Accessioning & Deaccessioning:
Collecting & Disposing of artifacts
A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions, education, research, etc.
This differentiates it from an archive or library, where the contents may be more paper-based, some objects, but less exhibition oriented.
Museums need to have a process to accession artifacts, record those artifacts into their ledgers, find, in a timely manner, both the artifact under its care and the paperwork attached to that artifact, and deaccession artifacts when no longer required.
A good tracking system that is simple and easy to use, in conjunction with a good museum collections policy, will help you do that.
Each museum may have slightly different means to control its property but the basics must be there to control, protect, preserve, track and use a collection wisely.
A good tracking system that is simple and easy to use, in conjunction with a good museum collections policy, will help you do that.
Each museum may have slightly different means to control its property but the basics must be there to control, protect, preserve, track and use a collection wisely.
Because museums cannot collect everything, each potential new addition must be carefully considered as to their appropriateness for a given museum's defined area of interest.
A museum normally has a collecting policy for new acquisitions, so only objects in certain categories and of a certain quality are accepted into the collection.
The process by which an object is formally included in the collection is called accessioning and each object is given a unique accession number.
A museum normally has a collecting policy for new acquisitions, so only objects in certain categories and of a certain quality are accepted into the collection.
The process by which an object is formally included in the collection is called accessioning and each object is given a unique accession number.
Recall The Cazenovia Public Library policy?
Accessioning is the formal, legal process of accepting an object into a museum collection.
Because accessioning an object carries an obligation to care for that object in perpetuity, it is a serious decision.
While in the past many museums accepted objects with little question, today most museums have accepted the need for formal accessioning procedures and practices.
These are typically set out as part of a museum's Collections Management Policy or CMP.
Several issues must be considered in the decision to accept an object. For example:
Questions Museums might ask for accessioning objects:
Is the object relevant to the museum's mission and its scope of collecting, as defined by its governing body?
The Cazenovia Public Library's Museum has a Museum Committee that goes over the accessioning of each new objects.
Above object from the Tomb at Thebes, Mortar with straw, From the Robert J. Hubbard Collection Cazenovia, NY @ Public Library, Albany St.
Mosque built on the location where it is believed David prayed in Jerusalem
Video link:
Published on Oct 2, 2015
Amanda Streeter Trum, Museum Curator of Collections, shows us this circa 1900 wax replica of a mange mite produced in Paris and later given to Dr. William Butler, Montana State Veterinary Surgeon, by a parasitologist practicing in France. Enjoy this model of a mange mite, Psoroptes communis, (Accession Number 2012.43.04) in the 32nd video of the Hidden History Highlighted series.
The Art Gallery in Reisman Hall on the campus of Cazenovia College
Mission Statement:
The Art Gallery in Reisman Hall on the campus of Cazenovia College provides a state of the art exhibition venue that supports the mounting of multimedia exhibitions that place emphasis on the arts, architecture, and design. The gallery fosters the appreciation and education of the arts through our active exhibition roster showcasing regional, state, national and international artists and promotes an artist lecture series supporting collaborative and intellectual intersections between educational programming, our students, community and professional artists. Thematic in nature, our group exhibitions in the gallery include media ranging from painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, digital work, video, and sound. On a rotating annual basis, the gallery’s highly visible outdoor Sculpture Court (located on the corner of Sullivan and Seminary streets) supports the installation of public art explorations that create further exchanges between professional artists, students, and community to take place.
In the past, museums often accepted objects with donor-based restrictions, many museums today ask that gifts be given unrestricted.
> Common donor restrictions include requiring that an object always is exhibited, or that a collection stays together.
> Such restrictions can prevent museums from changing their exhibits as scholarship evolves and may introduce conservation issues for delicate objects not suited to continued display.
- Final decision to accept an object generally lies with the museum's board of trustees.
- In large museums, a special committee may meet regularly to review potential acquisitions.
- Once the decision has been made to accept an object, it is formally accessioned through a Deed of Gift and entered into the museum's catalog records.
- Each object is given a unique catalog number to identify it. Objects are then packed for appropriate archival storage, or prepared for exhibition or other educational use.
CONDITIONS of ACCESSION
- Was the object lawfully acquired and if foreign in origin, imported in compliance with international law?
