Developing acquisition and documentation procedures for new collections at Uganda museum

Abstract

‘The study aimed at “developing acquisition and documentation procedures for new collections at Uganda museum”. The Uganda museum just like most other cultural heritage centers in the world especially third world countries faces a lot of challenges due to unclear procedures of acquisition and improper documentation of the new collections. The challenges include duplication of entries, conflict in ownership, retrieval difficulty and difficulty in tracking movement. The study was done under the following objectives, to find out the various types of acquisitions at Uganda Museum, to examine any procedures followed when acquiring and documenting items by the Uganda Museum, to establish the loopholes in the procedures followed when acquiring and documenting collections by the museum, to formulate acquisitions and documentation procedures for new collections at the Uganda Museum, to recommend the formulated acquisition and documentation procedures for use at the Uganda museum. The study used two data collection techniques of interview and observation. The researcher collected data about developing acquisition and documentation procedures for new collections at Uganda museum from 4 respondents and these were records staff and a registrar. The study established that Uganda Museum acquires and documents various types of collection which include ceramics, glass, photographs, paintings, ethnographic materials and electronic media. The study revealed that Uganda museum acquires its collection using various method that is to say, donation, loan, confiscation and bequest. The study further established the procedures followed when acquiring collections which include, the object being subjected to UNESCO procedures, the object acquired should not be encumbered by any restriction, if it is discovery does not involve destruction of any archeological sites among others. The study established that during documentation, Uganda museum faces a number of challenges such as duplication of entries, inadequate expertise, improper documentation and misfiling. Filing equipment used in filing of Academic records and they include shelves, cabinets and file folders. The researcher concluded by recommending new procedures for acquisition and documentation of the new collections at the Uganda museum.