The Summerland Museum continues to face challenges with items on display and in storage.
Kay Treadgold, acting president of the Summerland Museum and Archives Society, said the museum has an archivist on staff who is working with a backlog of accessions in the basement of the Summerland RCMP detachment and at other locations in the community.
“These are things that have been accumulating over the years,” she said.
Because of the volume of work, the museum society needs additional funding, Treadgold said. She explained that the museum has an administrator and an archivist on staff. The administrator is working part-time, but the position should be full-time because of the workload involved. The archivist also has a heavy workload because of the many items in the museum’s collection and in the backlog.
Some items, such as a collection of old Harlequin romance novels, do not have a connection to local history, she added.
“We have had things donated to us that have had absolutely nothing to do with Summerland’s history,” Treadgold said.
While other items have a strong significance to individual families, they do not necessarily play a key role in presenting Summerland’s history.
She added that an accessions policy is in place. Information about the museum’s policy, including a link to the 52-page document, can be found online at summerlandmuseum.org/policies/.
However, even though this policy is in place, the museum has sometimes faced controversy surrounding acquisitions. Over the past year, an old gas pump was at the centre of a controversy surrounding artefacts.
The Summerland Museum is looking for members to serve on its board of directors.
Treadgold said board members have six or more regular meetings during the course of a year, as well as other committee meetings.
Those interested in serving on a board can contact the museum for a nomination form. Nominations can also be made from the floor.
At the annual general meeting, members will vote to finalize a new set of bylaws to meet the new Societies Act regulations.
The annual general meeting and board election will be held on Saturday, March 10, at 1 p.m. at the Summerland Arts Centre.
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