- The Metropolitan Museum’s Provenance Research project described below
- Does the owner of an object have legal title to the object and therefore the right to transfer it?
- Are there any other parties with an interest in the object: heirs of a donor, descendant groups for cultural objects, etc.?
- Is the object encumbered by any legal obligations or constraints (e.g., natural history objects that require special permits)?
- Would the object pose any threats or dangers to other objects or staff?
- Does the museum have the resources to properly care for the object (e.g., appropriate storage space, adequate funding)
- Is the object encumbered by any donor restrictions?
> Answering these questions often requires investigating an object's provenance, the history of an object from the time it was made. The history of ownership.
From: THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART www.metmuseum.org
The Provenance Research Project
Research on the ownership history, or provenance, of works of art, is an important part of museum work.
This research sheds light on the historical, social, and economic context in which a work of art was created and collected, as well as on the history of taste.
While provenance research has long been ongoing at the Metropolitan Museum, a special effort has been made in the past few years to investigate the World War II-era provenance of European paintings in our collections.
This effort has focused on works that were acquired after 1932 and created before 1946; that changed owners during these years; and that were—or could have been—in continental Europe at that time.
National Trust Historic Sites and Headquarters: Washington DC
NT.2010.1.1: an accession number refers to the 1st object in the 1st accession (in this case, a gift) in the year 2010 into the National Trust Historic Sites and the Headquarters building in Washington, DC.
Another example, NT 69.38.245 The NT 69.38 accession number was assigned to all objects in the bequest of Margaret French Cresson, Daniel Chester French’s daughter, to the National Trust– this number refers to the 245th object in that bequest.
Preparing the artifact for numbering:
1. Apply a clear base coat
Clear nail polish is not recommended;
The standard material used is the acryloid B-72 clear lacquer.
2. Paint or otherwise apply the number
3. Protect with a final topcoat of B-72
Museum storage conditions are meant to protect the object and to minimize any deterioration.
This often means keeping objects in a stable climate, preventing exposure to pests, minimizing any handling, and using only archival materials that will not deteriorate or harm the objects.
Object safety also includes providing appropriate security, and planning for disasters and other threats, and making sure that museum staff is trained in proper handling procedures.
Physical Inventory
An inventory is a detailed accounting of property. In a museum setting it is done to make sure the objects are located where the records indicate they are located. There are several types of inventories, which can be used for this purpose. They include:
An inventory is a detailed accounting of property. In a museum setting it is done to make sure the objects are located where the records indicate they are located. There are several types of inventories, which can be used for this purpose. They include:
- A complete inventory of all artifacts in a museum’s col- lection. Every object is surveyed and its location is noted.
- A section by section, or cyclical inventory, which is as thorough as a complete inventory but is done on a limited section of the collections.
- A spot inventory is done to check on the accuracy of the records of a very small number of artifacts.
The type of inventory used is dictated by several factors including the date of the last inventory, the types and value of the objects, and the results of the last inventory. Recon- ciliation of the records and locations must be done at this time to correct any errors found, for example artifacts that are missing.
Artifacts are photographed, carefully noting the conditions of the object. Digital photographs displayed alongside accession #, measurements of artifact, materials, artifact conditions
GUIDELINES FOR MUSEUMS ON DEVELOPING AND MANAGING INDIVIDUAL DONOR SUPPORT
Approved, November 2002, AAM Board of Directors
Introduction
Not-for-profit, charitable, educational, and scientific organizations and those they serve have always benefited from the generosity of individual donors——from the private patrons of centuries ago to the philanthropic foundations that arose in the 19th century to the businessmen and women of today. A museum’’s ability to fulfill its mission and serve its public depends largely on the resources it has available.
Individual donors also have benefited from their relationships with the museum community. Through museums, donors can reaffirm their commitment to the arts, sciences, history, and lifelong learning and to creating a stronger and more civil society by making objects and information accessible. In addition, individual donors often have family connections or other close personal relationships with the museums they support, adding to the importance and significance of that support.
As museums become more advanced and sophisticated in their management, and individual donors seek new ways to give to museums and play a role in their activities, the relationship between the two groups has become more complex. In light of today’’s often intricate museum-donor relationships, the U.S. museum community and the American Association of Museums (AAM) have established ongoing discussions about ethical practice in this area. Recognizing that a museum’’s credibility and success depends on how well it fulfills its public trust, AAM offers these guidelines as a tool for developing and managing individual donor support. Museums serve their publics better when they offer individual donors a variety of methods for supporting mission-related activities.
