I imagine cataloging efforts in the 19 ^th and early 20 ^th century to be akin to the Wild West. The people of the West may have had good intentions and some basic principles in place, but each town governed themselves differently, and the few rules in place were loosely adhered to.

Since the Great Recession of 2008, museums of all types have been navigating shaky financial ground. The recession impacted museums on multiple fronts: it shrank endowments, decreased corporate and private donor giving, and depleted financial support from municipal and foundation organizations.