GUIDELINES FOR HANDLING, MEASURING, AND MARKING WORKS OF ART AND OTHER MUSEUM OBJECTS

CENTER OF SOUTHWEST STUDIES
1000 RIM DR., DURANGO, CO 81301 TELEPHONE 970/247-7456

At the Center of Southwest Studies we are juggling various imperatives, which sometimes are in conflict. We seek to preserve and to provide access to the special collections items. And we must mark each object to maintain administrative control over the holdings and as a deterrent to theft--while preserving the artifactual value of each object. These guidelines represent the Center staff’s adopted approach to balancing these principles of museum/archival management.

• Use clean gloves when moving or handling objects. Hands also must be clean. When handling items that require a good grip, gloves may not be necessary.
• Check for existing damage before moving, and make a note of the damage. Report it to the appropriate staff person.
• Handle items as little as possible.
• Never drag items.
• Handle only one item at a time. Use both hands. Never hold an item by a protruding part. Hold by the bottom and the sides.
• Always ask for help if an item is too large for you to handle by yourself.
• Always secure and pad items for transportation.
• Never overload the transporting vehicle.
• Do not leave items sitting on the floor.
• Do not touch the front or back of paintings, prints, photos, etc. Do not allow anything to rest against either surface.
• Refer to more specific guidelines in Museum Registration Methods, page 335, chapter titled "Rules for Handling Works of Art".

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• When measuring objects, dimensions are all taken at the greatest point (height, length, width or diameter, and depth). Give dimensions in that same order. Height usually proceeds width.
• Measurements ought to be recorded in both English and metric units. English uses inches (not feet), metric in centimeters. The metric measurement taken is one digit to the right of the decimal point, even if it is zero.
• Paintings and other works of art on paper are measured on the reverse, along the outer edges of the stretcher or panel. If a frame prevents this, then measure what can be seen from the front and note that.
• See Museum Registration Methods, chapter 4, for more specific details.

• When marking any object, be consistent on the location of marking. The label should be attached or marked in an inconspicuous place. At the Center of Southwest Studies we note the accession number in the upper right corner of the reverse/back/least visible side of the object.
• Any actions must be reversible and non-damaging. To balance our competing concerns of security and preservation, the Center uses a semi-permanent system for marking most pieces. For example, a layer of Soluvar is applied to the object, then the accession numbers in permanent ink, followed by another layer of Soluvar. See Museum Registration Methods for specific methods and suggested locations to attach labels. Never use pressure-sensitive tape (including cellophane, masking or adhesive tape), self-stick labels, Post-It notes, rubber cement, or self-stick embossing tape.
• If an object comes in with a previous number or other information attached to it, preserve that marking for provenance and identity purposes. We note all such data in either the description or provenance field in our Accessns database in MS Access.

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