Best Practices for Managing Federal Museum Collections

Section A. - Meet Government-wide Mandates

A-4 Know the roles of property accountable officers, custodial officers, and discipline specialists in the accountability system, and of others who may share management responsibilities for the Federal museum collections.

Accountability for Federal property, including Federal museum collections, involves property management specialists, program managers, and discipline specialists such as archeologists and natural scientists, historians, and art historians. Many agencies partner with other institutions to acquire the needed expertise and resources.

Useful Definitions of property accountability officer andfrom http://www.pps.noaa.gov/definitions.htm, and http://knownet.hhs.gov/log/propmanDR/PPMGloss/definitions.htm

- Property Accountability Officer
- Property Custodian

Accountable officers
Federal Personal Property Management-Accountable Officer
Functions and Comparable Terms
http://www.knownet.hhs.gov/log/propmanDR/PPMLAI/UnitOne/PPMteampao.htm
Key Tasks
http://www.knownet.hhs.gov/log/propmanDR/PPMLAI/UnitOne/paoquick.htm

US Agency for International Development (USAID)
Personal Property Management - Accountable Officer Definition (pp.14)
http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/500/518.pdf

Agency property officers
Federal Personal Property Management-Property Officer
http://knownet.hhs.gov/log/propmanDR/PPMLAI/UnitOne/ppmteamintro3.htm

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Personal Property Facts Sheet
http://www.pps.noaa.gov/Training/who.htm

Discipline Specialists
National Park Service (NPS)
Essential Competencies
http://www.nps.gov/training/npsonly/RSN/displnsp.htm

Property managers
National Park Service (NPS)
Personal Property Management (3.2a)
http://www.nps.gov/refdesk/DOrders/DOrder44.html

Orientation to Federal Property Management:

Federal Property Management Regulations System
Federal Property Management Regulations
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_99/41cfrv2_99.html

Property accountability requires both physical and financial control
Federal Personnel Property Management
http://knownet.hhs.gov/log/propmanDR/PPMLAI/UnitOne/ppmteamintro3.htm
http://knownet.hhs.gov/log/propmanDR/PPMLAI/UnitFour/Phase3/PPMcontrol.htm

Online course for managing federal property

Federal Personal Property Management Training Class
http://knownet.hhs.gov/log/Certifications/personal_property1.htm

Examples of Partnering
Department of the Interior (DOI)
Interagency Federal Collection Alliance
http://www.doi.gov/museum/fedcollalliancehomepage.htm

George Wright Society
Conference Paper on Options for Managing Park Natural History Collecting and Collections
http://www.georgewright.org/0385hitchcock.pdf

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
National Historic Preservation Program
Text of Executive Order 13287, Preserve America, signed by President Bush March 3, 2003
http://www.achp.gov/preserveamericaEO.pdf