Grand Rapids Public Museum

The Grand Rapids Public Museum's collections contain hundreds of thousands of artifacts, specimens, documents, and photographs that are an invaluable resource to historians, scientists, artists, genealogists, collectors, and other interested researchers. The Museum's Collections and Preservation Department attempts to answer all research questions related to the collections as well as making many of its collections available to qualified researchers.

Do you have a research question?

If you have a research question that you think the Museum might be able to answer, please contact the Collections and Preservation Department by calling 616-929-1809 or sending an email to the Collections Curator. Please be sure to provide us with your name, your contact information, and the details of your question.

• Collections staff can answer questions about specific objects in the Museum's collection.

• Collections staff will attempt to answer questions about objects you own based on information in the Museum's Collections Catalog, Archival Collections, and other resources.

• Collections staff can provide you with basic conservation and preservation information about how to keep your own artifacts and family treasures safe.

• The Museum does NOT have a conservator on staff, and does not do restoration work for the general public.

• Museum staff does NOT appraise objects, nor can we recommend specific appraisers. If you have an object you would like appraised, you can start by contacting one of the national professional organizations of appraisers, the American Society of Appraisers and the Appraisers Association of America.

• For the answers to many frequently asked questions, please see the Collections FAQ.

Do you want to do your own research using the Museum's collections?

Access to collections for research is by appointment only. To set up a research appointment, contact the Collections and Preservation Department by calling 616-929-1809 or sending an email to the Collections Curator. Please be sure to provide us with your name, your contact information, and details about your research project. The majority of research appointments will take place at the Grand Rapids Public Museum's collections storage facility, the Community Archives and Research Center (CARC). CARC is located less than a mile from the Van Andel Museum Center, at 223 Washington Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 (map).

• Researchers can access many objects from the Museum's collections. Interested researchers should begin by searching the online Collections Catalog and Archival Collections for specific objects related to their research.

• Researchers must sign a "Research and Access Agreement" which ensures compliance with the Museum's policies for the payment of all fees, proper citations in published works, and any applicable copyright laws.

• Museum staff will determine which objects can be studied safely based on several factors including the object's condition, sensitivity to handling, and value.