The Museum Forms Book
The Museum Forms Book, edited by Kenneth D. Perry, comes under the category of "why re-invent the wheel?"
First published in 1980, and now in its 3rd printing, the book is a compendium of all types of forms collected from museums in this country and as far flung as Great Britain and New Zealand.
The Museum Forms Book includes sections on collections management, development, education, exhibitions, maintenance and security, and rights and reproductions.
In most cases there are multiple versions of forms from a variety of institution types and sizes, so it usually possible to find a form that you can modify for your needs.
So if you are looking for examples of anything from accession forms to facility reports to birthday party contracts to a maintenance check list, this is the book for you.
What Are People Saying About This Post?
This book was a big help to me recently! I needed some examples of other institutions' incoming loan forms because my museum is in the process of reworking ours. This book provided a variety of examples.
With varied and extensive examples, this book provides a basis for changing current forms or creating new forms. Though technology has changed the way many of the fields in these forms operate, it is always helpful to have a base to work from.