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Newsletter
- Fall 2002
Feature
Story
At
the Museum: Invaluable Volunteers
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Volunteers
Betty Romer
and Larry Sidall
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The builders are gone.
The art objects have been returned to the museum from storage.
But before the public can enjoy them in their beautiful new surroundings,
each piece must be carefully unpacked, matched with its record
number, title, and maker, and then either placed on display or
systematically stored for efficient access.
That may sound easy,
but the museum's holdings of works on paper alone include more
than 6,000 prints, drawings and photographs.
Enter the volunteers.
Helping us this past summer have been retirees Betty Romer and
Larry Siddall of Amherst. Working under the guidance of museum
staff, they have enthusiastically immersed themselves in an inventory
control project that calls for careful scrutiny and patience.
Every piece must be accounted
for. The number on each object must correspond exactly with the
one on the unpacking list created from the online database. Because
the museum is more than 150 years old and different numbering
systems were used over time, discrepancies do occur. "When
we run into problems, we ask for help to untangle it all,"
says Betty. "It's fascinating work because we can not only
see but also handle such a variety of art," adds Larry.
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