A04_SOW_(140P6025Q0045).pdf

Scope of Work for the Preparation of Scope of Collection Statements (SOCS) At Multiple National Park Units and

Develop Tool for Museum Property Removal

This project will result in individual Scope of Collection Statements (SOCS) focused on retention/disposal to decrease the square footage and number of storage facilities for Buffalo National River (Arkansas), Fort Smith National Historic Site (Arkansas), and Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (Wisconsin). The SOCS for each park will include an appendix detailing recommendations for removal/disposal of museum property that does not fit the scope or mission of each respective park unit.

SCOPE

In accordance with the terms and conditions of the Contract, the Contractor shall perform the work as described below for the National Park Service (NPS).

This work will help the parks meet the requirements of the Antiquities Act of 1906 16 USC 431-433, National Park Service Organic Act 16 USC 1-4, Historic Sites Act of 1935 16 USC 461-467, Management of Museum Properties Act 16 USC 18f-- 18f-3, and continued implementation of the Midwest Museum Storage Facility Investment Strategy (2022).

CONFIDENTIALITY

The information developed under this Contract is the property of the U. S. government and shall be kept in strict confidence.

INTRODUCTION FOR SCOPE OF COLLECTION STATEMENTS (SOCS)

Each park holds local, regional, and nationally significant museum collections. A SOCS is a stand-alone document that states the significance of the museum collection, describes major acquisitions, or objects, and sets limits on it based on each park’s purpose and interpretive objectives as enunciated in legislation, other mandates, and park-specific planning documents (Director’s Order (DO) 28, Cultural Resource Management Guideline, Chapter 9). Preparation of a Scope of Collection Statement is required by NPS Management Policies (2006), Director’s Order 24 (Museum Collection Management) and Director’s Order 28 (Cultural Resource Management).

The finished SOCS details essential museum collection content following standard NPS guidelines as outlined in the NPS’s Museum Handbook. The completed SOCS will help current and future managers at each park in making important resource management decisions.

The NPS Museum Handbook includes a standard list of elements for the Scope of Collection Statement. A recently developed SOCS template will be provided to the contractor. Information about SOCS can be found in the NPS Museum Handbook, Part I, Chapter 2; Part I, Appendix E includes a checklist to review upon completion of the SOCS.

Purpose of Deaccessioning and Disposal

Deaccessioning (disposal) is the formal procedure for permanently removing objects from the museum collection and is a legitimate part of the formation and care of collections. It should be done to refine and improve the quality and appropriateness of the collections, the better to serve the museum’s mission.

https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/nps28/28chap9.htm https://www.nps.gov/subjects/policy/upload/MP_2006.pdf https://www.nps.gov/subjects/policy/upload/DO_24_9-3-2008.pdf#:%7E:text=United%20DIRECTOR%27S%20ORDER%20%2324%3A%20NPS%20MUSEUM%20COLLECTIONS%20MANAGEMENT,Director%27s%20Order%20supersedes%20%2324%20issued%20August%2021%2C%202000.

https://www.nps.gov/policy/DOrders/DOrder28.html https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/MHI/Chapter%202.pdf https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/handbook.html

There are two laws that specifically authorize NPS deaccessions: the Museum Act of 1955 and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act

Formal guidance concerning deaccessioning NPS museum collections can be found here: NPS Museum Handbook, Part 2 - Chapter 6: Deaccessioning.

There are several reasons why deaccessioning might be necessary. Some examples include:

A. The work is of poor quality and lacks value for exhibition or study purposes.

B. The work is a duplicate that has no value as part of a series.

C. Natural History Collections that are of no scientific value.

D. Archeological Collections that are of no scientific value.

Responsible disposal is part of a museum's long-term collections development policy and starts with a curatorial review. As part of the region’s commitment to long-term preservation and protection of the museum collections, the finished SOCS will include an appendix that outlines museum objects that should be considered for removal/disposal from museum property. Right-sizing museum collections is a priority, and the tool provided with the SOCS will provide necessary direction and action steps for removing museum property.

