JOHNSTAFF

Collections Relocations & Logistics

SENSITM: :A3INE

H I RSTPROJECTS.COM.AU

MUSEUM OF APPLIED ARTS AND SCIENCES

COLLECTION MOVE REVIEW

REPORT: 31ST OCTOBER 2017

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYCollections are the foundation of any museum. The movement of the MAAS collection from the Harwood Building and the Powerhouse Museum to the Castle Hill Museum Discovery Centre and the new Parramatta Museum is both extensive and complex. The staff of MAAS, in the Collection Relocation and Logistics Report, have developed an approach and model which is sound and based on recent data and experience. This model has been compared with the less refined model described in the Collection Logistics Planning Report produced by consultants. The MAAS model addresses areas omitted in the previous report

The movement of the collection represents a unique opportunity for the MAAS. Capturing data and digital images of the entire collection whilst it is being moved, will provide a step change in the way the collections will be accessed virtually by local and international audiences. It will make the MAAS a leader in museums. It will also radically change the way exhibition experiences are produced and the way the collection can be managed and preserved into the future. It will reposition MAAS not only as a museum that promotes the creative industries through its museums, but as an active player in providing unprecedented access to its holdings.

The workforce employed to undertake the move will need good training. Enhanced security will be important at this time to also reduce risk. An energetic and purposeful culture will need to be established to complete the work successfully in the time allocated.

BACKGROUND

A report, coordinated by Root Projects and titled Collection Logistics Planning for MAAS Parramatta, dated 27th January 2017, details the move of the collection both on display in the Powerhouse Museum and in the Harwood Building adjacent. This report recommends that the small to medium sized objects be moved to the recently completed I Store at Castle Hill. The majority of large objects, currently on exhibition in the Powerhouse Museum, will be transferred to the MAAS Parramatta. The large objects not required for the new museum will be housed in a leased temporary store. The planned relocation of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences to the River site in Parramatta will have minimal areas to store collections not on exhibition.

A feature of the movement of the collection estimated in the report to be 400,000 items is to capture one or more digital images of each item as it is moved.

The CLP report estimates the cost of assessing, conserving (as required), digitizing, packing and movement of the collection to be $65,350,000.

From September 2016 to March 2017 MAAS staff conducted what was to become a pilot program to assess, digitize and move some 10,000 objects from the Harwood Building to the Castle Hill facility. This work was the subject of the MAAS I Store Collection Relocation Report. Based on the experience of, and data gained, from this movement of part of the collection the staff undertook an analysis to better inform the processes for, and likely cost of, the movement and digitization of the remaining collection. This work is contained in the Collection Logistics Bridging Report.

From this work, the MAAS staff developed a process and a staffing and resources model for the movement of the remaining collection which provides an estimate of the costs to be included in the Extended Final Business Case.

Hirst Projects was commissioned to provide an independent opinion on the assumptions underpinning the costs of the move and the outcomes of the model.

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PROCESS

Document Review

We have considered the following documents:

—Collection Logistics Planning for the MAAS Parramatta, January 2017 Root Projects and others, dated 27thJanuary 2017 (referred to as CLP)

—MAAS I Store Collection Relocation Report (September 2016 — March 2017) dated 18th July 2017

—Collection Logistics Bridging Report MAAS dated 24 July 2017

—Collection Relocation and Logistics Report MAAS Versions Dated 22nd September and 6th October (referredto as CRL)

—and data provided by the MAAS.

Stakeholder Consultation

On Tuesday 2 October we met with, interviewed and had discussions with the following:

—Dolla Merrilees, Director MAAS

—Peter Denham, Director Curatorial, Collections and Exhibitions

—Julie Banks, Manager Registration

—Judy Coombes, Head Strategic Collections

—Erica Bowron, New Museum Project Coordinator

A further follow up meeting was held on Thursday 12th October with:

— Peter Denham

—Julie Banks

— Erica Bowron

Site Visits

We toured the stores in the Harwood Building on 2nd October.

REPORT REVIEW

In the Collections Logistics Planning Report, hereinafter referred to as the CLP, Root Projects and others outlined a four-stage process, against which they assessed the resources required for each of these stages

1. Collection Assessment

2. Collection Conservation

3. Collection Digitization

4. Decanting Logistics

The additional cost of the lease of an Interim Large Object Store was added, as was the cost of digitizing equipment and the cost of modifications to the Ultimo buildings, to carry out the movement of the collections.

