| SoFAB COLLECTIONS POLICIES
I. GENERAL A. Statement of Collection Policy: The Southern Food and Beverage Museum collects books, objects, and archival, pictorial and bibliographic materials pertaining to the culinary history of the American South. The collections are made for the purpose of documentation, preservation, research, exhibition and interpretation for all generations. B. Scope and Uses of the Collection The collection consists of all historical, bibliographical and artifact specimens, and artifacts relating or pertaining to the culinary history of the American South. The interpretive scope of the museum includes all American Southern culinary history that meets the criteria set forth in the "Statement of Collection Policy." Objects not meeting the criteria will not be accepted as a loan or donation to the collection. Books, objects or artifacts already on loan to the museum or in the collection not meeting this criteria shall be returned to the owner or be de-accessioned. The various sub-collections shall be used for: scholarly research; teaching or interpretive purposes in conjunction with lectures, field trips, and visiting groups; outgoing loans to appropriate non-profit, educational institutions; or exhibition or display within the museum. The museum may also accept and maintain certain materials for educational purposes which may not be accessioned into the collection.
C. Staff Responsibilities The director is the final authority on all decisions affecting the collection. The director shall delegate various authorities and responsibilities to the curators, collections manager, librarian or registrar concerning the collection as deemed necessary. The collections manager has decision-making authority and responsibilities vested by the director. The manager shall advise the director and the curators in decisions affecting the collection. The registrar has decision-making authority and responsibilities vested by the director. The registrar shall advise the director and curators in decisions affecting the collection. The curators have decision-making authority and responsibilities vested in them by the director. They shall serve in an advisory role to the director in decisions affecting the collection. They shall receive advice from the registrar and manager on matters concerning the collection. A Collections Committee consisting of the director, curator of education, and the collection manager will: approve objects for acceptance, designate placement in the permanent or teaching collections, advise as to methods of conservation of objects, approve long-term loans to and from the museum. The Southern Food and Beverage Museum shall adhere to the Code of Ethics of the American Association of Museums and the American Institute of the Conservation of Artistic and Historic Works.
II. ACQUISITION OF COLLECTION MATERIALS A. Acquisition Procedures The museum acquires artifacts through various methods: donation; transfer; purchase; issue; and loan. Inherent in any acceptance of collection is the museum’s responsibility for its perpetual preservation and conservation. 1. All objects proposed for acquisition will be reviewed by the Collections Committee. The committee shall make recommendations regarding acceptance. a. The Collections Committee will conduct an analysis to determine compatibility of the object with collection categories, its value, and its storage and display requirements. The committee also will analyze requirements stipulated by the donor and other potential issues before making its decision. b. The Collections Committee will make certain that there is no conflict of interest between the donors or lenders of objects and the museum's best professional interest and its legal integrity. c. Prior to acquisition, arrangements will be made to properly insure the item, including identifying and securing insurance funds to pay for the insurance. d. The decision about accepting the object into the collection will become final if supported by a majority of voting members of the Committee. e. The Museum does not accept acquisitions on which restrictions or special conditions, other than donor recognition, have been placed. No gift will be accepted on the condition that it is to be permanently exhibited or labeled. All donations become the property of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. No donation to the museum can be returned, sold or disposed of, for any reason, without the written permission of Collections Committee. Only donations of material covered in this scope of collections policy will be accepted. 2. Objects shall not be accepted or otherwise acquired for museum collection unless the following conditions are met: a. The objects are relevant to and consistent with the purposes and activities of the Museum. b. The museum can provide for storage, protection and preservation of the objects under conditions that assure their availability for museum purposes and comply with the accepted professional standards. c. The objects have a demonstrated authenticity, established provenance, and a clear proof of title. d. The objects should have proven legal and ethical integrity. If there is suspicion that the objects have been looted, stolen or otherwise illegally obtained, they should not be accepted in the collection. e. The objects are either in a display condition or a condition which the Museum has the resources to restore and maintain. 3. It is intended for all acquired objects to have permanency in the collection, unless otherwise designated in the acquisition record or decided afterwards for the benefit of the collection, its quality and consistency. 4. Accurate records of the collection shall be maintained by the museum. Inventory reconciliation shall be conducted at the end of each budget year. 5. If the object is donated to the museum by a living artist, a copyright agreement shall be signed by the artist so that the museum can arrange to use reproductions of the work for educational, catalogue, publicity, and professional purposes without infringing on the artist's copyright. B. Loans Permanent or indefinite loans are not to be accepted. Current permanent or indefinite loans are to be further reduced by returning them to their owners or convincing their owners to donate them to the museum. Loans to the museum can be made for a maximum of five years for exhibition or research purposes only and subject to Collections Committee or director approval. The museum can take temporary custody of a book, object, or artifact for three months or less for research, study, identification, lecture, field trip, or exhibition purposes. Outgoing loans may be made only to appropriate non-profit, educational institutions for research, educational, or exhibition purposes. That institution must bear all the costs of packing and shipping.
