A management plan for a reserve collection : a case study on the National Museum of Fine Arts

Abstract

The subject I decided to focus on for this dissertation was a management plan for a reserve collection, taking the National Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta as a case study. This subject was chosen because it is one which is close yo heart. After graduating in History of Art from the University of Malta, I have felt drawn towards exploring this facet of museology and wished to further my knowledge in this area, more precisely the 'behind the scenes' side of a fine arts museum. In my dissertation I consider several aspects which I feel are paramount to the success and sustainability of the reserve collection at the National Museum of Fine Arts. As the location of such a collection is significant I start off by examining the current situation of the reserve collection areas at the National Museum of Fine Arts. I then move on to discuss utilisation of an already available structure for the museum's reserve collection - although the use of an offsite curated-storage facility was also considered. Therefore this study deals with various criteria in relation to the best scenario for a reserve collection within the museum, such as the environment, accessibility, human resources and security needed within the museum in the 21 st century, whilst also bearing in mind the types of spaces present within the National Museum of Fine Arts which could be developed for such purposes. This dissertation also keeps in mind the international aspect and discusses several examples of reserve collection areas within museums and galleries abroad whilst another portion has also been dedicated to the investigation of policies for best practice as well as Maltese legislation. However the crux of this dissertation discusses the main aspects behind the transformation of a specific extant space into the new reserve collection area for the National Museum of Fine Arts. This dissertation ultimately aims to present a plausible set of recommendations for the setting up of a new museum reserve collection area. The expenditure and analysis of costs for a museum storage facility, although some of which are mentioned, deserve a separate study.