Connecting to Collections Care Online Community

When do you say an object is Accessioned?

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    • #134475
      Carolyn Schimandle
      Participant

      One of my colleagues at a different location in our agency says that they don’t have to worry about deaccessioning objects because they never accession them. This is despite scanning or photographing, cataloguing on an expensive museum software system, and keeping objects housed in a storage area or on display. (It appears she thinks they are not accessioning because they don’t check a box that says “accessioned” on the museum software record for each object.) Am I off-base thinking that they are actually accessioning and just not calling it that? I don’t want to have somebody tell me that we shouldn’t “accession” at our new location, which is brand new, so we don’t have to worry about deaccessioning. This agency has very little experience with collections management.

    • #134477
      Jerry Foust
      Participant

      Depending on the organization of course, you should have some procedure, either through your board or a committee reporting to the board, that approves accessions. If you don’t have a formal process in place for accessioning you should consider creating one. It is not that difficult. There are many good collection management policies online that can serve as a model for your organization. The real objective here, from my point of view, is to be transparent with respect to your procedures and treat each accession and the reasons for acceptance (or not) equally. Also, it does not place the authority/responsibility of determining accessions into the hands of just one person. You should follow a formal accession process to bring your objects into the collection. Any decisions made should be detailed in writing and made part of the permanent file for that object. Up to date database records are important but quite often it is the permanent paper record that tells the more complete story. So I would recommend looking at your organizations records for any procedural information. If you don’t have a formal accessioning process, spearhead the effort to have one written.

      Good luck.

    • #134478
      Carolyn Schimandle
      Participant

      Not an answer to what I was asking, Jerry, though a helpful reminder that since I am helping this organization finally complete their collections management policy, I need to bring up the topic of accession and get this out in the open. I would call what the people at the other site are doing “accession.” They are not, just to avoid deaccessioning items. I am wondering if others agree with me. To have a policy, we need to agree on definitions.

    • #134479
      Jerry Foust
      Participant

      I thought I was answering your question. Sorry, I’ll be more specific. Yes you are off base in assuming anything without a written collection management policy sitting in front of you spelling it all out.

      Good luck.

    • #134480
      Carolyn Schimandle
      Participant

      Jerry,
      We will have the policy, the question is whether certain people will claim they can do whatever they want with an item because it is not accessioned and therefore not subject to the policies for accessioned items (despite being photographed, catalogued, and treated as if it is part of the permanent collection, and having great significance to the site). I’m going to a meeting on finalizing the collection management policy in a couple of hours, and am girding my loins to battle this one out. 🙂

      I would call how they are treating many of the acquisitions at this one site “accession,” and say they are subject to all the policies for accessioned items. Would you agree, from my description here and in the original post? Would love to have your opinion. Thanks!

    • #134481
      Lissa
      Participant

      Carolyn,

      First question is always, what’s your mission? Second question, is this a private or public institution, is it non-profit or for-profit?

      I would not agree that these items have been accessioned. It’s a legal term and until it the organization assumes legal responsibility for preservation until the end of time via some other collections committee or the board itself, it is not accessioned. Accessioning means that the board, with full knowledge and agreement, assumes this responsibility for the organization and can now be held accountable for the care of these items by law. Unless they have knowingly agreed to this on behalf of the organization for each and every item in the collection, these items are not accessioned.

      That said, these items also don’t have legal protections against creditors selling them against debt if they haven’t been accepted. Further, if there are donors involved who think that the organization has agreed to care for their donated artifacts until the end of time, it could be constituted as a type of fraud if the organization then doesn’t assume that responsibility.

      Either way, if you have a board, they are obligated to live up to field best practices for managing public resources such as museum collections. Accessioning is a primary best practice that most courts would hold them accountable for. Board members can also be held personally liable if someone sues the organization and they acted against professional advice regarding best practices, or your state’s attorney general decides your organization isn’t acting on its mission in good faith.

      If you aren’t working for a nonprofit or government organization, if it’s private or for-profit, different ball of wax and they can pretty much do what they like.

    • #134540
      Evelyn
      Participant

      As a Registrar I would say the item is definitely accessioned from what you describe. Museum Registration Methods, 3rd edition, Dorothy Dudley and Irma Wilkinson, American Association of Museums, 1979, identifies Accession as an object acquired by a museum as part of its permanent collection and the act of recording/processing an addition to the permanent collection.

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