Making a Visible Impact

When I first started volunteering at Crowley for a service-learning, I found the idea of identifying and organizing the sheer number and diversity of the collections to be an intimidating task - and it still feels that way every time I walk into the main museum building, but that feeling is a little less pronounced each week. This week, with more blistering heat than torrential rains in the weather forecast, I was able to better observe the difference in how visitors experience the museum's exhibits after a concerted effort to organize some of the displays. There is still a plethora of signs to be added, but the displays are less cluttered and the artifacts on display were selected because of their relation to the overall narrative of cracker life and the lifestyle of the Crowley family in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Visitors are now spending more time observing artifacts and taking notice of educational texts - with or without engagement from volunteers. In order to reduce overcrowding in the given display cases, I have created and implemented a simple artifact storage system that is easy for other volunteers to use and will allow stored artifacts to be located and retrieved in a timely manner. Artifacts are carefully wrapped in in tissue paper and any paper products or textiles are stored in sealed containers. All artifacts being stored have an exterior label with a description of the artifact, its estimated age, any unique features of the artifact, and, if available, a note on how the artifact was acquired. Not only will this allow the museum to refine the narrative of the museum without discarding artifacts, but the museum will now have readily identified artifacts that can be loaned to other institutions in a variety of subject areas, potentially leading to partnerships and collaborations.