The U.S. museum community and AAM are committed to identifying and encouraging the highest standards of ethical practice and enhancing the ability of museums to fulfill their missions. In November 2001, the AAM Board of Directors asked the AAM Ethics Committee (a committee of the board) to form a task force to study the issue of individual donor support for museums and recommend guidelines to help museums establish policies for developing and managing such support. The task force comprised the AAM Ethics Committee and experts on the subject from inside and outside the museum community.
A museum should establish procedures for documenting museum-donor relationships. Documentation should reflect the nature and complexity of the relationship; some agreements may be documented with standard forms or form letters while others may require contractual agreements or memoranda of understanding. A museum may consider including the following components in its documentation of individual donor support:
A museum should be familiar with applicable legal, tax, and accounting principles before engaging in a museum-donor relationship. A museum should seek appropriate legal, tax, and accounting advice, as needed, when developing and managing individual donor relationships.
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS
Approved, November 2002, AAM Board of Directors
Introduction
Not-for-profit, charitable, educational, and scientific organizations and those they serve have always benefited from the generosity of individual donors——from the private patrons of centuries ago to the philanthropic foundations that arose in the 19th century to the businessmen and women of today. A museum’’s ability to fulfill its mission and serve its public depends largely on the resources it has available.
Individual donors also have benefited from their relationships with the museum community. Through museums, donors can reaffirm their commitment to the arts, sciences, history, and lifelong learning and to creating a stronger and more civil society by making objects and information accessible. In addition, individual donors often have family connections or other close personal relationships with the museums they support, adding to the importance and significance of that support.
As museums become more advanced and sophisticated in their management, and individual donors seek new ways to give to museums and play a role in their activities, the relationship between the two groups has become more complex. In light of today’’s often intricate museum-donor relationships, the U.S. museum community and the American Association of Museums (AAM) have established ongoing discussions about ethical practice in this area. Recognizing that a museum’’s credibility and success depends on how well it fulfills its public trust, AAM offers these guidelines as a tool for developing and managing individual donor support. Museums serve their publics better when they offer individual donors a variety of methods for supporting mission-related activities.
The U.S. museum community and AAM are committed to identifying and encouraging the highest standards of ethical practice and enhancing the ability of museums to fulfill their missions. In November 2001, the AAM Board of Directors asked the AAM Ethics Committee (a committee of the board) to form a task force to study the issue of individual donor support for museums and recommend guidelines to help museums establish policies for developing and managing such support. The task force comprised the AAM Ethics Committee and experts on the subject from inside and outside the museum community.
These guidelines are intended to help museums develop and implement policies and practices that address their relationships with individual donors. It is essential that each museum draft its own policies, appropriate to its mission and programs, regarding its relationship with individual donors. Policies provide a consistent position that can be articulated by trustees and staff and understood by the public, and are vital to a museum’’s public accountability. Museums should remain current on standards, best practices, and statutory and regulatory developments related to this topic, and regularly review and update their policies, as necessary.
For the purposes of these guidelines, ““individual donor support”” refers to cash, real property, or planned gifts from an individual, family, or family foundation, regardless of the use of the support and/or the tax implications of the gift. It should be noted that donations of objects to museum collections are governed by museum accession policies, which are not covered in these guidelines.
Acquisition & accessioning Suggested Procedures
General Principles
For the purposes of these guidelines, ““individual donor support”” refers to cash, real property, or planned gifts from an individual, family, or family foundation, regardless of the use of the support and/or the tax implications of the gift. It should be noted that donations of objects to museum collections are governed by museum accession policies, which are not covered in these guidelines.
