Meeting Notes

Interior Museum Property Committee Meeting

# Thursday, June 19, 2008

Room 2603A, Main Interior Building, Washington, DC

Brian Biegler opened the June 19 meeting at 9:00 a.m. with
introductions. Meeting participants are listed below.

BIA/DECRM Robin R. Belmard **703-390-6343** bellpepper_87114@yahoo.com

BLM Emily S. Palus **202-452-7721** <emily_palus@blm.gov>

> Kellyn Goler **202-452-7721** <kellyn_goler@blm.gov>

FWS Eugene Marino **703-358-2173** eugene_marino@fws.gov

NPS Lynn Black **202-354-2002** lynn_black@nps.gov

Terry Childs **202-354-2125** terry_childs@nps.gov

Ron Wilson **202-354-2102** <ronald_wilson@nps.gov>

> Cynthia Murdock **202-354-2008** cynthia_murdock@contractor.nps.gov

Kimberly Neutzling **202-354-2006** <kim_neutzling@nps.gov>

OS/NBC Erin McKeen **202-208-5105** erin_mckeen@nbc.gov

OS/PAM Brian Biegler **202-208-4698** brian_biegler@ios.doi.gov

OS/PFM Debbie Smith **202-208-3250** deborah_l_smith@ios.doi.gov

OS/PPP Ray Beittel **202-208-2528** raymond_beittel@ ios.doi.gov

OS/SOL Carla Mattix carla.mattix@sol.doi.gov

Reclamation Tom Lincoln **303-445-3311** tlincoln@do.usbr.gov

Re:discovery Software Scott Stone **434-975-3256** scott@rediscov.com

OS/OST no representative

USGS no representative

IACB no representative

MMS no representative

**Annual Reports** **and Audits**

(PFM)

Debbie Smith of the Office of Financial Management (PFM) reported that
heritage assets and stewardship land moved to being a basic footnote in
financial reporting. Debbie noted the auditors' interest in ownership
issues during this audit cycle. She said no specific museum issues have
arisen. Tom Lincoln of BOR voiced concern about unannounced visits by
auditors. Tom expressed interest in having the auditors follow protocols
established by the Heritage Asset Partnership, including notifying the
site before the visit to ensure that appropriate staff is present to
assist the auditors. Debbie reported that the auditors said they
wouldn't be following the protocols because they say it would increase
the cost of the audit. A cost increase is not something PFM can approve.

Regarding deadlines for providing information to auditors' questions,
Debbie said PFM would take "piecemeal" answers and would listen to
bureau requests for extensions to deadlines. She said that all
informational requests, regarding heritage assets and stewardship lands,
should come from PFM to the bureaus. Auditors should, not directly
submit their informational requests to the bureaus. She noted that site
visits by the auditors are for them to look at what is going on, but not
to collect documentation. An audit team may visit a site that is outside
of the team's focus, if the site is in the same geographic area that the
audit team is visiting. She urged the bureaus to alert field staff when
an audit team is in a geographic region.

PFM will try to get protocols in place for auditors' visits to non DOI
repositories. The next HASL meeting will be extended so PFM can hear
more about these protocols. Debbie suggested that next year's audit may
be better because the baseline data is being verified this year, and
this may not need to be repeated next year.

(PPP)

Ray Beittel of the Office of Planning and Performance Management (PPP)
reported that there were no particular museum issues that arose during
the current reporting season. He noted the Office of Management and
Budget's (OMB) interest in the costs associated with performance. They
want to know the costs to increase performance and the costs to maintain
performance. Ray felt OMB would likely want to know the costs of getting
to where we want to be and how such activities would be funded. Ron
Wilson of NPS stated that his bureau is doing something similar. NPS's
budget office is looking into funding the bureau's service wide storage
plan. Emily Palus of BLM asked if no money is going into improving
performance should it be expected that performance will improve. Ray
commented that all improvements have a cost. He said in some cases those
costs may not always be in federal dollars because private museums may
be shouldering the burden.

(PAM)

Brian Biegler of the Office of Acquisition and Property Management (PAM)
reported that a draft version of the Department Wide Museum Summary
Report is complete. Brian distributed the draft report and asked for
comments on the report. Brian asked that comments be sent to him by the
end of June. Brian explained the purpose of the report was to provide a
short easily understandable summary of where the museum program is, and
the issues that we are facing. Brian noted that the report was
purposefully not as long or as dense as past reports. Several bureaus
expressed interest in providing comments.

