V. Deaccession
No accessioned object or collection shall be removed from the Corporation's auspices except in conformity with the following rules:
A. A deaccession recommendation shall be prepared by the Collections Committee and approved by the Board of Trustees. Whenever deemed necessary, professional advice shall be sought before an item is deaccessioned.
B. The decision to deaccession should be cautious and deliberate and follow generally accepted museological standards. One of the following criteria must be met:
- The material is not relevant to the mission of the Corporation.
- The material has failed to retain its identity or has been lost or stolen and is not recovered.
- The material duplicates other material in the collection of the Corporation and is not necessary for research or educational purposes.
- The Corporation is unable to conserve the property in a responsible manner.
C. No donated material shall be deaccessioned for two years after the date of its acquisition. (See U.S. Tax Reform Act of 1984 and Internal Revenue Service regulations relating to the act.)
D. A complete record of deaccessions shall be kept. A copy of this record shall be retained permanently.
E. Proceeds derived from the deaccessioning of any property from the collection of the Corporation shall be placed either in a temporarily restricted fund to be used only for the acquisition, preservation, protection or care of collections, or in a permanently restricted fund the earnings of which shall be used only for the acquisition, preservation, protection or care of collections. In no event shall proceeds be used for operating expenses or for any purpose other than acquisition, preservation, protection or care of collections.
F. Disposal may be by exchange, donation or public sale with scholarly or cultural organizations as the preferred recipients.
G. Materials de-accessioned shall not be privately sold, given or otherwise transferred to the Corporation's staff or trustees.
This Policy was formally approved and adopted by the Board of Trustees of the ALLEGANY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY at a meeting held at Wellsville, NY on January 19, 2010. Note: It was reafirmed at the Organizational Meeting held in April, 2010. rgt.