The appendix will contain a table that lists the items whose removal will likely provide a benefit to the park and be worth the cost of deaccessioning. The museum collections will be retroactively re-assessed for the item’s value and suitability for continued retention in the collection.

During the re-assessing process, the following criteria may be considered for removal from museum property:

o Does not have any combination of two of the following: informational value, evidential value, intrinsic/artifactual value, or legal value (see Appendix A for definitions).

o Does not fit the current park mission.

o Does not fit the SOCS criteria listed above for the material/collection type.

o The park is not the best representative or best source of information or the most appropriate repository for the materials. These criteria may include availability of staff, accessibility of the museum collection, and level of preservation the park is able to provide.

o Duplicates efforts at other institutions.

o Is no longer the best source of information on a particular topic or issue.

o The use is infrequent relative to the cost to manage the items.

o Is a transactional record that does not provide long-term research value.

o Remains unprocessed for long periods of time.

Benefits include:

o removing museum property that is physically degraded, consists of obsolete formats, or represents a significant safety hazard to staff or users;

o allows for removal of larger items, reducing the footprint at the park;

o and an action plan for the park and regional museum program to begin removal of museum property.

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/museums/upload/MHII_Ch6_Deaccessioning.pdf https://www.nps.gov/subjects/museums/upload/MHII_Ch6_Deaccessioning.pdf

Buffalo National River (BUFF) The BUFF museum collection includes both natural history and cultural resource collections, and a large archival collection.

The park’s SOCS is dated 2024 but was updated to the most current template; focus must be on narrowing the scope, providing clear guidance for mandated collections, and removal of museum property.

The collections consist of approximately 851,613 objects, divided among the following disciplines:

Archaeology (300,777); Ethnology (0); History (522); Archives (546,717); Art (215); Biology (3,354);

Paleontology (23); and Geology (5) according to the fiscal year 2024 Collection Management Report.

The backlog is 47,836 items: Archeology: 33,929; Archives 13,596; Biology 311 according to the fiscal year 2024 Collection Management Report.

The majority of the BUFF collections are stored in park facilities in Harrison, Arkansas. Large historic implements and archeological collections are stored in two facilities near the Tyler Bend area of the park, approximately 45 minutes from Harrison, Arkansas.

Address:

Park Headquarters 402 N. Walnut Street Suite 136 Harrison, AR 72601

Fort Smith National Historic Site (FOSM)

The FOSM museum collection includes cultural objects and a small archival collection. The park does not manage any natural history collections.

The park’s SOCS is dated August 2017 and is need of updating to the most current template as well as narrowing the focus for future collecting activity.

The collections consist of approximately 127,830objects, divided among the following disciplines:

Archaeology 79,053; History 4,691; Archives 44,055; Art 31 according to the fiscal year 2024 Collection Management Report.

The backlog is 12,524 items: Archeology 12,245, Archives 279 according to the fiscal year 2024 Collection Management Report.

The museum collections are stored in park facilities in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Address:

Park Headquarters and Visitor Center 301 Parker Avenue Fort Smith, AR 72901

Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACN)

The SACN museum collection includes archeology, natural history collections, a small historical collection, and a large archival collection consisting mostly of records documenting land ownership along the riverway.

The park’s SOCS is dated 2017 and is in need of updating to the current template as well as narrowing of the focus for future collecting activity.

The collections consist of approximately 352,650 objects, divided among the following disciplines:

Archaeology 52,109; History 463; Archives 298,601; Art 2; Biology 1,475 according to the fiscal year 2024 Collection Management Report.

The backlog is 6,658 items: Archeology 147; History 1; Archives 6,499; Biology 11 according to the fiscal year 2024 Collection Management Report.

The museum collections are stored in park facilities in Saint Croix Falls, Wisconsin.

