RE-ORG project overview: Prince Albert Historical Society
The Prince Albert Historical Society took part in the RE-ORG: Canada (Prairies and North) training program in 2018–19. The reorganization covered three rooms and two collections in the Historical Museum: the object collection of approximately 10,000 objects was stored in 95.41 m2 (1027 ft2), and the archival collection of approximately 10,000 items spanned two rooms encompassing 76.65 m2 (825 ft2). All storage areas in the museum were affected. Prior to participating in RE-ORG: Canada, the Prince Albert Historical Society had started a reorganization project and received $25,000 in funding, in 2017, from the Museums Assistance Program (MAP) for collections management to purchase storage shelving, rolling shelving and a protective display case.
Project leads: Michelle Taylor and Donna Nutter
Main storage challenges
- The object and archival collections were both spread out across a large area (Figures 1 to 4).
- In several areas, objects were not placed in a way that facilitated access. For example, some objects were stacked on top of one another and in cardboard boxes (Figures 1 and 2).
- There was a lack of proper documentation about object location and, in many cases, there were no accession numbers.
- There was a lack of proper storage shelving (Figure 1).
- The storage space was located in a basement and near water lines.
- There was a lack of volunteers trained to work with the collections.
Figure 1. Before RE-ORG: objects piled on top of each other in storage.
Figure 2. Before RE-ORG: a vast storage area.
Figure 3. Before RE-ORG: view of the main archives area, showing the collections affected by the RE-ORG project inside shelved boxes and filing cabinets.
Figure 4. Before RE-ORG: view of the second archives room. The whole area was reorganized, but only the left side of the picture and computer areas were part of the RE-ORG project.
Project details
Within a year, the Prince Albert Historical Society was able to make the following storage improvements:
- It removed the old wood shelving and purchased and installed metal shelving in both storage rooms (Figures 5 to 8).
- It removed and replaced objects in an organized manner (Figures 7 and 8).
- It deaccessioned objects that no longer aligned with its mandate.
- It moved archival documents to archive boxes to ensure their long-term preservation (Figures 5 and 6).
- It consolidated similar collections into distinct areas (Figures 7 and 8).
Figure 5. After RE-ORG: view of the second archives room, showing the compact shelving units installed using the 2017 MAP funding.
Figure 6. After RE-ORG: view of the second archives room, showing the wall where the computer station was once located. Floor and vertical space usage was maximized by configuring storage units back to back.
Figure 7. After RE-ORG: an aisle in the object storage room. Durable shelving was installed, all objects are visible and easily retrievable, and all are grouped by category.
Figure 8. After RE-ORG: an aisle in the object storage room. Durable shelving was installed, all objects are visible and easily retrievable, and all are grouped by category.
The project took 44 weeks to complete with up to 12 team members involved throughout the 4 phases (Table 1).
| RE-ORG phase | Number of weeks to complete | Number of team members |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Getting started | 3 | 3 |
| 2. Storage condition report | 3 | 3 |
| 3. Storage action plan | 4 | 4 |
| 4. Storage reorganization implementation | 34 | 12 |
The RE-ORG project cost $30,756 to complete, with most of the financial resources being applied to storage furniture. The Prince Albert Historical Society was also successful in securing $10,000 in MAP funding specifically for the RE-ORG project.
| Budget item | Amount (CAN$) |
|---|---|
| Staff time | 2,688 (and hundreds of volunteer hours) |
| Tools, supplies and materials | 2,377 |
| Storage furniture | 25,691 |
| External services (such as contractors) | 0 |
| Total project cost | 30,756 |
Based on the RE-ORG Self-Evaluation Tool for Collections in Storage (PDF Version), the Historical Museum made improvement in all four components of RE-ORG: “management,” “building and space,” “collection” and “furniture and small equipment.”
According to the results in Table 3 and Table 4, the “building and space” component experienced the largest improvement in the archives, with a 58% increase. In the object storage room, the “collection” component experienced the largest improvement, with a 52% increase.
| RE-ORG component | Score (before) | Score (after) |
|---|---|---|
| Management (maximum of 42 points) | 24 | 30 |
| Building and space (maximum of 54 points) | 26 | 41 |
| Collection (maximum of 51 points) | 33 | 39 |
| Furniture and small equipment (maximum of 33 points) | 22 | 32 |
Figure 9. Graph illustrating the percentage of improvement to the scores for the RE-ORG self-evaluation tool, calculated by comparing the scores before and after the storage reorganization project.
Description
| RE-ORG component | Percentage of improvement |
|---|---|
| Management | 25% |
| Building and space | 58% |
| Collection | 18% |
| Furniture and small equipment | 45% |
| RE-ORG component | Score (before) | Score (after) |
|---|---|---|
| Management (maximum of 42 points) | 19 | 27 |
| Building and space (maximum of 54 points) | 35 | 47 |
| Collection (maximum of 51 points) | 27 | 41 |
| Furniture and small equipment (maximum of 33 points) | 19 | 28 |
Figure 10. Graph illustrating the percentage of improvement to the scores for the RE-ORG self-evaluation tool, calculated by comparing the scores before and after the storage reorganization project.
Description
| RE-ORG component | Percentage of improvement |
|---|---|
| Management | 42% |
| Building and space | 34% |
| Collection | 52% |
| Furniture and small equipment | 47% |
Lessons learned
Based on the experience of the Prince Albert Historical Society, the following factors should be considered in future RE-ORG projects:
- It is important to consider shipping delays to effectively manage time and reduce delays in order to maintain momentum.
- If working with volunteers, ensure they know the importance of careful handling of objects and the importance of recordkeeping.
- As plans often change, ensure there is some flexibility in your own reorganization project.
Additional resources
- Video of Michelle Taylor’s presentation, “Practical Experiences from Re:Org Canada – NKE Spring 2020,” in which she discusses the RE-ORG method and the results of the Prince Albert Historical Society’s project
- ICCROM web page describing the RE-ORG method