Over the past 10 years, RE-ORG training initiatives have taken multiple forms, from international to regional or national, spanning from a few days to 15 months. While phases one to three have been taught online or in face-to-face workshops, Phase 4 (Implementation) requires practical, face-to-face training.
This guide focuses on this practical training and the preparatory work the coach must do to make it a success. The objective is to ensure that participants gain hands-on experience working on real storage rooms and a real collection (i.e. the host museum) before they start reorganizing their own storage. The RE-ORG workshop is a 3-5 day project that aims to restore immediate access to a collection.
The RE-ORG Implementation phase (Phase 4) involves making decisions about whether or not objects are part of the collection, working as part of a team, moving collections, negotiating and deciding how best to store certain objects, building custom storage solutions or adapting existing units, as well as managing time, people and resources. This can be very daunting to many museums. Therefore, it can be very valuable for museum professionals to practice this phase in a safe environment before trying it out in their own institution.
An organizer may want to create this kind of opportunity for institutions and professionals who are facing similar storage challenges and could benefit from a practical learning activity in a group setting. As a RE-ORG coach (hired by organizer or part of its staff ), you must plan and lead the workshop.