NovaMuse Co-operative
In 2002, a group of 18 community museums sought to standardize their collections management practices and digitize Nova Scotia’s material culture and so launched the Passage Project. The grassroots initiative grew to include over 50 museums and was moved to ANSM within a few years. In 2006, the program received an Award for Outstanding Achievement in Museum Management from the Canadian Museums Association.
Now known as the NovaMuse Co-operative, participating museums receive an annual site visit, one-on-one training, opportunities to participate in group training and special projects, and remote support. Membership provides access to and usage of the CollectiveAccess database system and NovaMuse. The Co-op enables heritage institutions to connect with each other to share knowledge on collections management practices. ANSM members may apply to participate in the Co-operative through a peer-reviewed application process.