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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCUL 010 Collections Development and Management PolicyPolicy Procedure Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Policy Number CUL - 010 Reference International Council of Museums Code of Ethics for Museums Canadian Association of Conservators Code of Ethics and Guidance for Practice Canadian Museum Association Ethics Guidelines Standards for Community Museums in Ontario Date Originated (m/d/y) June 20, 2014 Date Revised (m/d/y) April 12, 2017 January 12, 2022 Pages 9 Approval: Chief Administrative Officer Point of Contact Manager, Cultural Services Policy Objective Objects give us a unique access to the past: we can learn about past values from what people kept, what materials objects were made from, what objects were used for, and what daily life was like based on interpretation of those objects. The mission of Pickering Museum Village (hereinafter referred to as “PMV”) is to ignite imaginations through a living history museum that fosters a connection to Pickering by collecting, preserving, and interpreting artifacts and social culture. PMV participates in Standards for Community Museums in Ontario developed by the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Cultural Industries and as a responsible steward of the artifacts in its possession, the PMV will maintain management and development standards for its collections based on Ontario museum standards. The Pickering Museum Village will collect and preserve material culture from earliest habitation through our municipality’s changing borders to a point 40 years prior to the current date. The purpose of this collection is to understand and interpret the community’s past, understand the present and connect to the future. This policy defines the management goals, responsibilities and standards for all collection related activities at the PMV. Index 01 Definitions 02 Ownership Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 2 of 9 Policy Number: CUL - 010 03 Background 04 Resources 05 Responsibilities 06 Ethics 07 Collection Development 08 Acquisitions 09 Documentation and Records Management 10 Preservation 11 Use and Operation of Artifacts 12 Loans 13 Deaccessioning 14 Disposal 15 Policy Review 01 Definitions 01.01 Acquisitions – Objects that the museum has legal ownership and control over and are generally made by acceptance of donation, purchase, or field collecting. 01.02 Artifact – An object created or produced by humans, that has cultural significance to Pickering. It may be used for exhibition, explanation, or research, and is held in trust for the public for future generations to appreciate and learn from. An artifact may be a building, an object including furniture, tools, vehicles, household or personal items, textiles, books or paper records. 01.03 Core Collection – The PMV’s collection of artifacts that have a specific association with (or in some cases were typically used by) a person, place or event within Pickering Township pertaining to the history of Pickering up to 40 years prior to the present date. Artifacts in this collection are reserved for research and display under controlled conditions. 01.04 Deaccession – The act of permanently removing an artifact from the Core Collection. 01.05 Deed of Gift – A legal contract that permanently transfers the ownership of the item(s) from a donor to the Pickering Museum Village/City of Pickering. Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 3 of 9 Policy Number: CUL - 010 01.06 Education Collection – The PMV’s collection of objects available for the purpose of interactive displays and active demonstrations which could result in deterioration and damage through use. 01.07 Material Culture - the physical objects created by a culture; the buildings, tools, and other artifacts created by the members of a society. 01.08 Preservation – All actions taken to retard deterioration of, or to prevent damage to, cultural property through activities that minimize chemical and physical deterioration and damage and that prevent loss of informational content. Preservation involves management of the environment and of the conditions of use, and may include treatment in order to maintain cultural property, as nearly as possible, in a stable physical condition. The primary goal of preservation is to prolong the existence of cultural property. 01.09 Repatriation – An artifact of specific significance to recognizable cultural, ethnic or religious groups may be returned to such groups upon their request under PMV procedural guidelines. Such groups must be able to assure the PMV that the object is integral to the beliefs or culture of the group and that they are able to provide proper care of the object according to accepted conservation methods. 02 Ownership 02.01 The PMV’s collection of artifacts is a tangible representation of the community’s heritage and is held in trust for the public by the City of Pickering. 03 Background 03.01 The Pickering Museum Village artifact collection is comprised of over 10,000 pieces. The collection consists of material culture that ranges from Indigenous objects dating to approximately 1400 BCE to political objects from 1980 CE. The scope of the collection is broad; artifacts in the collection vary from buildings to objects including furniture, tools, vehicles, household or personal items, textiles, photographs, and paper records 04 Resources and Responsibilities 04.01 In accordance with Ontario museum standards, the City of Pickering will provide the human, financial, and physical resources to manage and maintain the PMV’s collection. 