In the Ripley Ring, Diana Gabler, Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Objects Conservation at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), presented her research which focuses on the development of a systematic approach to the documentation of conservation consultations. Conservation Consultation Documentation: Access to Shared Knowledge described how working collaboratively with indigenous communities is part of the NMAI mission statement and is an established practice within the conservation department. Consultations deepen the understanding of artifacts, their care, their presentation, and their interpretation. They also establish and strengthen relationships between Native communities and the museum staff who care for their cultural material.
Each consultation or collaborative project generates numerous photographs, audio files, and word documents that are stored in hardcopy within individual binders in the conservation library and digitally on a shared drive within their computers. For this information to continue to benefit the NMAI, the public, Native communities, the associated documentation needs to be properly archived and made accessible. For long term archival purposes, the material is being slowly ingested into the Smithsonian’s Digital Assets Management System (DAMS) and object specific information is being uploaded to the NMAI’s Collections Information Systems (CIS), which is Ke-Emu. However, Diana sees areas where efficiency and increase organization can be added to the system
Prior to consultation, Diana believes there should be clear questions on what needs to be captured as well as assignment of individual tasks to people, such as assigning a single person to record audio. After consultation, images should be immediately filed with a more systematized naming convention. By establishing a workflow and protocol, she hopes that future data collection will be focused, easily processed, and associated with the appropriate metadata.
To improve access to the information gathered, she sees potential in online platforms such as Mukurtu.org. This multi-source platform allows you to manage, store, and shared cultural heritage information while also providing restricting to the access of sensitive materials where required. Ultimately, she acknowledges that the system established must be capable of constant evolution as technologies develop and therefore must allow for editing and maintenance.
Summary: Caitlin Mahony
