Museum artifact deaccessioning process being carried out in six phases

NORTH HURON – Community Engagement Coordinator Denise Lockie provided an update to North Huron Council on the progress of the ongoing deaccessioning project of artifacts on display at the North Huron Museum before its closing.

The report said that the project to record and deaccession the artifacts is being carried out in six phases.

Phase 1 was the deaccession of easy items, including museum artifacts and archival material, with a clearly defined accession number visible on the item or an attached museum label. These easy items also have complete paperwork in a corresponding filed folder, signed by the donor.

The second phase involved the “Archive Room,” which is on the second floor of the museum and is an amalgamation of accessioned artifacts and “accessioned and non-accessioned township records.” These records need to be organized to determine which objects need to be deaccessioned. A report will be brought before council at a later date to establish which is a township record and which is a museum artifact.

Phase 3, titled “problematic,” deals with artifacts that have an accession number but incomplete paperwork. Staff will make all available attempts to contact the original donors, who can either schedule a time to pick up the item or transfer ownership to the North Huron Museum (NHM). If no original donor is found after a reasonable effort, NHM will assume ownership and deaccession it according to the deaccession policy.

Phase 4, titled “Match-up,” where staff attempt to match up items that do not have a visible accession number with unclaimed paperwork.

“The main goal of this step is to separate museum artifacts that were poorly categorized and still a part of the museum catalog and need to be deaccessioned, from items placed in the museum building that were never officially cataloged (either into the PastPerfect system or with physical paperwork),” Lockie’s report said.

“Artifacts that were poorly categorized and still part of the museum catalog will be deaccessioned in accordance with the Township’s Deaccessioning Policy. See Phase 5 regarding items that were never officially cataloged.”

Phase 5 deals with objects found in the museum building with no accession number and not matched through description to any unclaimed artifact file. “NHM does not have a legal obligation to these objects as such, disposal of these items does not need to occur in accordance with the Township’s Deaccession Policy. These items can be offered to any person or institution, and/or offered at public sale,” said the report.

As per the Deaccessioning Policy, deaccessioned artifacts are to be disposed of in the following manner:

1) Offered as a gift or private sale to other public museums or similar public institutions. The transfer of such artifacts entails corresponding with the chosen institution to determine what they are interested in acquiring from our deaccession lists and answer any further provenance and/or condition questions regarding the artifacts. After confirming what objects will be transferred, chosen artifacts must be photographed and marked as ‘to be transferred’ in our Excel sheets. The paperwork must be scanned, and the artifact must be added to a transfer list. The institution acquiring the artifact must arrange to pick it up on an agreed-upon date.

2) If the artifact is not transferred to the Canadian museum community, it may be disposed of through public sale. All monies obtained through the sale of deaccessioned objects will be directed to where the (municipality/Township/Community Engagement Coordinator and CAO deem appropriate); (or directed towards other heritage projects in North Huron/Huron County). If this step becomes necessary, staff will seek Council direction regarding the sale process and allocation of sale proceeds.

3) Repatriation to the indigenous groups or originating community the object belongs to.

4) As a final option at the end of the deaccessioning project, the museum object and/or archival material with deteriorated condition and artifacts not sold at public auction would be deemed to have no monetary value and of interest to anyone. These items will be reviewed by the CAO and Clerk and, subject to their approval, will undergo intentional destruction by designated museum personnel before two witnesses or disposed of in a fashion that ensures they cannot be reconstructed in any way.

“The manner of disposal shall be in the best interest of the NHM, the public it serves, and the public trust placed in the NHM,” Lockie said in her report. “Except in the case of accidental loss or destruction, every effort will be made to ensure that the deaccessioned museum objects and archival materials remain in the public domain.”

Current update

“As of March 20, 2024, 7047 artifacts, out of an estimated 12,000 cataloged artifacts, have been deaccessioned throughout nine lists approved by council. Of the deaccessioned artifacts, 3993 have been transferred to a public museum, and a qualified institution can acquire 3,054 deaccessioned artifacts,” the report said.

“An estimated 5,000 artifacts need to be matched or a problem resolved to move these artifacts forward in the deaccessioning process.

“The North Huron Museum Deaccessioning Assistants are organizing the Township of North Huron ‘Archive Room’ and creating a list of objects to be deaccessioned. This list will be presented to North Huron staff and council for consideration. Some of these items are related to direct municipal business and may be rendered necessary to keep. Staff can only proceed with the following phases once everything in the catalogue is deaccessioned and processed.”

Future problems

“At this point in the process, the ‘easy’ museum objects and some archival materials have been deaccessioned. Due to the unique circumstances of this project, staff foresee obstacles that will hinder the speed of the deaccessioning process; for example, contacting donors and waiting for their response,” Lockie’s report said.

“The Huron County Museum has first pick of the deaccessioned items and to date, the Huron County Museum has had dedicated interns/staff to this project. These resources will no longer be available, slowing the Huron County Museum’s response. Problematic objects and artifacts that need to be matched will also take longer to deaccession, and the process will be slowed through contact with other institutions and waiting for their response.

“Management staff are monitoring this project closely and will adjust staffing levels as needed.”

Cory Bilyea, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Wingham Advance Times