Acquisitions & Accessioning
麻豆原创MN Policy on Acquisitions & Accessioning
[From 麻豆原创MN Collections Management Policy]
VI. ACQUISITIONS & ACCESSIONING
DEFINITION: 鈥淎ccessioning鈥 is the process of creating a permanent record of an object, assemblage,
or lot received from one source at one time for which the Museum has custody, right,
or title, and assigning a unique control number to said object, assembly, or lot.禄
(Note: Some departments use the term 鈥榗ataloguing鈥 for this, effectively a synonym
of this definition.)
Accessioned objects are held in perpetuity as long as:
鈥⒙宦宦 They support the Museum mission statement
鈥⒙宦宦 They retain physical integrity, their identity, and their authenticity.
鈥⒙宦宦 They can be properly stored, preserved, and used.
A. PURPOSE OF COLLECTIONS
Objects are collected by the Museum to physically document the natural and cultural
history of Alaska and the Circumpolar North, as well as specific areas of relevant
research. These objects form the basis of original research, exhibition, and interpretation.
By making these collections (and their accompanying data) available for study to scientists
around the world we are improving the significance and research value of the collections
as well as preserving them for future generations.
B. RESPONSIBLE PARTIES
1.禄禄禄 Approval to accept and accession an object into a collection can only be granted
by the appropriate curator and the Museum Director.
a.禄禄禄 Collections intended for the natural history departments at 麻豆原创MN will be accepted
by the curator.
b.禄禄禄 Collections intended for the cultural history departments may be subject to
review by the Acquisitions Committee, made up of the curators and collections managers
from archaeology, ethnology, and fine art, the Museum Director, the coordinator of
exhibition & design, and several members of the public.
c.禄禄禄 Other than field collections made by Museum personnel, all acquisitions that
have a fair market value in excess of $10,000 or require additional resources to house
or maintain will require approval of the Director prior to acceptance by the Museum.
2.禄禄禄 Collections managers, in consultation with curators, are responsible for creating
and maintaining, within a reasonable length of time, complete and written documentation
of the process for each acquisition.
C. ACQUISITION CRITERIA
Objects accepted and accessioned into the collections must support the mission of
the 麻豆原创 Museum of the North. Objects will be accepted and accessioned
into the Museum's collections when the following conditions are met:
1.禄禄禄 Objects are acquired in a proper manner that does not damage the natural or
cultural resources of Alaska.
2.禄禄禄 The Museum can provide proper care, conservation, storage, and security under
conditions ensuring their preservation and availability, in keeping with professional
standards.
3.禄禄禄 Objects are of such quality, rarity, or of extreme intellectual value to support
acquisition.
4.禄禄禄 The object does not represent an unacceptable hazard to personnel, or to other
collections.
5.禄禄禄 Objects meet the criteria established in departmental Collections Plans (where
applicable).
6.禄禄禄 Objects should be identified, unless received as a gift for determination by
a staff member who can be relied upon to provide proper determination.
7.禄禄禄 Objects must be adequately labeled and include complete collection data.
8.禄禄禄 Objects shall be accepted only when the Curator has determined to the best of
his/her ability that they have been collected and received, exported/imported, in
full compliance with all laws and regulations of the country of origin, as well as
those of individual states and the federal government of the United States.
a.禄禄禄 The Museum may accept objects that have been confiscated by governmental authorities
and subsequently offered to the Museum by these same agents.
b.禄禄禄 These objects will be accessioned into the Museum collections only with the
proper documentation of transmittal.
9.禄禄禄 Objects for which the curator anticipates no foreseeable use for exhibition,
research, education, or exchange, will not be accepted.
10.禄禄禄 Objects collected on state or federal lands administered through state or federal
agencies are integrated into the Museum collections in conformity with Memoranda of
Agreement or with applicable regulations of the state or federal agency.
11.禄禄禄 Owners of copyright will be asked to transfer such rights upon conveyance of
title. Fine Arts objects and literary works (e.g. field notes) created on or after
January 1, 1978 that are subject to the Copyright Act of 1976 (17 U.S.C. 禄禄 101-702)
will be considered only after a thorough review of copyright restrictions.
