerri H.O. (n.d) Guide to Documentation. National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Lagos.

Lord B., Lord G. 1989. The Cost of Collecting - Collecting management in U.K. Museums. London.

Messenger, P (ed) 1989. Ethics of collecting Cultural Property. New Mexico.

Olaniyi, R. 1982. African History and Culture, London.