Address:

Park Headquarters and Visitor Center 401 North Hamilton Street St. Croix Falls, WI 54024

About the Project:

Note: All parks have museum collection management staff as a collateral duty responsibility. The Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) will be the Point of Contact (POC) for the project and will coordinate collection access with park staff for the contractor onsite visit.

The contractor(s) will provide all travel, personnel, and professional services required to complete the following:

• Review each park’s SOCS.

• Reformat and update the three SOCS using the current SOCS template (provided by COR).

• Include recommendations an appendix in each SOCS for removal/disposal of each collection. These recommendations for collection refinement will be presented with rationales and tables or lists by deaccession/disposal action type. This is not an item-level review but rather a review of accessions and potential objects that no longer fit the mission of the park unit.

• The contractor(s) shall go through each collection as though they were working from “scratch” so that they have the level of knowledge to identify redundancies in each collection. However, this is not a hands-on item level review.

• The contractor(s) shall include discussion in the appendix of Best Practices for collections created through permitted activities to include:

o Permits that create mandated collections will go through a review process to ensure duplicative collections are not created and future collections are truly critical for park resource documentation.

o Items collected or identified that are without provenance and/or data, of no scientific value, may be identified for removal.

o Specimens that are hazardous may also be identified for removal. (e.g., old taxidermy specimens).

• The contractor(s) shall conduct one site visit to each park. While on-site, or if provided before, the contractor(s) is expected to review relevant documents and consult with pertinent personnel regarding collection management topics.

• The contractor(s) shall discuss the museum collection management program and the SOCS with the Midwest Regional Curator, park curator and other staff as appropriate.

• The contractor(s) shall work with designated collections management staff to conduct on-site collection research, documentary research, database reviews, and interviews, as needed.

• The contractor(s) shall contact park archeological staff and/or the Midwest Archeological Center (MWAC) archeology advisor to understand past archeological projects, collection strategies, and ongoing archeological research potential at the park(s) prior to making any recommendations for actions with archeological materials.

• The contractor(s) shall use appropriate precautions for any hazardous materials. However, it is doubtful that specific interaction would take place (e.g., taxidermy specimens treated with arsenic) as this is not an item level review.

The parks will provide the following information and services to the contractor upon request:

• pertinent resource reports, management documents, and collection data

• access to the museum collection

• a current copy of each park’s SOC

• access to the Museum Collection Management System (MCMS) database including MWAC data for park collections

• research support into collections, accessions, and restrictions

• The COR will provide the current template for the Scope of Collection Statement, as well as any accompanying guidance for use.

• The COR/POC will provide a contractor copy of Excel spreadsheets with specific fields for use in the field and for reference throughout the duration of the contract.

As necessary, the COR/POC will provide access to Accession records to ascertain provenance of collections to each park. Accession records contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and the contractor, if they must review that information, shall keep that in trust. Park staff may also review accession information and provide what is necessary to the contractor, protecting PII.

The COR will provide access to the parks’ Foundation Documents to identify themes and stories and potential gaps in each parks’ collection.

Editing and Production:

The National Park Service requires the use of a specific graphic outline and proprietary fonts. These may be found at http://www.nps.gov/hfc/services/identity/ Using the most recent edition of The Chicago Manual of Style and the Harpers Ferry Style Guide, edit and format the text per the following:

• Standardization within the document of:

o Grammar and spelling http://www.nps.gov/hfc/services/identity/ o Fonts and format o Table of contents o Forms, charts, and tables o Section introductions and headings o Headers, footers, photo caption and footnotes

Existing laws, NPS policy, and NPS regulations do not need to be quoted at length/verbatim. They are included as an appendix in the SOCS template.

