Collections management at Manhyia palace museum

Abstract

Museums contribute to the socioeconomic development of countries worldwide, and countries such as the United Kingdom (UK), South Africa, Brazil, Kenya, Israel, and Germany have had a boost in their GDP through revenue derived from its museums. Operating a museum effectively involves many tasks, and these are encapsulated in Collections Management, which is accessioning, exhibiting, displaying right up to storage of collections and communicating with visitors. Since the inception of the Manhyia Palace Museum (MPM) in 1995, its mission to promote education on the rich culture and history of Asante, seems not to have been fully achieved and accomplished as indicated by the Head Curator. Thus upon a casual study of the activities of MPM, the Museum‟s inability to operate a Museum of excellence, was attributed to fundamental challenges with its operations as a museum, especially in the area of its Collections Management. In order to unearth the shortfalls in the Collections Management of MPM and identify possible means of overturning them, there was the need to identify internationally accepted Museums and their practices in the area of collections management. The researcher identified a couple of museums out of which the British Museum was chosen for the research into its Collections Management with anticipation of a well-structured Collections Management which to the researcher will be worth emulating for the sustenance of Collections Management at MPM. Investigations into this was guided by in-depth enquiry into the policies and systems in the area of Collections Management in world-class standard museums. The disparities between the practices of Collections Management at Manhyia Palace Museum as against practices in world-class standard museums was carried out. The research design used by the researcher was Case Study by employing qualitative methods achieved through observation and descriptive approaches. Primary data were obtained on the field through observation and participation as an intern at MPM and the BM which was the accessible population and as a visitor (research student) at other museums that fell within the researcher‟s population of study. Examples of such Museums in Kumasi, Accra, Ho, London, Manchester, Salvador (Brazil), Philadelphia (USA), Pretoria (SA) Canada among others. The findings revealed that a documented Collections Management Policy of MPM was non-existent. In conclusion, the researcher drafted a Policy Framework on Collections Management for MPM, based upon its Vision and Mission Statement. The researcher envisages changes at MPM, in the area of Collections Management and anticipates a progressive and notable transformation based on the drafted Policy. The researcher is of the view this framework on Collections Management policy could be replicated, improved and fine-tuned to suit the numerous visions and mission statements in the various museums in Ghana.