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Registrar
A Registrar is the keeper of an artifact or collection's intellectual and physical properties for a cultural institution. Typically residing within or under the Collections or Curation departments, a Registrar's responsibility is to receive, manage, and provide access to artifacts through a series of documentation and/or digitization. Ultimately, a Registrar is the voice for the collection when it may be placed on exhibit, in storage, or loaned to another institution. As so, a common challenge is providing adequate public access to the collection while maintaining artifact protection and integrity.
Professional Duties and Responsibilities[edit]
The term "registrar" first emerged in 1675 in Bathurst, as "one whose business it is to keep a register; an official recorder."[1] Today, a Registrar practices the highest standards of physical collections care while also being responsible for an artifact's intellectual control (deed of gifts, loans, provenance, deaccessions, etc.) Ensuring long term stability of the objects directly stems from advocating for proper storage, handling, maintenance, and exhibition.
All objects are offered objects by gift, purchase, transfer, or government appointment and then received by the Registrar either directly from the donor or by extension of the coordinating Curator or Collections Manager. After the governing authorities over the museum, normally Trustees or a Historic Commission, approves an acquisition a Registrar will immediately number, document, photograph, tag, and develop several cross-referencing paper and digital records for each item within the acquired collection. In addition to accessioning daily, other tasks include:
- Physically and digitally records pertinent artifact/collection provenance and donor information, as well as the object's maker, year of origin, time and place used, any identifying nomenclature, any insurance information, dimensions, physical condition, and exhibition history within a collections management software system.
- Drafting and implementing collection management policies and risk management.
- Coordinating and managing paperwork and scheduling for incoming and outgoing loans with requesting cultural institutions.
- Coordinating all aspects of physical movement of the museum's collections for either requesting patrons, media liasons, loans, or in-house and traveling exhibitions. This may include couriering artifacts to and from its desired locations.
- Serving on exhibition teams to help determine what objects in the museum's collection would be best suited for display while also coordinating with the exhibition narrative.
- Performing rights and reproduction paperwork and contacts.
- Supervising or personally packing and unpacking of artifacts and exhibition contents arriving or leaving the museum, including conducting condition reports recording any damage or specifications.
- Maintaining a consistent and transparent cataloging system that translates well from paper to digital records and assets.
- Performing inventories of on- and off-site storage areas.
- Creating status reports for the upcoming acquisitions meetings as to what objects are being offered and their justifications.
- Preparing grant reports for the institution, as well as apply for individual collections and storage grants.
- In the absence of a Conservator, a Registrar would monitor the humidity (RH) and temperature levels within the exhibition galleries and storage areas to ensure standards are maintained. A registrar can also implement an integrated pest management program.
Knowledge and Skills[edit]
A Registrar should show strength and skill when handling objects. From physically moving an object to being able to identify any stress points or cultural significance, a Registrar must take the initiative to study the museum's collection. In addition, a Registrar would need to have a working knowledge of state and regional history, whether natural or social, in order to describe the object to the best of their abilities. Registrars can be described as academic generalists, who, over time, can develop specializations.
Working knowledge of American Association of Museum's Code of Ethics as well as the Collecting Guidelines for Museums should be required to be successful and respectful of any cultural or intrinsic objects. A Registrar should be familiar with the AAM Guide to Provenance Research, as well as the Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal. A Registrar should also be familiar with Digital Fair Use and the US Indemnity Program. In addition, a Registrar should understand repatriation, in respects to both our nation and other countries.
As a member of a unique institution, a Registrar must possess the ability to be successful in a team-oriented environment. Teaching qualities and customer service skills are helpful when trying to relay the importance of a collection's protection or access to a different department within the museum.
Direct Colleagues[edit]
A Registrar works directly with other registrars or assistant registrars to accomplish accessioning and status reports. Under the supervision of a Collections Manager or Curator, a Registrar reports on projects, upcoming acquisitions, and any changes to artifacts on display or leaving the institution. In some cases, a Registrar will work solely with an art or object handler/preparator to pack and unpack objects for shipment or storage. A registrar would work closely with a in-house or contracted Conservator to condition artifacts within the collection and outgoing loans. Any condition or treatment reports conducted by the Conservator would need to be filed and digitally transcribed by the Registrar. On some occasions, a Registrar would assist the Conservator with any cleaning and maintenance of the institution's current exhibitions.
Within a exhibition team, the Registrar coordinates with the Conservator and/or Collections Manager/Head Curator to determine if objects are suitable for display and tell the desired narrative. In some cases, a Registrar would organize the loans from other institutions for the exhibition. A Registrar would also coordinate with a Photographer to schedule artifact photographs to be taken for exhibition, catalogues, media use, or for digital documentation.
In addition, a Registrar might want to become familiar with any educational programming that might require the use of objects. Similarly, a Registrar can make note of any objects that could be deaccessioned into an Education collection for future use.
Education and Experience[edit]
Preferred education includes at least an undergraduate degree in the discipline of the museum (art, history, science, etc.) with either an emphasis or experience in museum studies or related fields. At the most, a masters degree in museum studies, public history, public administration, or a specified field of study. Certificates in Museum Management or Museum Curation may be considered.
Preferred experience includes any position that involves the care and/or documentation of objects or exhibitions in an institutional setting. It would be beneficial for a Registrar to have experience with emergency preparedness and response in the case of a natural disaster, fire, flood, or theft. Experience with collections management software, digital asset management, object handling, numbering systems, and exhibition fabrication and production is also preferred. A Registrar must have experience in all aspects of changing and traveling an exhibition. Collaborating with other departments and community associations is key.[2]
Career Ladder[edit]
Collections Manager
(Head)Registrar
Assistant Registrar
Intern
OR
(Head)Curator
Assistant Curator
Associate Curators
Registrar
Assistant Registrar
Job Announcements[edit]
Other than the popular www.usajobs.gov, the AAM's Registrar's Committee, the Packing, Art Handling, and Crating Information Network, and the RCAAM email list-serv provide quality job listings. The Southeastern Registrar's Association provides educational opportunities and resources as well as job announcements. Global Museum also provides job announcements and topics of registrational interest. Both contractual and full-time positions are announced on individual institutions websites under 'employment' or 'about'.
Professional Development[edit]
State and regional associations (such as the Southeastern Registrar's Association) often organize classes, workshops, or conferences surrounding a contested topic or previously scheduled cultural event. Each state typically has a museum council, such as the North Carolina Museum Council. The Getty Institute also provides research on categories and vocabularies for various collections, as well as conservation tips.