Inclusion of photographs:

The document may include color photographs to be inserted into the text at a size of 4x6 inches or less. There may be no photos within the text. They will be provided in digital format with a size of 4x6 at 150dpi. All cover art will be provided in digital format in a size of 8.5x11 at 300 dpi. The front cover shall be a color or black and white (historic) photograph or artwork with title and standard NPS identifier. The Park shall approve the image for the cover art. Photographs included in the final document will also be provided to the park in digital format with a size of at least 300dpi on a thumb drive. The thumb drive becomes property of the National Park Service.

The SOCS and all accompanying documentation will be digital only. No printing is required.

Section 508 Compliance: The SOCS and appendix, including text, photos, figures, and maps, will comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. § 794 (d)), to provide disabled individuals access to information that is comparable to access available to others. For more information, see https://www.section508.gov/content/learn.

SCHEDULE

Within 14 days of the site visits, the contractor shall provide the park with a draft digital file in Microsoft Word for review.

The Park will review and comment; edits will be tracked via track changes in MS Word and will be returned to the COR. Any pages containing changes required in the final draft will be returned to the contractor within thirty (45) calendar days.

The contractor shall make the requested changes and provide the parks with a digital final review draft and signature page within thirty (15) working days. The “signature draft” copy shall be in the final production format, including covers in the suggested format, with suggested paper stock and color for printing.

The final review and signature shall be done at the park. There should be no substantial changes in text at this time.

Work Coordination

The Contractor shall coordinate the site visits through the COR who will be appointed at the time of contract award.

https://www.section508.gov/content/learn

PROJECT SCHEDULE AND

DELIVERABLES

TASK DATE

Orientation meeting and schedule site visit Within 14 days of contract award Onsite evaluations Within 90 days of contract award First drafts of SOCS and Tool 1st park within 30 days of last day of onsite visit, 2nd park within 60 days of last day of onsite visit, 3rd park within 90 days of last day of onsite visit

Review/Comments from region and park staff submitted to contractor

Within 45 days of receipt of each draft

Final Draft submitted Within 15 working days of comment submission by

NPS

PERFORMANCE PERIOD

The work shall begin following the contract award, proceed in accordance with the schedule for submittals, and be completed no later than 300 calendar days after the awarding of this contract.

CONDITIONS

The Contractor shall coordinate with the designated point of contact at each park and the COR as necessary to complete the work as and when required. This may include participating in conference calls and product review meetings.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Payment shall be made in four installments as follows:

A. Payment 1: 25% of the total to be paid at the end of the on-site visits B. Payment 2: 50% of the total to be paid after submittal and acceptance of Review Drafts C. Payment 3: 25% of the total to be paid after submittal and acceptance of Final Drafts

APPENDIX A – DEFINITIONS (Continued on next page)

• Informational value – note that not all collections with informational value should be accessioned. To warrant retention based on informational value, a collection must contain information that is unique, concentrated, and important.

o Unique information is not readily available elsewhere.

o Concentrated information presents:

many facts on a few persons, things, issues, or events;

a few facts on many persons, things, issues, or events; or many facts on many persons, things, issues, or events.

o Important information should be primarily significant for the NPS and secondarily for outside historians, scientists, and other researchers. Collections that are of no use as a reference tool or source of information for the NPS or outside researchers are not important and thus must not be accessioned.

• Evidential value – refers to the item(s)’ ability to serve as historical or legal proof of an activity, event, procedure, or process since the item(s) are byproducts of these activities. It documents the activities, goals, policies, programs, administration, and organization of the records creator. Such records constitute evidence of the actions taken or considered by the records creator.

• Intrinsic/artifactual value – value not for the information contained but as an artifact. Note that intrinsic value is seldom a factor when appraising an entire collection of archives or objects.

However, could be an important consideration in determining how to handle individual items.

• Legal value – items such as deeds, wills, articles of incorporation, and contracts that may be necessary to establish ownership, authority, responsibility, or obligation in a legal sense. Note that most NPS records with legal value are already scheduled for permanent retention in NPS- 19 (Appendix B). They are retained either in the museum collection or at NARA.