Space Assessments for Museum Collections

Space Assessment Methodology

As my Master's project for in the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, I designed a methodology for item-level space assessments. This methodology is intended to assist professional in developing a plan for their own spaces, and provides adaptable and reusable forms for planning, gathering information, and analyzing the results.

Case Study: CU Museum of Natural History Whole Vessel Collection

To build my methodology and gain experience in assessing collections, I performed an item-level space assessment on the 4700-item vessel collection at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History. Items were clearly overcrowded and many of the storage units were ineffectually using existing space. This case study serves as a useful example of a successful assessment, and how the forms support the collection and analysis of space data.

Colorado-Wyoming Museums Association Presentation

I presented my space assessment methodology and case study at the 2018 CWAM Annual Meeting in Cheyenne, WY. The session was designed to help other conference attendees begin their own space assessments, and provide a better idea of what goes into designing and analyzing a space assessment. Feedback from this event was very positive, and staff from Western museums expressed that this type of resource would be incredibly useful to them in the future. The materials and slides provided to the attendees are included below.