APPENDIX B

MARKHAM MUSEUM

COLLECTIONS POLICY

Recommendations for Revision

Introduction

The Museum’s current collections policy describes the purpose of the Museum’s collecting activity – “to depict the historical settlement and development of Markham” further, the Museum is to collect “significant artefacts” (i.e. historically significant to Markham according to the judgment of curatorial staff), archival materials, and historic buildings.

In addition, collecting should be driven by the themes recommended in the Master Plan. The planning consultants have made a number of deaccessioning recommendations affecting large artifacts and structures. The recommendations are not intended to diminish the importance of the historic structures within the Museum’s holdings however due to capital and operating funding pressures, only those artifacts that have direct relevance to the Museum’s mandate and visitor experience objectives can continue to be maintained by the Museum.

The Master Plan has placed no express restriction on collecting heritage structures. The planners have however pointed to past collection acquisition decisions that have not been well thought out, particularly the collection of heritage structures having little of no historical relevance and/or significance to the Town of Markham.

The Lord Cultural Resources Management consulting team also identified a number of collections management practices that require immediate change. The recommendations focus on provision of adequate documentation of the collections through the immediate improvement to the Museum’s registration processes and the installation of a collections management data base.

Recommended Collections Management Policy Revisions

Recommendation 1: Collecting Mandate:

In establishing its Collecting Mandate, the Markham Museum should consider extending its chronological range to collect artefacts of more recent times, up to the present day. This will enable items of significance to more recent arrivals and new Canadians to be collected to provide exhibition / program support to the multicultural exhibition recommended for the Reception Centre, as well as supporting the multicultural celebration programs.

* The chronological range is up to 40 years before the present – a moving target that would make 1964 the present cut-off date, but 1984 if we are planning for the Museum’s needs twenty years from now. The planners have recommended that the restriction on chronological range be lifted to allow for contemporary collecting of objects significant to the recently arrived but largely unrepresented cultures resident in Markham.

Recommendation 2: Collection Scope:

The Museum’s Collection Policy should include a statement as to whether to develop representative, systematic, hands-on or display collections, and for what collection areas. The recommended new Museum Concept indicates that existing representative collections of agricultural implements and 19th-century domestic artefacts should be refined and winnowed through deaccessioning, while the development of hands-on collections of duplicates suitable for use will be important to support hands on programs.

Recommendation 3: Collection Categories:

It would be useful to add to the policy a statement that items in the Permanent Collection are to be preserved indefinitely and are to be accessioned, while there is no similar commitment to preserve or accession items in the demonstration, spare parts or hands-on educational collections.

Recommendation 4: Collection Management:

The Markham Museum should begin immediately to resolve the major collection management and documentation issues identified in the Master Plan. The key issues are downsizing collections that has been acquired in a passive and hap hazard manner and attempting to document materials that were not documented on receipt. Further, collections records should be automated both the secure the information and make it available to a wider audience through the internet.

Recommendation 5: Railway Rolling Stock: Because Acadia and other railway related collections are virtually unrelated to the story of Markham and serve little purpose given the recommended new visitor experience concept and the requirement to open up the space that these artifacts occupy for the Multi Cultural Celebration field; it is recommended that Acadia and the CPR caboose and snowplow be deaccessioned. A number of potential sites for relocation exist and each of the identified institutions will be approached to and asked to accept the artifact unconditionally. The institutions recommended as destinations for the rail artifacts are organized for the purpose of restoring and interpreting rail artifacts including having the infrastructure and skilled volunteers and staff on hand to undertake the painstaking and frankly expensive work required by this class of artifact.

Recommendation 6: Additional Collection Storage Space:

Based on the report on the condition of the Ward Building and the analysis of collections space requirements new purpose-built museum-quality space is required for the Markham Museum’s collection storage. A rebuilt Ward Transportation Exhibit Building would meet some of that need, particularly in respect of larger agricultural and transportation artifacts; within phase 1 planning and fundraising for new purpose-built museum quality space will begin. Developing funding for collection storage is perhaps one of the most difficult fundraising challenges any museum can face, therefore the sooner a fundraising effort can begin the better.

Recommendation 7: Archivist:

Given the importance of the Museum’s archives, and the opportunity presented by the agreement with the Library to transfer its archival records to the Museum, priority should be given to the addition of an Archivist to Museum staff. The possibility of the Town delegating responsibility for its records management to the Museum might be considered as a justification for this position, if the delegation is accompanied by a Town commitment to the additional position(s) and the funding required.

Recommendation 8: Carnival Collection:

The Town of Markham and the Museum should explore the possibility that Conklin would donate some artefacts (perhaps the children’s rides) and should plan to purchase a heritage Ferris wheel on the open market. Further, a dialogue should be opened with the Markham Historical Society with respect to donation and later relocation of the miniature railway to the area designated for installation of the Heritage Carnival.

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