The Museum Archives, located in the Richardson Memorial Library, is the institutional repository of historical records documenting the Saint Louis Art Museum’s campus, events, exhibitions, and programs. In 1975, Head Librarian Ann Abid expressed concern over the care and storage of the remaining Art Department records from the 1904 World’s Fair and other historic institutional documents. Under Abid’s leadership, the Art Department records were microfilmed in Detroit at the Archives of American Art and the Museum Archives program was established under the Library Department. A full-time Archivist was hired in 1976 through a grant funded by the City of St. Louis. A second full-time Archivist was then employed on an annual appointment from August 1976 through August 1977. He continued on in a part-time capacity from January 1978 until 1981. In November 1981, a National Historic Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) matching grant established the permanent records management program with a full-time Archivist and Archives Technician. The Archives program continued with two staff positions until October 2008 when the Archives Technician position was eliminated. A Records Policy Task Force was organized in 2011. The Secretary to the Boards, as Custodian of Records, was designated to serve as the Records Manager (Minutes of the Records Policy Task Force, March 27, 2012). The Saint Louis Art Museum instituted a formal records retention policy in 2013.
1904-1975: The bulk of the Museum records and the World's Fair Art Department records were housed in a small room on the 3rd floor of the Cass Gilbert building. Additional Museum correspondence files were periodically transferred, but the space was subject to soot, dust, and extreme temperature changes. The need to clear the east wing for renovation work brought attention to the condition and historic value of the documents.
July 1975: Archives of American Art surveyed the entire collection. The Art Department records of the 1904 World's Fair were shipped to Detroit for microfilming.
1975-1981: Historic Museum records placed under the protection of the Richardson Memorial Library (RML) and stored in a former painting storage area located in lower-level west wing attached to the back of the basement location of the RML
1981-1985: Archives office relocated to the South Building in the stacks of the new library space
1985: Archives storage moved to the room known as Gilbert 105 (lower level, east wing north side) with compact shelving
Late 1989: Storage expanded to include Gilbert 110 (also lower level, east wing on south side) with standard shelving installed
1998: Compact shelving by Peterson installed in Gilbert 110
2008-2018: Archives Office relocated in the former Teacher Resource Center
2018: Archives office moved into the former Slide Library room of the RML
This chart delineates the roles of the Department Head, Custodian of Records (CoR), and Archivist in administering the archives and records management program.
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Department Records designated as permanent in the Records Retention Schedule are transferred to the Museum Archives when no longer of use to the originating department. Staff should contact the CoR and Archivist when records are ready to be transferred. "Inactive records" are defined as those records the Museum does not use on a day-to-day basis. |
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Custodian of Records When records are transferred to the Museum Archives, the CoR delegates the management of the records to the Museum's Archivist. The Records Retention Policy will be reviewed annually by the CoR to respond to changes in federal or state law. The CoR will update and maintain the Record Retention Schedule in collaboration with the originating department and the Archivist. Changes to the Policy, including the Records Retention Schedule, may be proposed to the CoR by the originating department or the Archivist as needed to respond to changes in federal or state law, space limitations, or long-term use. All proposed changes require the approval of the CoR and the Director. |
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Archivist The Archivist is responsible for the inventory, storage, retrieval, and preservation of inactive permanent records, including those records of enduring value which document the history of the Museum and its affiliated organizations, both past and present. The Archivist performs periodic reviews of records stored and may consult with the originating department and the CoR if changes to the Records Retention Schedule are warranted. |
Carl Bollinger 1976 (March-August)
Gerald Baum 1976 (September)-1977 – full time
1978-1981 – part time
Doris Sturzenberger 1981-1985
Patricia Adams 1985-1987
Norma Sindelar 1987-2018
Keli Rylance, CA 2018-2019 (Acting Archivist)
Jenna Stout, CA, CRM 2019-Present
Madeleine Borggraefe 1909-1922
(1920 Bylaws est. Secretary as CoR)
James B. Musick 1922-1945
Merrit S. Hitt 1945-1966
Andrew M. Stevens 1966-1969
Alan Brimble 1969-1979
Thomas C. Newkirk 1980-1984 (Secretary / Controller)
Sidney M. Goldstein 1984-1987
Judith Weiss Levy 1987-1988
Michael E. Shapiro 1989-1990 (Secretary / Chief Curator)
Steven Owyoung 1991-1992 (Secretary / Curator of Asian Arts)
Rick Simoncelli 1993-2003 (Secretary / Assistant Director)
Sue Eddens 2003-2005
Allen Langston 2005
Maria Kveton 2005-2011
Sean O'Neal 2013-2016
John H. Remelius III 2016-2022
Lawrence Crayton 2022-2023
