A Note on Deaccessioning

Last week’s moving sale included items that were once part of the museum’s permanent collection. So what does “deaccessioning” mean? Is it ethical to remove an object or objects from the museum collection to sell it? What can the money from the sale be used for?

Deaccessioning is the formal process by which accessioned museum objects and materials are permanently removed from the Permanent Collection. It is normally followed by disposition by sale, transfer, or exchange. Deaccessioning is a best practice in the museum field used to improve overall collection quality through thoughtful assessment and redesignation.

The items for sale have been deaccessioned from the MHS Permanent Collection. Objects proposed for deaccessioning were assessed by the Collections Committee which included two Board of Directors members, two staff, and a historian with expertise in early tools.

MHS follows museum best practices and standards when disposing of deaccessioned items. Our top priority is to transfer as many objects as possible to other historical organizations in the region. Some objects were given to the Sugar Island Historical Society and Hartwick Pines State Park. There are strict rules and ethical guidelines for selling objects removed from the collection. Funds earned through the sale of objects are restricted to the direct care of the remaining museum collections. The funds will NOT be used for operations.

The details of the deaccessioning process are detailed in our Collection Management Policy which is available upon request or on our website in Annual Reports under the “About Us” tab.

For any questions or concerns about deaccessioning or the museum collections, please contact me Erin Vanier, Curator and Collections Manager at evanier.mhs@gmail.com or 906-984-2234.