Acquisition & accessioning Suggested Procedures
General Principles
- Compliance with Applicable Law
The AAM Code of Ethics for Museums states that compliance with applicable local, state, and federal laws and international conventions is a minimum requirement. Ethical standards often exceed these minimums. - Loyalty to Mission
To ensure accountability and informed decision-making, individual museums develop written and board-approved policies and procedures to protect their assets and reputation and to guide institutional actions consistent with their mission. Thus, methods of developing and managing individual donor support should be consistent with a museum’’s mission and with the policies and procedures that flow from that mission. - Content Control and Integrity
The museum community recognizes and encourages appropriate collaborations with a variety of stakeholders, including a museum’’s donors. A museum’’s careful examination and control of the content and integrity of programs, exhibitions, and activities is essential to its public trust responsibility. - Avoidance of Conflict of Interest
The AAM Code of Ethics for Museums notes that where conflicts of interest––
actual, potential, or perceived––arise, the duty of loyalty to the museum and its 2
mission must always be honored. Thus, a museum’’s governing authority and staff must ensure that no individual benefits at the expense of the museum’’s mission, reputation, or the community it serves.
A museum should formulate a written policy about individual donor supporteither as a separate document or as part of another museum policy. The policy should be approved by the museum’’s governing authority, disseminated to staff, and made publicly accessible. A museum should be consistent in following its policy; any changes should correspond to evolving standards and best practices and the institution’’s mission and strategic direction. A museum should not change policy solely in response to a specific situation.
The following guidelines are intended to help a museum develop its policy addressing individual donor support. The policy should define the museum’’s position on these issues, even if that position is not to engage in certain activities.
A. Defining Statement
A museum should define its policy and goals for developing and managing individual donor support and the importance of this support to the museum’’s ability to fulfill its mission.
- Transparency
A museum should take reasonable steps to make its actions open, available, and understandable to the public, especially where a lack of such transparency may reasonably lead to the appearance of a conflict of interest or inappropriate involvement. - Responsibility to Individual Donor
A museum should respect its relationships with individual donors by providing them with accurate information about its mission, finances, and programs and by using their support for agreed-upon purposes. A museum should ensure that information about donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
Guidelines
A museum should formulate a written policy about individual donor supporteither as a separate document or as part of another museum policy. The policy should be approved by the museum’’s governing authority, disseminated to staff, and made publicly accessible. A museum should be consistent in following its policy; any changes should correspond to evolving standards and best practices and the institution’’s mission and strategic direction. A museum should not change policy solely in response to a specific situation.
The following guidelines are intended to help a museum develop its policy addressing individual donor support. The policy should define the museum’’s position on these issues, even if that position is not to engage in certain activities.
A. Defining Statement
A museum should define its policy and goals for developing and managing individual donor support and the importance of this support to the museum’’s ability to fulfill its mission.
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- Delineation of Process and Fulfillment of Obligations
A museum should outline the process used to make decisions about individual donor support. Such decisions include but are not limited to solicitation, gift acceptance, fulfillment, recognition, and public inquiry. The responsibilities of the governing body and staff should be delineated. A museum should ensure that it has the necessary human and financial resources for fulfilling its obligations in any museum-donor relationship.
- Potential Conflict of Interest
No individual may use his/her position in the museum for personal gain or to benefit another at the expense of the museum, its mission, its reputation, and the community it serves.1
A museum should adopt procedures to address individual donor support opportunities in which a member of the museum’’s governing authority or staff may have an interest. This should be consistent with any existing conflict-of-interest policy. Such a policy should include an individual’’s obligation to disclose any interest in the museum-donor relationship under consideration. Such disclosure does not preclude or imply ethical impropriety. In creating such a policy, a museum may wish to consider:
- a) requiring that the individual recuse him/herself from any discussion and/or action regarding decisions to accept support from a donor with whom he/she is associated or has an interest
- b) documenting the individual’’s role in any other aspect of the project or program supported by that donation
- Donor Communication and Relationships
A museum should develop clear procedures concerning which staff and/or governing body members are authorized to make or change agreements with individual donors. In addition, a museum should have a clear policy concerning the level of financial, tax, and legal information it will provide to individual or potential donors, including a policy of recommending that donors consult their own legal and financial advisors.
- Types of Individual Donor Support a Museum will Accept
A museum should develop a gift acceptance policy outlining the types of support it accepts from individual donors and delineating a process for determining whether or not——from a mission, operational, business, and legal perspective——to accept a gift as offered.
- Recognition
A museum should consider the range of recognition it may offer an individual donor. In doing so, it may consider:
- a) general standards for recognizing individual donor support based on the level of support received
- b) standards for recognizing individual donor support, such as those relating to the use, placement, size, etc., of names, signage, etc.
