Registration and collection departments are essentially the backbone to the museum (maybe I am biased, but these departments are truly critical to the basic functioning of the museum).
The registration department is responsible for many of the museum’s legal functions. They manage contracts, insurance coverage, incoming and outgoing loans, acquisitions and deaccessions, proper shipment of artwork, and risk management. They are also responsible for the inventorying of the museum collection, and managing the collection database system.
The collections department is in charge of the physical care of objects. They specialize in the hands-on management, organization, inventorying, handling, and conservation of the museum collection. They are responsible for monitoring the temperature and humidity of storage and exhibition space, and ensuring the general well-being of the physical collection.
In smaller museums like the FAC, registration and collection departments are often combined because we have a small staff, and many of their respective responsibilities involve collaboration with one another. Here at the FAC, all of these responsibilities take place in one department, and us interns are lucky enough to have a taste of both worlds.
