In 2012, The Panama Canal Museum (Seminole, FL) closed its doors and donated its entire collection to the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida. Over 15,000 items headed to Gainesville; from canoes to cups, books to busts and everything between. The collection was renamed the Panama Canal Museum Collection (PCMC) and is now managed as an archival collection in Special & Area Studies Collections (SASC). UF received an IMLS grant to manage this transition from museum to archives, creating a model of integration in the process. For three years the PCMC was managed by project staff working in consultation with UF archivists. In 2015 SASC developed a transition plan for managing the collection after the grant, including a processing plan for a sizable unprocessed backlog. One challenge is estimating processing times for artifacts because the archival community does not share information about object processing rates. Another challenge is a highly engaged, high maintenance community of former Canal Zone residents who had donated most of the Museum collection and who are particularly interested in ongoing exhibitions. SASC hired a museum professional to manage these activities and employs interns from the UF Museum Studies program. This is a terrific opportunity for students who might be able to find work in either museum or archives settings after graduation, but it also raises questions about the future of the professions. This session will present challenges and opportunities of this merger between museum and archives, focusing on the very different viewpoints of the museum, library and archives professionals.

1. Museum as Archives / Archives as Museum
SFA/SGA Joint Meeting, Savannah, Georgia, October 2016
The Panama Canal Museum Collection at the University of Florida

2. “The Path Between the Seas”
The Panama Canal is a shipping lane, connecting the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

3. American Construction
1904 - 1914

4. Early Days in the Canal Zone
Housing was available for men only. The rough work
and housing conditions meant high turnover rates.

5. The Zone became like any American town, with families, businesses,
schools, churches, & social groups, stabilizing the workforce.
Making a Life in the Canal Zone

6. Transferring Control to Panama
1979 – 1999 Transitional Period
December 31, 1999 Transfer Ceremony

7. The Panama Canal Museum
1998 - 2012

8. PCM Transferred to UF
2010 – 2012 Transferred Collections
2012 – 2015 IMLS Grant

9. A Museum Lady in Library Land
Using museum practices to manage a museum collection,
in an archive, in an academic library.

10. Library Science + Museum Studies
Museum Studies grad students benefit
from hands-on library and archival experience.

11. Museum / Library Mergers
A mutually beneficial option for large & small
institutions, that comes with unique challenges.

12. Processing Plan
what’s been done?
what’s left to do?
how much time & money do we need?

13. Collections Survey
(all numbers approximate)
archival documents: 6.98 linear feet
prints/artwork/maps: 211 items
assorted artifacts: 3,737 items

14. Collections Survey
(all numbers approximate)
archival documents: 42 hours
prints/artwork/maps: ?
assorted artifacts: ?

15. Collections Survey
(all numbers approximate)
archival documents: 42 hours
prints/artwork/maps: 35 hours
assorted artifacts: 633 hours

16. “Artifacts in the Archives”
how do other institutions plan for incoming projects
or track processing of these hybrid collections?

17. “Artifacts in the Archives”
accessioning
processing
cataloging
inventorying

18. Initial Response
people institutions
15 archivists 12 academic
9 managers/heads 7 museums
3 curators 6 public library/nonprofit/church
1 exhibits curator 3 federal/municipal
1 registrar 2 corporate

19. Initial Response
people institutions
3 archivists 3 academic
2 managers/heads 1 museum
2 curators 1 public library/nonprofit/church
2 federal/municipal

20. Artifact Categories
category description
1 archaeological objects, natural specimens
2 clothing, costumes, masks
3 larger objects (furniture, equipment, architectural materials,
etc.)
4 sculpture (busts, metalwork, stone, trophies, plaques, etc.)
5 smaller objects (ceramics, glassware, medals, jewelry, etc.)
6 small/flat textiles, textile art
7 technology, musical instruments
8 toys, games
9 works on paper (drawings, prints, paintings, etc.)

21. Categorized Processing
category average processing times (minutes per item)
minimal processing full processing
1 13.33 null
2 26.25 37.19
3 27.00 142.50
4 39.19 30.71
5 20.29 22.66
6 6.43 13.23
7 5.00 8.57
8 null 22.87
9 3.51 20.53

22. Categorized Processing
category average processing times (minutes per item)
minimal processing full processing
1 13.33 null
2 26.25 37.19
3 27.00 142.50
4 39.19 30.71
5 20.29 22.66
6 6.43 13.23
7 5.00 8.57
8 null 22.87
9 3.51 20.53

23. Averaged Processing
type average processing times
(minutes per item)
average minimal processing (categorized) 8.07
average full processing (categorized) 21.93
average of all processing (categorized) 19.05

24. Averaged Processing
type average processing times
(minutes per item)
average minimal processing (categorized) 8.07
average full processing (categorized) 21.93
average of all processing (categorized) 19.05
overall average (all data) 19.40

25. Thanks.
all data can be found online
@ stevenduckworth.com/blog
Illinois State Archaeological Survey
Maritime Research Center (National Park Service)
Mooresville (NC) Public Library
National September 11 Memorial & Museum
The Ohio State University
Orange County (CA) Archives
University of Florida

26. Community
Friends of the PCMC
Wealth of knowledge

27. Community
Defining roles
Archival education
Communication plan

28. Managing expectations
Gallery / museum
A permanent place

29. Managing expectations
Ownership / responsibility
Processing volunteers
Metadata contributions

30. Collection policy
Archival control
Defining the collection

31. Collection policy
Acquisitions
Deaccessioning
Committee

32. Museum / Archives
Scale is major difference
More artifacts, more scrutiny
More item level

33. Museum / Archives
No archival appraisal
How would we have collected this?
How many mugs are too many?

34. uflib.ufl.edu/pcmc
John Nemmers, Associate Chair, Special & Area Studies Collections
jnemmers@ufl.edu
Steve Duckworth, Processing Archivist (through Oct 2016)
steveduckworth@ufl.edu
Jessica Marcetti, Collections Coordinator
j.b.marcetti@ufl.edu
Lourdes Santamaria-Wheeler, Exhibits Coordinator
l.s.wheeler@ufl.edu
Thank you!