- Confidentiality
A museum should ensure that a relationship of trust is established and maintained with its individual donors by respecting the private nature of information about the donor and the donation. In doing so, it may consider:
- a) developing a system to control access to and handling of donor information
- b) balancing the museum’’s obligation to maintain public accountability with its obligation to protect donors’’ privacy by outlining what type of information can and cannot be kept confidential
- c)collecting only relevant information about donors or potential donors
- Anonymity
A museum must determine whether and under what circumstances it will accept anonymous gifts. A museum should avoid agreeing to requests for anonymity that conceal a conflict of interest, real or perceived, or raise other ethical concerns. - Uncollectable Pledges
A museum should recognize that instances may arise when donors cannot or do not honor a pledge. In determining the enforceability of a pledge that is not honored, a museum may consider:
a) the legal and accounting implications
b) the overall impact of the gift on the museum
c)the museum’’s history and previous relationship with the donor d) the attitude of the community toward the situation
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- Documentation
A museum should require that all documents relating to the development of individual donor support be maintained and retained in accordance with applicable law and record retention policies.
- Application of Policy
A museum should identify clearly all entities, such as friends groups, voluntary organizations, components of a museum system, etc., that must comply with its policies about individual donor support.
A museum should establish procedures for documenting museum-donor relationships. Documentation should reflect the nature and complexity of the relationship; some agreements may be documented with standard forms or form letters while others may require contractual agreements or memoranda of understanding. A museum may consider including the following components in its documentation of individual donor support:
- Scope of the Relationship and Term of the Agreement
The museum and individual donor should specify the activity(ies) for which the support may be used and whether there are any time limitations to the support. - Forms of and Parameters for Recognition
The museum and individual donor should agree on the manner in which the donation will be recognized. All recognition must comply with the museum’’s policy on recognition. - Contingencies in Case of Institutional or Programmatic Change
When appropriate, a museum may consider adding a contingency plan to the scope of the support in case of institutional or programmatic changes. These plans are intended to ensure that the support can advance the future mission and goals of the museum and may specify among other things:
a) an acknowledgement that institutional and programmatic change may require that original scope of the support be flexible
b) how to make such changes in cases where the donor is deceased, heirs not available, or the estate not active
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- Procedures for Terminating the Agreement
A museum may consider including a cancellation provision. Grounds for canceling an agreement may include:
a) engagement of an individual in an activity that is counter to the museum’’s policy, mission, and good reputation
b) inability of either party to carry out its responsibilities as outlined in the agreement due to unforeseen circumstances - Signature Page, including date and approval by legal counsel, if required
A museum should be familiar with applicable legal, tax, and accounting principles before engaging in a museum-donor relationship. A museum should seek appropriate legal, tax, and accounting advice, as needed, when developing and managing individual donor relationships.
- Legal
A museum should be aware of and comply with applicable state and local laws as well as the body of general legal principles regarding solicitation, acceptance, and use of individual donor support. Particular areas of attention include contract law and laws regulating charitable contributions.
- Tax
A museum should be aware of and comply with applicable federal, state, and local tax laws. A museum also should be aware of special tax laws and rules that prohibit individuals from inappropriately benefiting from a contributory or other voluntary support relationship.
- Accounting
A museum should comply with generally accepted accounting principles relating to accounting and crediting of revenue (including contributions) in accordance with FASB or GASB2. In addition, museums should report fund-raising results in a consistent manner, using standards for campaign reporting.
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4. Public Accountability
A museum should respond to all public and media inquiries about its support from individual donors, including allegations of unethical behavior, with a prompt, full, and frank discussion of the issue, the institution’’s actions, and the rationale for such actions.
Commitment of AAM
AAM recognizes that the issuance of these guidelines begins an education process within the museum community. Museums will need to examine policies currently in place or begin the process of drafting policies where none exist. This document constitutes the first step in an exercise that may take several years. Critical to this process is an informed discussion within the museum community about what these guidelines imply, research into and collection of resource materials on this topic, and samples of current best practice.
These guidelines and links to related resources can be found on AAM’’s Web site at www.aam-us.org.
As part of its commitment to identifying and disseminating best practices, AAM will allocate resources to:
A museum should respond to all public and media inquiries about its support from individual donors, including allegations of unethical behavior, with a prompt, full, and frank discussion of the issue, the institution’’s actions, and the rationale for such actions.
