Galt Museum wins award for donor stories behind collections

“Museums collect objects because of the stories those objects can tell, what they were a part of,” explained MacLean. “The best people to give voice to those stories are the donors themselves. By recording the words of the donors in their own voice, we can preserve much more of those stories than we could with a few carefully written and edited paragraphs.”

“We began recording interviews with some donors starting in 2005. The interviews added rich layers of story, information, and context to those particular donations, but it wasn’t our standard process for every donation until 2012. Since then, every single donation that has been accepted into our collection has been accompanied by a recorded interview with the donor,” added MacLean.

“Kevin and his team of staff and volunteers have placed extraordinary emphasis on capturing objects’ intangible stories,” says Curator Dr. Aimee Benoit. “This collection of oral history interviews with donors means that the Galt stewards a collection of objects with a layer of meaning. It also means offers educators, researchers, and visitors with multiple points of rich, personal connection when they access the collections.”

The Canadian Museums Association noted that the process that has been developed by MacLean since 2005 and refined since 2012 is a remarkable undertaking in capturing the oral histories behind their acquisitions.

A statement from the Canadian Museums Association says, “This approach allows for unique and human stories to be told about each and every item in their collections, giving them new life and personality. The Galt and their wonderful team of staff and volunteers have been implementing this practice for over a decade to help sustain a living memory of their collections and of Lethbridge as a whole.”

The statement goes on to say, “Through interviews, the museum collaborates with the donors and their families to help shape the way that narrative histories are told. The artifacts’ backgrounds help identify important events in personal histories, whether the item is a wedding dress or a pillowcase! Every requisition and donor has a story and the Galt Museum wants each and everyone to be heard.”

None of these stories would be possible without the dedication of volunteers. Donors of objects are interviewed about the story behind their object, following that a team of volunteers transcribe the interview word for word.

“The contribution of these volunteers to the historical record of southern Alberta is, frankly, staggering,” says MacLean. “To date, these amazing volunteers have transcribed over 1.5 million words of oral histories. Substantial portions of the transcripts are uploaded as public descriptions on our online database, making the unique and often powerful stories of these objects available to our community and the world.”

MacLean and his team have made oral history the cornerstone of the Galt Museum’s collection practices, and have extended that process to the existing collection of objects taken into the collections prior to 2012.

“Oral history interviews have been a resounding success at the Galt Museum and Archives and have added a wealth of rich documentation to the collections,” says Darrin J Martens, CEO and Executive Director at the Galt Museum. “2018 was the busiest year so far for oral histories. Kevin and his team worked hard and conducted 57 interviews for new acquisitions, totalling 39.6 hours of researchable content that gives colour and depth to our holdings. This invaluable resource is no longer being lost as donors pass away, taking their memories with them. We retain and care for them through this crucial and trailblazing work.”

by Karsen Marczuk

Galt Museum wins award for donor stories behind collections

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