Oakville Museum Research Procedure

Purpose statement

The Oakville Museum will pursue an active research program to increase knowledge of its collections and historical themes.

Procedure

The Oakville Museum will:

1. Implement research to increase knowledge of the artifact collection and its significance, for the purposes of exhibit development, publication, educational and public program development;
2. Increase knowledge and understanding of history of the Chisholm family, buildings and estate, and the commercial, industrial and social history of the Town of Oakville striving for an inclusive and diverse representation of history and local stories;
3. Increase knowledge and understanding of best practice in the field of museology;
4. Ensure that research activities meet the purpose of the Museum, as defined by the mission statement, and contribute to its aims and objectives;
5. Ensure that the understanding of the collections is maximized and that the collections are properly interpreted;
6. Demonstrate a commitment to the pursuit of research by staff and outside researchers:
   1. establish priorities for research activities
   2. demonstrate a commitment to ethical behaviour in research (e.g. confidentiality of records, ownership of information)
   3. meet Town of Oakville, provincial and federal legislative requirements that have an impact on research activities and products (e.g. copyright legislation);
7. Schedule time for staff to carry out the Museum’s research program;
8. Allocate a portion of its budget every year for research expenses, such as reference material, photocopying and staff travel;
9. Provide a clean, well-lit, separate space for staff and external researchers to carry out research;
10. Improve the expertise of staff in handling material in the collections, and therefore enhance the curation and conservation of the collections;
11. Ensure that researchers who have access to the collection have training in handling artifacts.

Responsibilities

The Museum Supervisor is responsible for the development of an on-going program of research appropriate to the requirements of the Museum.