Assessment of the National Park Service Museum Collections Storage Management

With more than 350 parks and 116 million items, the National Park Service (NPS) has one of the largest museum collections in the world. The NPS contractracted with the Academy to review collection storage practices as identified in its 2007 Park Museum Collection Storage Plan. The NPS sought to assess the current state of its storage of museum and archival collections and its ability to achieve current and future objectives for budget and resource sustainability while simultaneously meeting curatorial standards for preservation, public access, historical documentation, and cultural sensitivity.