ABSTRACT
Many museums will find it useful to include a section in the Collections Management Plan on using their collections. This should identify the museum’s main aims, the ways in which its collections will be used – for example research, displays, exhibitions, loans – and how these approaches will help the museum meet its aims. It should also identify any challenges in the use of collections. For example, handling by visitors may put delicate objects at risk, and an active programme of loans may require a great deal of staff time to manage. An appropriate balance between collections use and preventive conservation will be needed (see Unit 59).
