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Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2001 Institutional
History Division Remote Off-site Storage Project Appendixes F.
Reference Service Statistics
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National
Collections Program The National Collections Program (NCP) promotes
Institutional accountability for Smithsonian collections through the
development of collections management standards in policy and practice, and through
information exchange. Fiscal Year
(FY) 2001, was a banner year for the National Collections Program, especially
in the areas of management excellence and public impact. The
year closed with Secretary Small signing and approving Smithsonian Directive
600: Collections Management Policy following an extensive review and revision
process. Last revised in 1992,
the directive is the principal policy document guiding collections management
at the Smithsonian. During the
past three years, NCP worked closely with Smithsonian collections management
and office staff to ensure the revised directive was current, effective, and
reflected professional practice.
Input into the revision process was diverse and extensive including:
well over 150 collections management staff from various Smithsonian
collecting units; office staff from the Office of the General Counsel (OGC),
Risk Management, Protection Services, Inspector General, Information
Technology, Policy and Analysis, and Government Relations; Smithsonian museum
and collecting unit directors; and staff members from central management
including the Under Secretaries and Director - International Art Museums
Division. During
the revision, a tripartite approach developed whereby three documents emerged
clearly separating policy mandate from guidance and procedure. This approach was undertaken to
provide greater clarity and strengthen implementation of Smithsonian
collections management. To date, the first two documents have been completed
and approved: the “Smithsonian Collections Management Guidelines”
approved by the Board of Regents and issued by Secretary Heyman in May 1999,
and now the revised Smithsonian Directive 600. The final document, a SD 600 Implementation
Manual, is currently under development and will provide technical guidance,
advice, and information to assist Smithsonian collecting units in achieving
the standards and implementing the policy requirements of SD 600. The
National Collections Program wishes to thank the legions of staff who contributed
to the revision of this policy directive, especially the following
individuals for their dedication and hard work: Elaine Johnston, OGC, Jeanne Smith, Office of Planning,
Management and Budget (OPMB), Karen Garlick, National Museum of American
History (NMAH), and Anna Weitzman, National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). Lauri
Swann, Assistant National Collections Coordinator, compiled and published the
annual Collection Statistics (2000) which provides information on collection
size, growth, and activity for Smithsonian museums, archives, and
libraries. In addition, NCP staff
produced annual management reports related to various aspects of Smithsonian
collections management, including: a report on deaccessioning for the Board
of Regents, Secretary, and senior management; a summary report for the Under
Secretaries and Director - International Art Museums of unit collections
management assessments and policy compliance that identifies Smithsonian
collecting unit needs, achievements, and concerns; and the FY 2001 collection
disclosure information report for the Smithsonian financial statement and
external audit. During
the year, the revision of the Highlights of Smithsonian Institution
Collections was completed and published. Designed for multiple audiences, this
publication is a valuable resource tool that describes the richness of the
entire range of Smithsonian collection holdings. This publication was produced by NCP
in collaboration with contributing Smithsonian collecting units and financial
support from the Smithsonian Affiliations Program. Work
on the Smithsonian Annals, a sister publication to the Smithsonian
Institution Year, proceeded during 2001. This activity had been the
responsibility of another Smithsonian Institution (SI) unit until 1999 and
had a multi-year backlog when the
Smithsonian Institution Archives (SIA) assumed this duty. The 1998 edition was completed and
published, while the ‘raw data’ for the 1999 and 2000 editions
was compiled from Smithsonian reporting units in preparation for editing and
final composition. The office has
enlisted the help of a professional web site design firm to develop a
word-searchable Annals web
site beginning with the 1998 report. Support
to broad institutional initiatives based outside of the Smithsonian continued
as well, with NCP staff playing key roles in the Collections Information
System Managing Committee and the Interagency Federal Collections Working
Group. SIA
Websites Smithsonian Institution Archives || Archives Division || Institutional History Division Joseph Henry Papers Project || National Collection Program |
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