WFFMM-NAAM Conference 2021

The process of building an archive and finding a Collections Management System (CMS) is an arduous, all-consuming process but can be very rewarding. At the Lane Motor Museum, what began as an individual project but quickly was realized as a collaboration. Coming on-board as LMM’s first Curator last year, Robert Sparrow Jones knew there was lot of work to accomplish. With the first order of business to familiarize himself with the entire collection, he became aware of the important archives associated with some of the more rarer vehicles; such as the Martin and Davis—of which LMM had acquired the entire archive. The materials took up several cabinets; photographs, hand-written letters, original drawings, plans and ideas. Proposing an archive was the second step and Director Jeff Lane was already fully on board. But there were many steps to the process. In this talk Curator, Robert Sparrow Jones will take us through a narrative, focusing on the points of process and the obstacles needed to overcome from the starting point, into undertaking, and through to the final outcome. There is much to take away from the LMM narrative, looking ahead and planning for an archive as well as organizing the Museum as a whole. The ideas, principals and approaches in this slide presentation are useful for any museum big or small.