04.02 Deaccessions from the collection require City Council approval. 05 Ethics 05.01 No human remains will be accepted into the collection. Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 4 of 9 Policy Number: CUL - 010 05.02 If an artifact is identified as significant to a specific cultural, ethnic or religious group, PMV staff will include members of the cultural, ethnic or religious group in the consultation process to determine if it should be acquired into the collection. 05.03 The PMV will collect objects with regard to all municipal, provincial and federal statutes and agreements concerning the control or banning of specific materials or objects. 05.04 The PMV will not accept items with questionable, undetermined, or unethical history of ownership. 05.05 The PMV will not collect live ammunition. 05.06 The PMV will not collect restricted or prohibited weapons as defined by the Canadian Firearms Act. 05.07 The PMV may collect unrestricted and/or antique weapons as defined by the Canadian Firearms Act, provided that all regulations relating to acquisition and storage are met. 06 Collection Development 06.01 As a responsible steward of those artifacts in its possession, the PMV will make every reasonable effort to collect, document, and preserve those artifacts reflective of the museum village’s vision, mission, and mandate. 06.02 In order to facilitate public and educational programming, and to avoid deterioration of the Core Collection through use, the PMV will develop, manage, and maintain two collections: a Core Collection and an Education Collection. 07 Acquisitions 07.01 Decisions to acquire material culture into the Core Collection will be made based on the following conditions and criteria: i. Provenance to the community. Those objects made and/or used in the community associated with a person, place or event; ii. Typical or representative objects made or used in the community that are historical, cultural, or aesthetic in nature that support interpretation of the PMV’s mandate; iii. Be in good or excellent condition, or be a unique and rare addition to the collection; iv. Are not duplicates of current collection items; and, v. Are well documented with clear legal title, free of provisions and restrictions. Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 5 of 9 Policy Number: CUL - 010 07.02 Objects which are accepted into the Education Collection will be those that are typical of, or representative of, objects made or used in the community during the museum’s interpretive timeline. These objects may be duplicates of those within the Core Collection. 07.03 All artifact donations to the PMV will be deemed as a gift without ties. 07.04 The donors of items not approved for acquisition will be contacted immediately to retrieve their possessions. Items will be considered abandoned if no response or arrangements for pickup have been made following all reasonable attempts by staff. 07.05 The PMV reserves the right to dispose of abandoned items. 08 Tax Receipts and Appraisals 08.01 Tax receipts may be made available upon request by the donor. 08.02 For objects less than $1,000.00, an independent appraisal is not required. An original bill of sale or receipt is acceptable to use to determine value if the item was purchased within the last 12 months. 08.03 Qualified PMV Staff may provide current fair market value for objects under an estimated value of $1,000.00. 08.04 Items estimated to be worth more than $1,000.00 must be independently appraised at the donor’s cost. 08.05 The appraisal must reflect the current fair market value of the object(s). 08.06 The appraisal must be conducted by a member of the Certified Personal Property Appraisers Guild of Canada or equivalent. 08.07 The donor may not be the appraiser. 08.08 Upon transfer of ownership by signed Deed of Gift, and issuance of a tax receipt, gifts will not be returned to the donor. 09 Documentation 09.01 In order to maintain the significance and value of the objects in the PMV collection, all pertinent information regarding the identity, history, provenance and transfer of legal title of the artifacts will be collected, recorded, and preserved. 09.02 Hard copies of all documentation pertaining to the collection will be maintained. 09.03 The electronic records will be copied and stored on the City of Pickering computer server. Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 6 of 9 Policy Number: CUL - 010 10 Preservation 10.01 The PMV will strive to preserve all core collection material (including historic buildings on site) for future generations. 10.02 Staff and volunteers will be trained in Artifact Care and Handling Procedures and will be responsible for following them as it pertains to their daily work routines. 10.03 Staff and Volunteers will be trained in duties specific to their position as outlined in the Heritage Housekeeping and Maintenance Manual, and in expected responsibilities relating to the Disaster Preparedness Plan and Salvage Procedures. 