No more lost props: How Eastern Michigan University revolutionizes asset management for their Theatre Program with Shelf

At a glance

• Improved asset tracking and organization
• Enhanced accessibility for remote students
• Streamlined production planning process
• Significant time savings in asset location and retrieval

Eastern Michigan University

Eastern Michigan University's Theatre & Entertainment Design & Technology Program prepares students for careers in the performing arts, managing a large inventory of props and scenic elements used in various productions throughout the academic year.

Headquarters: Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States

Industry: Higher Education, Theatre Arts

Key features used:

• Digital Asset Cataloging
• Location Tracking
• Remote Access
• Team Collaboration Tools

We spoke with the Technical Director & Production Manager of Eastern Michigan University's Theatre Program about the challenges the team faced in managing their vast collection of scenic elements and properties, and how Shelf's innovative asset management system has transformed their operations.

Can you tell us about your role at EMU and what your asset management setup was like before Shelf?

I work for Eastern Michigan University, specifically for their Theatre & Entertainment Design & Technology Program. I am their Technical Director & Production Manager.

Before Shelf, our asset management was chaotic. No one knew where any of our scenic elements and properties were, their current usability, or what they looked like from production to production. We relied on spreadsheets, memory, and a few crude attempts at location maps and photo references for items on shelves.

What challenges were you facing in asset management?

Our primary challenges were:

1. Lack of a centralized inventory system
2. Difficulty tracking asset location and condition
3. High turnover of student workers (Due to graduations) complicating knowledge transfer
4. Time-consuming manual tracking methods

With only around 4-6 faculty/staff working on productions regularly and hundreds of students progressing through the program over the years as they complete their degrees, it was challenging to maintain a consistent organizational process. We needed a system that could preserve knowledge and ensure proper asset management even as students naturally moved on after graduation.
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What motivated you to seek out an asset management system like Shelf?

I despise when knowledge is used as currency in any way. Whether someone limits the knowledge they share to appear more important, or others refuse to gain new knowledge because someone else "already knows it for them." Any way for me to help push for clearer paths of knowledge & transparency I will always jump at.

Inventorying our system properly has been a process more than 6 decades overdue, and I didn't want that to continue now that I worked for my alma mater.

How have you implemented Shelf to solve these challenges?

Shelf's platform checked all the boxes when it came to our needs.

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We've implemented several key features:

1. Digital Asset Cataloging: We've created a comprehensive digital catalog of all our scenic elements and properties.
2. Location Tracking: Every item is now assigned a specific location, making it easy to find and retrieve assets when needed.
3. Remote Access: Students and staff can now access our inventory database from anywhere, allowing for better pre-production planning.
4. Team Collaboration Tools: These features have greatly improved communication between different production teams.

What results have you seen since implementing Shelf? Can you share any specific examples?

The impact of Shelf on our operations has been significant:

1. Improved Remote Collaboration: We now have students coordinating properties for shows from different states. For example, we have a student who will be coordinating properties for a show that starts rehearsal in late August. This student lives in another state and does not have regular means to be on site before that date. But now that we have Shelf, they can login and search through our database and book these items, know where they are, and drastically speed up what prep will be in August.
2. Time Savings: We've removed hours of "blind digging time" from the process, making our students and productions more successful.
3. Enhanced Accessibility: Our inventory is now accessible virtually for perusal and reserving without someone needing to dig through our stock physically.
4. Improved Asset Utilization: We're now able to easily identify and repurpose existing items for new productions.

What do you think is the biggest benefit of Shelf?

The biggest benefit of Shelf is creating a baseline for all future inventorying & asset tracking moving forward. We now have a process & a service that we can truly shape to our needs.

What advice would you give to others considering using Shelf for their asset management needs?

1. Communicate with Support: Talk with the support team and always provide feedback from a positive place. They are there to help, so be considerate of their time and you will be successful with Shelf.
2. Consider Long-Term Benefits: Shelf is not just about organizing stuff – it's about creating a foundation for more efficient, creative, and collaborative productions.
3. Embrace the Learning Curve: There may be some initial challenges as you set up and learn the system, but the long-term benefits are well worth it.

I cannot recommend Shelf more for people in my industry and can't wait for the future. - Dustin D. Miller.