a) Certain valuable artifacts, biological specimens, or large teaching collections can only be loaned to AAM-accredited museums meeting certain specific standards concerning conservation, security, insurance, shipping, and exhibition set forth by the director, curators, manager, and registrar. These can be loaned up to one year and request for renewal must be in writing 30 days in advance. Renewals are to be on the same basis as the original loan. b) Teaching collections and certain study artifacts and objects can be loaned to any non-profit institution on approval by the director, the curators, and the collections manager. These can be loaned up to two months and renewed in writing on the same basis. c) No books, artifacts or objects shall be loaned to an individual. Loan Procedures
a) A "Loan Agreement Form" must be signed by the lender and the authorized museum personnel acknowledging the condition and terms of the loan. b) A permanent loan file shall be kept on every object in the collection. c) All rules and procedures shall be found and described in the registrar's manual and shall be enforced by the registrar, manager, and director. C. Donations and Accessions Accessioning is the process by which an object is acquired and added to the collection. A "Donation Agreement Form" must be signed by the donor transferring title of ownership, establishing the donation as the outright and unconditional property of the museum, and must describe the object and condition fully. Authorized museum personnel must sign the form. A permanent accession file shall be kept on every object in the collection as well as recorded on the collections computer program.
D. De-accessioning De-accessioning is the process by which an object, artifact, or biological specimen is permanently removed from the collection. The criteria for de-accessioning is as follows:
a) The object is deemed to be no longer relevant and useful to the purposes and activities as set forth in the "Statement of Purpose." b) The museum can no longer properly take care of or preserve the object according to AAM or AIC standards. c) The object has deteriorated beyond its usefulness. d) There is a need or an opportunity to upgrade and replace an object in the collection. The procedure for de-accessioning is as follows:
a. The above objects may be removed from the collection only for specific purposes which benefit the museum --- the integrity, consistency, and development of its collection. b. The preferred form of de-accessioning is an auction. c. No part of the collection will be given as a gift to any individual, institution, or other entity. d. There will be no private sale to staff or members of the governing authority of the museum, or to their representatives. e. Funds received from the sale of the collection objects cannot be used for operating expense of the museum. They may be allocated only for purposes that clearly benefit the collection, such as acquisition fund to expand the collection or conservation fund to maintain it. These funds shall be kept in a specially designated museum account. III. CONSERVATION OF THE COLLECTION It is the policy of the museum to adhere to a written preventive conservation policy. Preventive conservation stabilizes all books, objects, and artifacts within the collection by maintaining appropriate storage conditions. The Collections Committee shall oversee the enforcement of the policy and shall advise the director of the conservation of the collection periodically. IV. ACCESS TO THE COLLECTION The collection is an educational resource and will be made available to the public by appointment, for close inspection and photography, under proper control, subject to the approval of the director or the members of the Collections Committee. Access to storage and conservation areas is limited to those supervised by the director or a staff member of the Collections Committee. Collections staff members will advise users as to the proper use and handling of collections and will exercise caution when determining the level of use access and supervision. Collections staff members may revoke access to the collections when safety of the object or the individual is, or appears to be, jeopardized. Appropriate training will be provided for all individuals given permission to handle collections. The museum reserves the right to hold users liable for any damage they cause to collections. No food, drink, or tobacco will be permitted in the collections areas.
|