The MAAS Collection Relocation and Logistics Report, hereinafter referred to as the CRL, authored by MAAS staff, is still being finalized. It has undergone significant changes over the course of our discussions and we can only comment on the latest version, dated 6th October 2017, and information provided during, and following, discussions on 12th October.

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The approach taken by MAAS, benefits from the data gathered at the time of the movement of some 10,000 collection items from the Harwood Building to the Castle Hill store, and the subsequent analysis during the Bridging Project. MAAS staff have worked on a much more refined model than in the CLS report. They have worked from first principles, based on real data. The model has, we understand, been verified by Deloitte and the logic is not in question.

In the CRL model each of the 338,000 items in the collection to be moved, goes through a clear seven-step process (sensibly reduced from their original nine during the course of gathering information for this report), and is therefore more granular than the CLP which identified only four. This allows for more accurate modelling.

The seven steps identified are

1. Assess

2. Document

3. Conserve

4. Digitize

5. Pack

6. Move

7. Unpack

Importantly, MAAS staff have identified 10 "clusters" of objects. These clusters contain objects with the same characteristics relevant to dealing with their movement. Each relates to how it will be moved, not what collection it is part of. This is a major step forward in thinking about the movement of objects and in the subsequent analysis. For a move such as this, collection objects need to be dealt with as things to be moved rather than the collection to which they belong, or their history of origin.

COST COMPARISON

In working with MAAS staff, we asked them to produce as near a direct comparison of their costs, as detailed in the CRL, to those contained in the CLP.

At the start of our engagement. the CRL indicated that the cost of the entire collection relocation to be $85:929,110. During the last two weeks, this has been reduced to $65,918,250.

The comparative costings, in AUD, at the time of writing this report of are:

C L P

Staffing Resources Materials Equipment

ICT Technology and Resources

Digitization Equipment

Other Costs Temporary Storage

TOTAL

44,333,000 3,663,000 0 770,000 7,268,900 9,315,000 65,349,900

C R L

Staffing Resources Materials Equipment

ICT Technology and Resources

Digitization Equipment

Other Costs Temporary Storage

TOTAL

51,954;928 2,833,093 1,980,672 2,307,317 6,842,250 0 65,918,260

The CRL estimate does not make any allowance for the storage of the Very Large Objects as this is still under discussion. The CLP includes a sum of $9,315,000 for the Very Large Object store. We understand that the matter of a Very Large Object Store is still a matter for consideration.

The differences in the two estimates, on a like for like comparison, are therefore basically due to an increase in staff costs (which have been more accurately assessed by MAAS through their modelling), costs of ICT

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resources, (which were not included in the CLP) and the costs of digitization equipment (which was estimated, with little analysis, in the CLP).

OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS1. The collections are the foundations of any museum. The work envisaged is not a simple move of a collection.

This is a bold plan at a time when a unique opportunity presents itself. The data gained from the documentation and digitization of the collection, offers the potential for the new MAAS to be a leader in the management of, and access to, its collection. It will reposition MAAS not only as a museum that promotes the creative industries through its museums, but as an active player in providing unprecedented access to its holdings. In this way, the museum can meet its obligations in the 1945 Act, in a 21 5' Century manner, namely, to 'minister to the needs and demands of the community in any or all branches of applied science and art and the development of industry'.

Currently the MAAS has 40% of its items catalogued to a basic standard. Only 2% of its collection items have digital images of desirable quality. It also has only 29% of its collections suitably barcoded for tracking and identification. This situation is not unusual for museums with a large collection. Museums with large and broad collections, such as the MAAS, struggle to find the resources required to catalogue and digitize their collections in order to meet the expectations of a world seeking ready access to information. The pressures of exhibition and program development in order to attract visitors usually takes precedence.

This collection move, by providing better documentation and digitization, offers an opportunity to make the collection accessible to all across the globe. It has the potential to make MAAS a leader in access, provided this access is communicated widely.

Having the collection well documented will radically change how it can be both used and managed into the future. It will streamline future exhibition development, collection management, audit, valuation etc. Data on the condition of every item will be held, and reminders set for future action. Hazardous materials in the collections can be recorded reducing risks to health and safety of staff. Classes of objects can be found and actions undertaken efficiently. This potentially will lead to more efficiencies in managing the collection.