**Response to congressional inquiries regarding museum collections**

Emily Palus of BLM noted that congressional inquiries regarding museum
collections issues, specifically regarding providing funds to non
federal repositories, are usually answered by NPS. She provided
information on how NPS answered these inquires. Emily noted that while
NPS's responses reflect NPS's situation, they did not reflect DOI as a
whole. She talked specifically about NPS's response regarding funding
the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. In response to congressional
questions, NPS talked about the possibility of relocating collections
from the Denver museum. Emily noted that while that may work for NPS,
that option wasn't available for all bureaus. Ron Wilson of NPS noted
that NPS responds to these inquiries because the funding for the non
federal institutions is included in NPS's budget. Ron said NPS's
responses were consistent with NPS's policy. Carla Mattix of the Office
of the Solicitor talked about the process by which congressional
inquiries are dealt with. Carla suggested that if bureaus want to be
involved in answering congressional inquiries regarding museum issues,
bureau staff should make their solicitors aware of their need to be
included.

**IMP activities**

Brian Biegler of PAM reported that the IMP manager position is currently
vacant and that hiring that position is on hold due to an OS wide hiring
freeze. Brian did not have any information on when the freeze would be
lifted or when the position would be advertised.

Brian reported on the training activities IMP undertook in FY08. The
Managing Museum Property Course was offered in Tucson and would be
offered in Albuquerque the week after the IMPC meeting. The Curating
Natural History Collections course was offered in Fairbanks. Over 75 DOI
and partner repository staff received training this year. Brian thanked
FWS, NPS, NBC, & BLM for making staff available to teach at the museum
courses. The final package for the distance learning module "Managing
Museum Property: An Introduction" was delivered to DOIU. DOIU is
expected to make the training available on-line before the end of FY08.
Brian thanked Terry Childs, Joan Bacharach, and Emily Palus for their
hard work on this project.

Tom Lincoln of BOR suggested the PAM work to create a strategic
plan/business plan for dealing with museum property. Discussion ensued
regarding holding a Executive Program Committee meeting to start this
process. Also discussed was the possibility of putting together a
working group within the IMPC to deal with strategic planning. Tom
suggested the focus be on planning for the next 5 year, determining
where DOI wants to be with managing its museum property, and the costs
to get there. This follows along the lines of what Ray Beittel of PPP
discussed. Brian said that this was something he would take to PAM
management.

**Reports of Bureau museum programs** (BMP) activities and priorities

[Bureau of Indian Affairs]{.underline}

Robin Belmard said that she and Marian Hansen were in the field doing
condition assessments. Robin reported working on audit responses, a loan
of artwork to the National Museum of the American Indian, and a loan to
the House of Representatives.

[Bureau of Land Management]{.underline}

Emily Palus reported that she is cleaning up partner repository
information. She is working on getting Memorandums of Understanding with
universities that are collecting on BLM land. She reported that updating
museum policy was hindered by travel restrictions. She is actively
working with law enforcement on ARPA violations. She is working on the
Preserve America Report. She announced that Susan Thomas of the Anazazi
Heritage Center is retiring, and that the position will be advertised.
Emily is active in the Natural History Solicitors Forum, where she and
Ann Hitchcock are working on a Natural History ownership matrix. Emily
noted that her supervisor's position is currently vacant.

[Fish and Wildlife Service]{.underline}

Eugene Marino reported that 100% of FWS facilities holding museum
property completed a self certification process. He noted that the
installation of a new HVAC system may have caused damage to the Bertram
Collection. He said that in August it is expected that a museum specific
on-line training will be added to the Cultural Resources training
series, and that a training regarding section 106 compliance will be
added to the series in the fall.

[National Business Center]{.underline}

Erin McKeen reported that the Interior Museum was in the midst of a 100%
inventory and documentation clean up. Administratively the Interior
Museum moved from DOIU to the Employee Relations branch of NBC. She said
the Vietnam Wall exhibit will come down, and that a exhibit about the
Konza Prairie and the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) will go
up. Erin reported that the museum will be closing in 2009 due to
modernization of the Main Interior Building.

[National Park Service]{.underline}

Ronald Wilson and Terry Childs reported the current (June 2008) NPS
service-wide news and initiatives include:

1.  Ronald C. Wilson appointed Chief Curator and Manager, Park Museum
    Management Program on May 11, 2008

2.  Lynn Black continuing to serve as Project Manager for development of
    the Interior Collections Management System (ICMS)

3.  Continuing project to extend the longevity of NPS film-based
    collections (Fee Program Funding).

4.  Continuing project to prepare high quality digital images of
    significant objects in NPS museum collections and post the images on
    the web greatly expanding web access to park catalog data and images
    (Fee Program funding)

5.  Working with NPS planning office to seek a funding initiative to
    support implementing the strategy outlined in a Congressionally
    mandated service-wide storage plan

6.  Developing long-term repository agreement template for working with
    repositories for NPS biological collections

7.  Renewed policy, Director's Order #24, NPS Museum Collections, is in
    the final signature process

8.  Maintaining Museum Management Program web site with 25 web exhibits
    and 9 "Teaching with NPS Museum Collections" lesson plans

9.  Maintaining the Web Catalog---collections from 28 parks are
    currently featured

10. NPS Museum Management Program Council (MMPC) meets in Boston, MA,
    Nov. 4-7, 2008

11. Revisions to NPS Museum Handbook, Part II, Appendix D (Managing
    Archive Collections) are complete and ready for final field review

12. Established a service-wide Registrar's Committee to coordinate
    discussion of museum documentation issues. Most members are field
    staff.