Commitment of AAM
AAM recognizes that the issuance of these guidelines begins an education process within the museum community. Museums will need to examine policies currently in place or begin the process of drafting policies where none exist. This document constitutes the first step in an exercise that may take several years. Critical to this process is an informed discussion within the museum community about what these guidelines imply, research into and collection of resource materials on this topic, and samples of current best practice.
These guidelines and links to related resources can be found on AAM’’s Web site at www.aam-us.org.
As part of its commitment to identifying and disseminating best practices, AAM will allocate resources to:
- disseminate these guidelines widely and frequently along with other references that exist on the topic;
- collect examples of best practices and policies from inside and outside the museum community on individual donor support;
- make the above information available to the museum community through the AAM Web site, reports, conference sessions, and other appropriate mechanisms; and
- provide electronic links from AAM’’s Website to resources in these areas.
Deaccessioning
Is the process of disposing of artifacts.
Selling or trading objects from a museum collection are not undertaken in most museums.
There are ethical issues to consider since many donors of objects typically expect the museum to care for them in perpetuity.
Deaccessioning of an object in a collection may be appropriate if a museum has more than one example of that object and if the object is being transferred to another museum.
It may also be appropriate if an object is badly deteriorated or threatening other objects.
The decision to deaccession includes two parts.
These are making the decision to deaccession and deciding the method of disposal.
Generally, the first choice is to transfer an object to another use or division in a museum, such as deaccessioning a duplicate object from a permanent collection into a teaching collection.
The second choice is to transfer the object to another institution, generally with local institutions having priority. The American Association of Museums and other regional associations often operate lists or boards to help facilitate such transfers.
The last choice is a sale on the open market. Open market sales are generally expected to take place at auction rather than through private sale and are typically most common in art museums due to the high monetary value of art collections.
Many ethical guidelines for deaccessioning require that the funds generated by disposing of collection items be used only to increase or maintain the remaining collection.
For example, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Ethics states that:
"Money or compensation received from the deaccessioning and disposal of objects and specimens from a museum collection should be used solely for the benefit of the collection and usually for acquisitions to that same collection”.
In the UK, guidelines governing deaccessioning and other ethically difficult issues can be found in the Museums Association’s Code of Ethics.
In the USA, the guidelines on these matters are issued by the American Association of Museums.
The American Association of Museums Code of Ethics takes the position that,
"in no event shall they [deaccessioning proceeds] be used for anything other than acquisition or direct care of collections.”
Other museums may have additional restrictions on the use of funds from deaccessioning.
For example, at some museums funds from deaccessioning a work of art can only be used to purchase a work of similar style or period (for example, funds from selling a 20th century American print could not be used to buy a 17th century Italian painting) and the name of the donor of the sold work remains associated with the purchased artwork.
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS
GUIDELINES FOR MUSEUMS ON DEVELOPING AND MANAGING INDIVIDUAL DONOR SUPPORT
Approved, November 2002, AAM Board of Directors
Introduction
Not-for-profit, charitable, educational, and scientific organizations and those they serve have always benefited from the generosity of individual donors——from the private patrons of centuries ago to the philanthropic foundations that arose in the 19th century to the businessmen and women of today. A museum’’s ability to fulfill its mission and serve its public depends largely on the resources it has available.
Individual donors also have benefited from their relationships with the museum community.
Through museums, donors can reaffirm their commitment to the arts, sciences, history, and lifelong learning and to creating a stronger and more civil society by making objects and information accessible.
In addition, individual donors often have family connections or other close personal relationships with the museums they support, adding to the importance and significance of that support.
As museums become more advanced and sophisticated in their management, and individual donors seek new ways to give to museums and play a role in their activities, the relationship between the two groups has become more complex. In light of today’’s often intricate museum-donor relationships, the U.S. museum community and the American Association of Museums (AAM) have established ongoing discussions about ethical practice in this area.
The Process of Accessioning of Archaeological Material in the Nordic Countries
The Smithsonian: Acquisition and Disposal of Collections
Nova Scotia Museum Collections Management Procedures Manual
The Smithsonian: Acquisition and Disposal of Collections
Nova Scotia Museum Collections Management Procedures Manual