Image: University of Missouri’s Museum of Art and Archaeology

The University of Missouri’s Museum of Art and Archaeology exists to “advance…understanding of artistic and cultural heritage through research, collection and interpretation. [They] further their mission by preserving, enhancing and providing access to the collections for the benefit of present and future generations.” A museum staff of 12 (including part-time and student help) manage a collection of almost 16,000 objects, with a particularly strong antiquities collection.

The Director, Registrar and staff leverage Argus to support several strategic imperatives: the broadest possible online access to their collections, mobile functionality for staff and visitors, ad hoc reporting, the flexibility to accommodate the unique requirements of antiquities cataloging (e.g., describing time is very complex), and expanded curation through links and file attachments that enrich the understanding of each object.

The University’s Museum of Art and Archaeology was housed for 40 years in a former chemical research facility on campus, that due to a change in safety standards was classified as unsafe, necessitating a move—with only six months’ lead time for totally vacating the premises. It was extremely taxing on staff and resources—how could they relocate the entire collection and still maintain intellectual control? The process exposed gaps in collections management, and while they didn’t want to make a change mid-move, they seized the opportunity, after a full inventory, to adopt a new, more powerful CMS. They selected Argus.

We invite you to learn more about the many ways the University of Missouri’s Museum of Art and Archaeology uses Argus to support their strategic imperatives. Read their full success story here.