Historical Museum Collection Policy
Approved by the Centre County Library & Historical Museum Board of Trustees: 12/2009
Amended: April 22, 2021
Collection Purpose and Scope:
The purpose of Centre County Library & Historical Museum’s Historical Museum is to collect, preserve and exhibit objects of material culture that document the history of Bellefonte and Centre County, Pennsylvania, and to make them available to researchers and to the general public.
Criteria for Accession
Objects considered for accession will be reviewed by Museum staff before being accepted, either in person, or through photographs, if necessary. When determining whether an object is an appropriate addition to the collection, the following criteria will be considered:
Relevance to the scope and objectives of the collection
Duplication of object in the collection
Condition
Format or size
Conditions of Donation
The Historical Museum will not, as a matter of practice, accept donations of objects that impose limitations or conditions regarding display or retention or impose a financial burden to conserve or insure. In donating an object, the donor shall withdraw rights to the object in writing.
Cataloguing Procedure
Museum staff shall catalog all newly acquired objects in accordance with the Historical Museum’s catalog procedures. This cataloging procedure will constitute documentation that the item(s) is now accessioned.
Conservation - Care and Handling
Centre County Library & Historical Museum staff member(s) will strive to meet best practices regarding handling, storage, and display of objects in the collection.
Public Access to Collection
Centre County Library & Historical Museum will make reasonable attempts to make objects in the collection available to the public for research purposes with advance notice. Not all objects in the collection are on public display.
Incoming Loans
The Historical Museum may accept loans from other institutions or private individuals at the discretion of staff, and with approval from the Executive Director. Loaned objects should be accepted with the intention of displaying the object.
Terms
All Centre County Library & Historical Museum incoming loans must be for periods of no longer than one year. In such special cases where a loan is desired for longer than one year, the loan agreement must be renewed and re-signed by both the lender and Centre County Library & Historical Museum.
Care
To the best of its ability, Centre County Library & Historical Museum will protect objects on loan from fire, theft, mishandling, dirt, and extremes of light, temperature, and humidity. Should loss, damage, or deterioration occur, the lender will be immediately notified in detail as to the extent of the loss, damage, or deterioration.
Packing & shipping
Centre County Library & Historical Museum agrees to pay all costs for packing, crating, and transportation, unless otherwise agreed upon by the lender. Objects will be returned to the lender carefully packed in the same manner as received. All packing and unpacking will be done by experienced personnel.
insurance
The lender will continue to insure the objects under the lender's policy unless otherwise agreed upon by both Centre County Library & Historical Museum and the lender.
reproduction
Centre County Library & Historical Museum may photograph any loaned object for use in its own publications, records, research, and programs, unless otherwise stated in writing by the lender.
credit
When the loaned items, or information regarding loaned items, is used in exhibitions or publicity, Centre County Library & Historical Museum will give appropriate credit to the lender. The lender will receive a copy of any publication, publicity, or catalog in which the loaned items, or information regarding the loaned items, is used.
Outgoing Loans
Centre County Library & Historical Museum lends items from its collections to museums, historical societies, libraries, schools, and entities that Centre County Library & Historical Museum believes will comply with the conditions stated following. Fragile objects, frequently used objects, or objects currently on exhibit are generally not considered for loan.
terms
All Centre County Library & Historical Museum outgoing loans must be for periods of no longer than one year. In such special cases where a loan is desired for longer than one year, the loan agreement must be renewed and re-signed by both Centre County Library & Historical Museum and the borrower.
care
The borrowing institution will exercise the same care with respect to in-coming loaned objects as it does to its own museum collection. Objects will be protected from fire, theft, mishandling, dirt, extremes of light, temperature and humidity. Should loss, damage, or deterioration be observed, the borrowing institution will immediately notify Centre County Library & Historical Museum in detail.
packing & shipping
The borrowing institution agrees to pay all costs for packing, crating, and transportation, unless otherwise agreed upon by the lender. Objects will be returned to Centre County Library & Historical Museum carefully packed in the same manner as received. All packing and unpacking will be done by experienced personnel.
insurance
The borrowing institution will insure the objects under that entity’s policy unless otherwise agreed upon by both Centre County Library & Historical Museum and the borrowing institution.
reproduction
Centre County Library & Historical Museum grants the borrowing institution permission to photograph any loaned object for use in its own publications, research, records, and educational programs, unless otherwise stated in writing.
credit
When the loaned items or information regarding the loaned items are used in exhibitions or publicity, the borrowing institution will give appropriate credit to Centre County Library & Historical Museum. Centre County Library & Historical Museum will receive a copy of any publication, publicity or catalog in which the loaned items, or information regarding the loaned items is used.
Deaccessioning
Accessioned objects that fail to adequately fulfill the requirements set forth in the Collection Policy may be considered for deaccessioning.
criteria for deaccessioning
Specific reasons for deaccessioning include but are not limited to:
● Relevance to the scope of the collection
● Object is a duplicate of something already in the collection.
● Object is too difficult to store/display due to size, condition, or format
● Object is damaged or in poor condition and would be a hardship for the CCLHM to conserve
● Object is inherently dangerous or has the potential for causing damage to other objects in the collection, storage or display facilities, or individuals working at or visiting the museum.
● Object is of cultural and/or monetary value such that Centre County Library & Historical Museum cannot provide the level of protection and care commensurate with prudent and responsible conservatorship.
deaccession procedure
For an item considered to be of significant monetary or cultural value, Museum staff will present to Centre County Library & Historical Museum’s Board of Trustees a proposal for deaccessioning and recommendations for the object's disposition. The ultimate decision for a valuable object's deaccessioning and disposition must be made by a majority vote of Centre County Library & Historical Museum’s Board of Trustees.
disposition procedure
● When disposing of an object, accessioned or unaccessioned, Centre County Library & Historical Museum must first determine that it has the legal right to do so by searching its own records to locate documentation of how the item came to be in the collection.
● If the object for disposition is of historical value, then it shall be first offered to museums or institutions historically or culturally significant to the object.
● If the object for disposition has no significant localized area, is of little historical value, and/or if no museum or institution is interested in obtaining the object for their collection, then the object maybe sold at a sale or auction to the highest bidder, with all proceeds from the sale going to Centre County Library & Historical Museum.
● A permanent record of any deaccessioning and subsequent disposition will be kept on file at Centre County Library & Historical Museum as part of the other collection records.
Appraisals
Although all donations to the CCLHM are tax-deductible, the donor bears all responsibility for valuation, as required by the prevailing rules of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. If a donor believes that a prospective donation is valued at more than $500.00, the donor is responsible for having the object independently appraised at their own expense before CCLHM determines whether the object will be accepted.
