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Museum Registrars
A museum registrar implements museum policies and procedures encompassing acquisitions, loans, exhibitions, deaccessions, storage, packing and shipping, security of artwork in transit, insurance administration and risk management. All of these duties as described by The Metropolitan Museum of Art play a large role in the preventative conservation of the objects under the registrar's care. In smaller institutions, registrars may be responsible for the duties held by both a traditional registrar and a [collections manager].

Registration in itself is a role that requires special training that includes in-depth knowledge of national and even international legislation and collections ethics. (https://www.museumsassociation.org/careers/9916) Ethical issues could arise when it comes to provenance, abandoned objects, deaccessioning, rights and reproduction of objects for external organizations and internal questions when it comes to object usage and care within the institution. The registrar relies heavily on his or her collections care policy which is the guiding tenet of the museum explaining why the institution is in operation and dictating the museum's professional standards regarding the objects left in its care. (Fahy, A., ed. (2002). Collections Management. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-11283-4.)

Traditionally, registrars work within a museum's curatorial department and side-by-side with the [curators], exhibition managers, preparators, and [conservators] along with building staff including security and engineering to ensure the safety of the collection. Registrars have the unique duty to find a balance between object accessibility to the public and preventative conservation through times of inaccessibility to the public.

Responsibilities
A selection of the most critical responsibilities as they relate to the preventative conservation of objects within the collection are as follows:

*Documentation
Registrars must be incredibly vigilant with documentation and record keeping. All objects must have a condition report performed when accessioned and that must be updated when objects are loaned or when they are moved. Additionally, the registrar must assign an accession number (or identification number), [provenance], and materials. Today, registrars keep track of accessions and the like using management software. The data within is backed up to multiple locations. Other records maintained include auction or purchase records, donor information, object's maker and year of origin, dimensions, insurance value, exhibition history, and digital images of the object. The registrar is also responsible for handling the paperwork having to do with rights and reproductions of images of objects in the collection.

*Storage and handling
The registrar is responsible for the long-term stability of objects by using proper storage, handling, and maintenance procedures. Museums often report that only 2 to 5 percent of their collections are on exhibit while the rest are most likely in storage. Without good storage, collections are neither safe nor accessible, and their lifetime is shortened. Registrars must review the objects to be stored, check literature for currently preferred storage methods, consult with conservators who explain pros and cons of various storage options, develop storage floor plans with appropriate furniture, and arrange for proper materials to hold the objects such as acid-free folders, archival boxes, mattes, and the like.

*Accessibility
Registrars must work closely with [exhibition designers],[curators] and security staff to ensure that all objects in an exhibit are protected from human error, and even touching intentionally. Having security staff on guard in each gallery being aware of the welfare of all objects is paramount. Additionally, display cases and other types of safety scansions can be used to keep a proper amount of distance between visitor and object. Additionally, ensuring that an object is not overexposed to elements within the museum such as light for an inappropriate amount of time is an important task. The issue of protecting an object from the elements and having it accessible to the public is under the registrar's purview.

*Environment Regulation
Because all objects are vulnerable to physical deterioration, registrars are responsible for mitigating this process by carefully handling and storing objects in clean, environmentally appropriate conditions. It has been estimated that 95 percent of conservation treatments have been necessary due to lack of proper routine maintenance and 5 percent from inappropriate handling. Long-Term preservation of collections is affected greatly by relative humidity, temperature, light, air pollution, and pests. Registrars must adopt a holistic approach to the preservation environment that balances the needs of a collection with the capabilities of the facility's mechanical and structural systems. This includes working with the institutional budget to make sure that all needs are met. Good environmental conditions put in place by the registrar can prevent chemical deterioration, biological deterioration, and mechanical deterioration therefor possibly avoiding the need for extensive conservation that could have been avoided.

*Risk Management
Working together with [curators] and [collection managers], the registrar is very involved in selecting which objects should be on display and which might be sent out on loans. If sending an object out on a loan would but undo stress on the piece, he or she must be the one to say "no." A main task for a registrar is to determine risk factors to a collection and mitigating them. Risk factors include vandalism, theft, pests, emergencies, and natural disasters. It is the responsibility of the registrar to develop and implement strategies to minimize these risks, such as integrated pest management, guards, and secure display cases as mentioned above.

*Disaster Preparations
Registrars oversee the development and implementation of a disaster management policy/preparedness plan to safeguard both staff and collections objects in case of emergency. When a registrar creates or implements an emergency plan, the primary objectives are to identify risks in order to anticipate and, if possible, avoid emergencies, to maintain the control if and when an emergency does occur, and to mitigate potential damage to objects as quickly as possible. This includes assigning certain duties to qualified staff, having staging areas where objects can be placed away from harm, ensuring that those handling the objects know how, and working with outside cultural and emergency organizations (fire department, floor relief agencies, etc.) to make sure they are prepared to help. Additionally, it is up to the registrar and curator to assess which objects are to be rescued first based on historical/monetary value, ability to inability to be replaced, and stability. If the registrar can prevent an object from being harmed as much as possible, the role of the conservator will not have to be as extensive.

*Packing and Shipping/Security in Transit
Registrars organize the transport of exhibitions to and from their institutions. Knowing the objects and their levels of stability, the registrar is responsible for hiring and working with couriers and art handlers to ensure that nothing will be broken or damaged during transit. They oversee packing and unpacking, the installation at the new museum, conduct condition reports as mentioned above to make sure there was no damage during transit, and may possibly act as the courier and accompany the objects when needed. Preventing harm/damage to an object is of the utmost importance.

Education and Experience
Preferred educated almost always includes an undergraduate degree in museums and advanced degrees in museum studies or related fields. Those hiring prefer those with experience in positions that involved working with objects and/or in exhibitions. Experience in exhibition fabrication and production, object handling, packing, international shipping, and collections management software are necessary for non-entry level positions.