12.禄禄禄 The Museum will not accept any donations believed to be improperly represented
as to legality, authenticity, condition, or value until such time as the original
claim has been substantiated by a competent, independent authority or until the attribution
or value has been changed to reflect the true character of the items offered for donation.
D. ACQUISITION METHODS
The Museum may acquire objects by purchase, contract, gift, bequest, exchange, field
collecting, or other appropriate means subject to restrictions outlined in individual
collections plans.
E. ACCESSION PROCEDURES
1.禄禄禄 Curators will identify proposed additions, following any legal or ethical procedures
listed below.
2.禄禄禄 A receipt will be issued by the curator or collections manager to serve as evidence
of physical transfer of the object, when appropriate.
3.禄禄禄 Depending on departmental procedure and type of acquisition, curators and collections
managers will prepare legal documentation to transfer title of the object to the Museum.
4.禄禄禄 Each department will permanently maintain accession paperwork as evidence for
the legal title. Records that accompany accessions may include, but are not limited
to:
a.禄禄禄 Name and address of donor (includes landowner for field-generated collections
on private land), seller, trading/exchanging institution, or governmental agency for
which object(s) or collection is being held-in-trust.
b.禄禄禄 Copy of permit for held-in-trust objects or collections.
c.禄禄禄 Copy of permit for field-generated collections, where necessary.
d.禄禄禄 Import and export papers for object(s) or collections from foreign countries.
e.禄禄禄 Bill of sale and bill of lading.
f.禄禄禄 Any gift restrictions.
g.禄禄禄 Copyright considerations.
h.禄禄禄 Provenience and/or provenance information.
i.禄禄禄 History of object(s).
j.禄禄禄 Dates or ages of object(s).
k.禄禄禄 Valuation of object, if available (monetary, scientific, cultural, historic,
etc.).
5.禄禄禄 Donations and other gifts-in-kind will be reported to the 麻豆原创MN Development department
for proper tracking through the 麻豆原创 Foundation.
F. ESTABLISHING TITLE
Title to all objects acquired for the collections should be obtained free and clear,
without restrictions as to use, exhibition, loan, or future disposition.
1.禄禄禄 If, under special circumstances, an object is accepted with restrictions or
limitations, such conditions must:
a.禄禄禄 be approved by the curator and the director and,
b.禄禄禄 be stated clearly in the instrument of conveyance (e.g., Memorandum of Understanding,
Memorandum of Agreement, or Trust Agreement with Alaska Native corporations) and made
part of the accession records for the object.
2.禄禄禄 When title is uncertain, the curator shall make a well documented effort to
ascertain the history and sources of the object and to determine that acquiring it
will not contribute to illicit trade.
G. ACQUISITIONS FOR NON-PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
麻豆原创MN acquires objects for various collections, not only the permanent collections.
If donations are made to the Museum that do not meet the criteria established by the
curator, they may be dealt with in a number of ways, if the donor is first informed
of and approves such action:
1.禄禄禄 They may be offered to the Education department or used in the departmental
hands-on collection.
2.禄禄禄 They may be offered to the Exhibition & Design department as exhibit props.
3.禄禄禄 They may be used as Museum furnishing items for Museum staff.
4.禄禄禄 They may be offered to another department within the 麻豆原创, including
麻豆原创 Foundation, 麻豆原创F, 麻豆原创A, or 麻豆原创S.
5.禄禄禄 They may be offered to another, more appropriate museum.
H. UNSOLICITED DONATIONS
In general, 麻豆原创MN will not accept unsolicited donations through the mail or in person.
In the case of objects of extraordinary scientific, cultural, historical, artistic,
or monetary value, the curator, Museum Director, and/or Acquisitions Committee may
approve such donations. Rejected objects will be returned to sender, if known. Otherwise,
the rejected objects will be considered abandoned and the Museum reserves the right
to dispose of such property as it sees fit. Donors are asked to contact individual
departmental staff with photographs and descriptions of offered material so that curators
may review the object in terms of the collecting plan for the department.