11 Education Collection 11.01 As a living history site, PMV may choose to enhance guest experience and knowledge by using and/or operating objects and machines. Those objects and machines will be Education Collection pieces, not Core Artifacts. The following factors will be considered before operating objects and machines: i. The ability of museum staff to protect the safety of the public, staff and the collection; ii. The ability of the City of Pickering to provide the resources to operate and maintain working condition of an object or machine; iii. The existence of a duplicate artifact that will be preserved in its original state; iv. The interpretive value to the public, the range of demonstrative techniques available, and the effect the operation will have on the object; v. The relative, significant heritage of the object, with consideration of rarity, provenance, uniqueness and value; vi. Alternative power sources may be used to sustain working order rather than original power sources in the interest of health and safety or preservation of the object; and, vii. The research benefits of using the object against the preservation of the its history of use. 12 Loans 12.01 Loans must meet care standards as set out in the loan agreement and be approved by the Supervisor, Museum Services. Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 7 of 9 Policy Number: CUL - 010 12.02 Incoming loans may be accepted for a set period of time for the purpose of research or to enhance Temporary Exhibitions. 12.03 The PMV will not agree to long term loans with no determined end date for either outgoing or incoming loans. Exceptions may be considered at the discretion of the Supervisor, Museum Services. 12.04 For both outgoing and incoming loans, documentation (including photographs) regarding condition and value must be completed, and loan forms must be signed, prior to the loan taking place. This documentation will become part of the artifact’s permanent file. 13 Deaccessioning 13.01 As part of responsible collections management, the PMV acknowledges that in order to maintain a relevant collection within the parameters of the PMV Vision, Mission, and Mandate, artifacts may require removal from the Core Collection. 13.02 Prior to a deaccession, PMV Staff will ensure that: i. The Pickering Museum Village/City of Pickering holds the legal title to the object, and that there are no holds or restrictions placed on the donation; and, ii. In the case of artifacts with no clear title or that are poorly documented or undocumented, a documented attempt will be made by staff to research and investigate ownership. 13.03 The deaccession process shall include consultation from the community. In most cases, this will include consultation with a working group committee formed from community members and subject-matter experts and/or consultation with an applicable City of Pickering Advisory Committee. 13.04 Final approval to deaccession must be granted by the Mayor and Council. 13.05 Artifacts may be recommended for deaccession if: i. The artifact is the subject of repatriation; ii. The artifact is significantly incomplete (unidentifiable piece or fragment); iii. The artifact is in such poor condition that preservation, conservation or restoration is not a viable option; iv. The artifact is duplicated in the collection and having a duplicate is not of value to the collection; v. The artifact is not relevant to the PMV’s collecting mandate and/or plan; Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 8 of 9 Policy Number: CUL - 010 vi. There is incomplete documentation and provenance for the artifact; vii. The artifact has no effective use in current or future exhibitions, research, interpretation, active demonstration or public use; viii. There are ethical issues related to ethnographic collections and human remains; ix. There are restrictions on legal title; x. It has been found subsequently that there is questionable legal title; xi. Correcting old accessioning mistakes (i.e. item was never meant to be an artifact or accessioned); and, xii. The object is a threat to the collection, staff, volunteers, or structure of the PMV. 13.06 Records (or a copy) will be maintained for all artifacts deaccessioned, and will include the original catalogue information, documentation of the reason(s) for deaccession and approval, and documentation of the disposal of the artifact. The date of deaccession will be noted with the original entry in the Accession Register. 14 Disposal 14.01 Artifacts may be disposed of or destroyed only after deaccession has been approved. 14.02 PMV will make all reasonable efforts to inform the registered donor or family (if donor is deceased) that the object is to be disposed of as requested on the Deed of Gift and only if a tax receipt was not issued. 14.03 Every attempt will be made to relocate deaccessioned artifacts within the museum community. The receiving museum will assume packing and transport costs. 14.04 Failing the above steps, the object may be offered for sale to the public, in accordance with the City of Pickering’s Purchasing Policy, PUR-010, section 15 (Disposal of Surplus Assets) at public auction to the highest bidder and based on current market value. 14.05 Any person who assisted, or advised on the decision to deaccession an artifact may not purchase the artifact. 14.06 If an artifact is in a total state of disrepair, the artifact may be destroyed in view of two City staff. Policy Title: Collections Development and Management Policy Page 9 of 9 Policy Number: CUL - 010 14.07 Profits from the sale of donated artifacts must go towards collections development or artifact maintenance/conservation. 15 Policy Review 15.01 This policy will be reviewed a minimum of every five years. Please refer to all associated Procedures and Standard Operating Procedures, if applicable, for detailed processes regarding this Policy.