13. Deaccessioning regulations drafted by the NPS Archeology Program for
    36CFR79 are complete and moving through the system toward final
    publication

14. The NPS Archeology Program has updated its repository fee survey. 96
    of 180 responding institutions charge fees. Some have added
    additional fees for images, etc., and some are no longer accepting
    new collections.

**Interior Collections Management System** (ICMS)

We reviewed and discussed the details of the core modules of proposed
ICMS: Collection Management Report, Facilities Checklist, Cultural
Resources & Natural History catalog records, and sub-modules
(Accessions, Loans, etc.).

The response was favorable, and IMPC gave their OK to proceed with the
modules as proposed.

Below is a general synopsis of what was discussed and approved:

a\. The Collection Management Report (CMR) will include rows for
counting bureau and non-bureau cataloged and uncataloged items, which
has been standard practice for all bureaus except NPS. It will count Art
as a separate discipline, which has been standard for all bureaus except
NPS. It will include adjustment fields to allow bureaus to account for
cataloged items that are not yet entered into the ICMS database. It will
include afield for the Quarter of the Fiscal Year, which was standard
for BOR.

b\. The Checklist for Museum Facilities will include the NPS questions.
The NPS uses more questions (more standards) than the BOR checklist or
the DOI requirement, and the NPS questions include all the required DOI
standards. The ICMS will flag the required DOI questions, so they are
clearly marked. The discussion emphasized that bureaus will be able to
use the extra questions, if desired, but won't be required to use them.
Further discussion indicated that if bureaus choose to use more of the
questions, they'll be developing more detailed data on facility
conditions and costs, which would help in future planning and budget
requests.

c\. Proposed catalog and sub-module screens were reviewed, along with
tables comparing the Re:discovery data fields currently in use at the
bureaus. The tables indicate what fields each bureau uses, and there is
generally a large amount of consistency between the bureaus. Where a
field or fields were not commonly used among all the bureaus, the tables
showed an alternate location where the data can be placed in ICMS. This
achieves consistent field usage across the bureaus, and avoids data loss
for any bureau. There are a very few cases where redundant fields were
not recommended be carried over into ICMS.

d\. Proposed Field help for all fields will be sent to bureau
representatives for their review and suggested edits.

-   One change was made to the proposed fields as a result of a comment
    from those present: The UTM Z/E/N and Lat LongN/W fields that were
    proposed for the Archeology page, are being moved to the
    Provenience/Manufacture page. This is a more appropriate placement,
    since the Prov/Manf page currently has the Site Name, Field Site
    Number, and State Site Number fields.

**Wrap Up**

The next meeting will be scheduled when events warrant. Meanwhile, work
of the Interior Museum Property Committee (IMPC) will continue through
subordinate working groups and through e-mail and telephonic
communications.

1st Tier Issues and Projects

-   **Oversight** and **development** of the department-wide museum
    management software program - Interior Collection Management System
    (ICMS)

-   **Oversight** and **follow-up** of museum property reporting,
    management control, and audits

-   **Provide** training to DOI staff to adequately manage museum
    property, including a 36-hour Managing Museum Property class in
    Tucson in January 2008

-   **Develop** briefing materials for managers, perhaps in the context
    of refining information that will be needed for transition briefing
    materials in 2008. The goal is to have draft documents for IMPC
    review by early February and final documents by March.

-   **Advise** and **assist** bureau staffs and departmental managers on
    museum property management requirements and techniques

-   **Follow-up** on bureau implementation of Contaminated Collections
    guidance, and ensure that this requirement is incorporated into ICMS

2nd Tier Issues and Projects (Things we should accomplish but are
secondary to the first tier):

-   **Coordinate** Interagency Federal Collections Alliance

-   **Prepare** a briefing on federal museum issues for the Federal
    Preservation Institute

-   **Compile** a set of various discipline-specific codes of ethics for
    IMPC use and for sharing with the Office of the Solicitor

-   **Host** an IFCA briefing for DC-area agencies

-   **Draft** a Strategy for Federal Museum Collections modeled after
    the Strategy for Federal Archeology that was signed by the Secretary
    a few years ago.

-   **Conduct** bureau site visits upon request to mitigate museum
    management issues and provide planning assistance

-   **Oversight** of department-wide Heritage Assets Partnership to
    integrate heritage assets into the department's Asset Management
    Plan