Museum of Anthropology recognized for preservation excellence

December 6, 2012

The Wake Forest Museum of Anthropology received the inaugural “Award for Collection Preservation Excellence” from the North Carolina Preservation Consortium (NCPC) during the NCPC’s annual conference.

The award honors those committed to collections preservation and is intended to raise public awareness of the organizational and philanthropic funding so vital for preservation resources.

After a decade of sustained effort, the Museum of Anthropology has a fully inventoried collection, a collections management plan, a long-range conservation plan, an emergency response plan, and a collections storage facility equipped with climate control, fire detection and suppression systems, artifact mounts and compact shelving.

LeRae Umfleet, chief of collections management for the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, and her “Connecting to Collections” project team members Adrienne Berney and Matt Hunt, nominated the Museum of Anthropology for the award.

They praised director Stephen Whittington for his vision and dedication to improve the museum’s preservation program.

“This award is affirmation of two things by our peers: the museum staff’s commitment to exceed professional standards for care of collections and the University administration’s decision to preserve important collections like the museum’s in an off-site storage facility,” said Whittington.

Registrar and Collections manager Kyle Elizabeth Bryner was commended for her role in the implementation of best practices. Sara Cromwell, public relations, marketing and membership coordinator, was also recognized for her contributions to preservation fundraising.

During the award presentation NCPC president KaeLi Schurr declared, “In selecting the Museum of Anthropology, the North Carolina Preservation Consortium Board of Directors recognizes an organization that has demonstrated an outstanding strategy for long-term preservation and conservation planning.”

The North Carolina Preservation Consortium (NCPC) is 501C3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of collections in libraries, museums, archives, historic sites, and other heritage institutions. Its preservation mission addresses proper care and handling; storage and environmental control; disaster preparedness and recovery; repair, reformatting, and conservation of damaged items; and collection security.  For more information visit the NCPC website: www.ncpreservation.org.