Removal from Historic Collection

Removal from Historic Collection. A. Policy for Removal from Historic Collection: The Collections Committee has the right, carefully and judiciously, to dispose of objects from Mansion’s collections in a manner consistent with professionally accepted standards. A written request listing the reason(s) for removal and the recommended means of disposal must be signed by the Mansion curator, the Museum Division director, and the Department director before submission to the Board of Trustees. Only if the removal request is approved by the Board of Trustees is the Mansion authorized to proceed with disposal. Once the removal request is approved by the Board of Trustees, items on state fixed assets inventory must be removed from inventory according to procedures established by the State Property Office. B. Criteria for Removal from Historic Collection: An object recommended for removal from the historic collection must meet at least one of the following criteria: 1. The object has ceased to have relevance and consistency with the Mansion’s purposes and activities. 2. The object has deteriorated beyond usefulness. 3. The object is made of hazardous materials or is actively decomposing in a manner that directly affects the condition of other objects and/or the health and safety of the Mansion staff and/or visitors. 4. The Mansion is unable to continue to provide proper care and storage for the object. 5. The object’s care and storage are far more expensive than the value of the object as it relates to the Mansion’s purpose and activities. 6. The object has failed to retain its identity or authenticity. 7. The object has been lost or stolen and remains so for ten years or more. 8. The object has been or may be replaced with a similar object of greater significance, quality, and better condition. 9. The object was donated under false pretenses. 10. The object is subject to legal and ethical standards such as the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act. C. Procedures for Removal from the Historic Collection: The Mansion curator may recommend to remove an object from the historic collection if, in his/her opinion, and based upon the criteria set forth in the removal policy, the removal of the object is beneficial to proper collections management. A Request to Remove an Object from the Historic Section Form identifying the object, its condition, the reason(s) for removal, the recommended means of disposal, and any other pertinent information necessary for evaluation of the object must be completed by the Mansion curator and approved by the Museum Division director and the Department director. The Request to Remove an Object from the Historic Section Form must then be submitted to the Board of Trustees for review and approval. No object is to be removed from the historic collection unless the Mansion has clear and unrestricted legal title to the object. If there are any questions regarding the title, the Mansion’s legal counsel will be consulted. If an object is to be sold, an appraisal of the object’s fair market value will be completed by a qualified, objective appraiser. Objects removed from the historic collection will not be sold or given publicly or privately, to any Mansion employees, employees of the Department of Archives and History, members of the Friends of the Mansion board, members of the Board of Trustees, their families, or their representatives. Complete records will be maintained on all objects removed from the historic collection and their subsequent disposition. D. Methods of Disposal: An object removed from the historic collection may be disposed of in one of the following methods: 1. Transfer to another more appropriate repository administered by the Department of Archives and History. 2. Transfer ownership to the Department of Finance and Administration and retain at the Governor’s Mansion for use during official state functions and facility use events. 3. Donation to an appropriate non-profit museum or a scholarly/cultural institution or organization, preferably within the state of Mississippi, especially if the object is from the state. 4. Sale at an advertised public auction or in the public marketplace in a manner that complies with state law and that will best protect the interests, objectives, and legal status of the Governor’s Mansion and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. 5. Return to the donor (only if this was stipulated by the donor on the Department of Archives and History Contract of Gift Form used by the Mansion prior to the adoption of the Unconditional Gift Agreement, the form in use since August 1998). 6. Destruction of the object (only if the object has deteriorated beyond usefulness and no other method of disposal is appropriate). E. Use of Proceeds Derived from Removal from the Historic Collection/Disposal: Any funds derived from the sale of objects removed from the historic collection will be placed in the Friends of the Mansion fund for the sole use of acquisition for or conservation of object(s) in the Governor’s Mansion historic collection. F. Recordkeeping for Removal from the Historic Collection: All records of objects removed from the historic collection will be clearly marked as removed and an “Objects Removed from the Historic Collection” file containing a complete record of objects removed from the historic collection and their subsequent disposition will be maintained by the Mansion curator. Duplicate records are maintained in the Two Mississippi Museums for security.