0.9 Chapter seven: retrenchment and the struggle for survival, 19  (Page 8/20)

The first component of the advisory committee's plan offered a more nar­rowly defined mission statement: "The primary mission of The New-York Historical Society shall be to develop, preserve and interpret to the broadest possi­ble public material relevant to the rich history, cultural diversity and current evolution of New York City and State and the surrounding region." The com­mittee viewed the new mission as the central component of its plan. Not only did other recommendations flow from it, but the mission also informed the commit­tee as to how certain aspects of the Society ought to be organized and managed. For example, it was perceived as essential to the mission that the collections of the library, museum, and decorative arts collections be integrated into a seamless whole and that access to them be brought technologically up-to-date. The committee gave an example of how a visitor should be able to come into the Society, key in to a computer a request for information, and be able to retrieve and display all relevant information on that topic in the Society's possession. It was hoped that by using new technologies, the Society could provide one window of access into its various collections, be they paintings, manuscripts, or colonial carriages.

The committee also suggested that the Society do more to make its exhibits more contemporary and politically relevant. The report cited as an example how the Society could have mounted an exhibit of its collections pertaining to the lower Manhattan Negro Burial Ground while it was the subject of much attention in the city. It was thought that such approaches would make the Society a more invit­ing and more exciting place for visitors, resulting in significant improvement in the Society's revenue-generating capacity through increases in admissions, membership, gift shop, and restaurant revenues.

Another major component of the plan flowed from the development of the new, more narrow mission involved deaccessioning. The Society's new focus would allow it to raise funds through the sale of a portion of its collections. Library deaccessioning of redundant items and materials of little or no usefulness would free storage space, helping reduce annual expenditures on outside stor­age, while museum deaccessioning of out-of-scope objects would help raise endowment capital. Proceeds from deaccessioning were projected to total approximately $20 million. Detailed explanations for why the deaccessioning was justified, along with steps for how proceeds were to be used and how the Society would attempt to ensure that deaccessioned collections would remain in the public domain, were also described.

Because deaccessioning is such a controversial topic, the committee lob­bied the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) to convince them that these steps were necessary. Rather surprisingly, the advisory committee was able to convince the association to issue a statement that did not challenge the com­mittee's recommendations. It said, "In acknowledging the necessity of the actions being taken .. ., the AAMD recognizes that the N-YHS is not solely an art museum, but is an institution with a multiplicity of responsibilities. We strongly urge the Society... to avoid any permanent policy that earmarks proceeds from disposition of works of art for purposes other than the replenishment of the col­lection." Though the AAMD statement stopped short of endorsing the com­mittee's recommendation, given the strong feelings in the museum community on the issue, the fact that it did not actively oppose the plan was truly a victory for the committee.