2. We are impressed by the work of the team who have reimagined the processes involved, and subsequent costs of the relocation of the collection. Their analysis of the stages and the clustering of objects with similar characteristics when it comes to moving represents business-like thinking.

This is a complex move for a museum. We believe that the MAAS has developed a process for the move which is sound and more sophisticated than that described in the CLP. It is difficult to accurately predict the resources required for such moves, however it is our view that the level estimated at the time of writing is based on the best available data. The staff involved have dealt with the resourcing in a manner that is defensible using the data gathered in a previous large-scale move to the I Store.

3. There is a potential for a risk to the reputation of the MAAS and the new museum project in the movement of the collection. The renowned expert in collection risk, Dr Robert Waller, lists ten agents that can result in the deterioration of collections. The movement of any collection increases in three areas; risk from physical forces, risk of threats from criminal activity and the risk of the information becoming disassociated from the object. Training of staff in handling collection objects, a high level of security and 100% barcoding of collections is paramount at these times to protect the collection.

4. After the move of the collection the virtual access to it by staff, students, public, creatives, industry and the like will be extraordinary. New knowledge will emerge as the collection data base links related objects and stories. However, the physical access for everyone visiting the Museum Discovery Centre in Castle Hill can now start to be reimagined. The whereabouts of every MAAS collection item will be known, as will be its details including appearance and also its location. This will allow unprecedented physical and digital access to many objects using a variety of technologies.

5. The cost of all staff involved in the move is accounted for in the CRP. The CRP refers to existing staff being employed in BAU (Business as Usual). In our experience in such major projects there is never such a thing. The work of all staff needs to be examined and the best allocation of resources assigned to all the new tasks centered around the making a new museum. Once a direction is determined, aligning all resources for the new future is paramount. Leaving the past and setting a new direction will liberate staff resources, some of which may offset the costs of staff in the movement and documentation of the collection.

6. The costs of Information and Communication Technology were omitted in the CLP estimates. The relocation project requires an upgrade of systems, software and storage to proceed. This amounts to an additional $1.98m over the CLP. This expenditure is, in our view, critical.

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7. The costs of digitization, both staffing and equipment, were not ad

equately catered for in the CLP estimates. The staff of MAAS have worked w

ith a specialist consultant to determine the costs of equipment. This repr

esents an additional $1.5m in equipment costs over the CLP estimates.

We would

recommend that MAAS examines the level of 3D digitization required. This is an expensive exercise and there is an opportunity to reduce costs by being mor

e selective about the choice of objects that should be included at this stage. This must be weighed against the convenience of being able to plan and build exhibit

ions directly from 3D models.

In recruiting the workforce for this project, it will be important to build an energetic, purposeful culture to a

chieve

8.the outcomes. This workforce will be here for a short time in term

s of museum employment and will require leadership and motivation which

is distinct from day to day museum work. Focus on tasks and on achieving

output will be key.

9. There is often talk of deaccessioning during the tim

e of a major move of the collection. Deaccessioning has to be taken in a

thoughtful, deliberate manner and due consideration by staff and trustees

is essential. This is not the time to make decisions in haste regarding

the State Collection. In general, deaccessioning should be planned for a

time when it can be carefully and professionally carried out.

Notwithstanding the ab

ove, the collection move will undoubtedly uncover severely damaged or deteriorated collection items, where it will be pragmatic to decide whether to recommend an

item for deaccessioning. This may require an interim deaccessioning policy and procedure in advance of the move.

10. It is noted that the es

timates in the CRL do not have any contingency and there should be the ca

pacity to draw on a central project contingency. However, as the teams in

volved in the various processes become more skilled over time it is antic

ipated that the rate at which they will process items will increase, prov

iding a small level of contingency in the project.

Disclaimer

This report is for the use only of th

e party to whom it is addressed and for the specific purposes to which it refers. We disclaim any responsibility to any third party acting upon or using the whole or part of

the report and its contents. This report is based on documents provided and discussions held, assumptions and information sourced and referenced by Hirst Projects. Es

timates, assumptions and projections are provided as a basis for the reader's interpretation and analysis. The report has been prepared on the basis of information

available at the time of writing. While all possible care has been taken by the authors in preparing the report, no responsibility can be undertaken for errors or inaccura

cies that may be in the data used.

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