Accessioning

Accessioning is the formal process of recording or processing an addition to the permanent collection.

Accessioning includes

Completing the paperwork to make sure there is a transfer of title (ex. deed of gift, transfer form, purchase agreement)
Assigning the object(s) an accession number
Compiling the deed of gift, purchase agreement, any other legal paperwork and research done during acquisition process into the accession folder
Processing the object(s)
- re-housing
- marking the object with its number
- assigning a location for the object

What is Title?

Title is the possession of right of ownership in property
There can be good title and bad title. Bad title would be when the use of rights that were passed to the museum were not as they were represented.
Part of the acquisition process should be assuring that the object is as it is represented
It's important to know that some qualities are separate from the right of ownership, such as copyright interests and trademark- these rights are not automatically transferred with title

Assigning the object(s) an accession number

Generally accession numbers are made up of

The year the object comes into the collection
The "lot" number, the order the object was accessioned within that year
The objects individual number if there is more than one object in the lot

If the collection has multiple items it would be numbered as follows:

If a collection came in that had two parts to the same object you would not give each part an individual number but would add a letter behind the number.

So this would be 1995.15a and 1995.15b

*Remember how to assign accession numbers. I’ll be asking you about this again very soon!

Making a permanent accession folder

- Your accession file is the place to keep all the key information about the object
- Use archival quality folders and write the accession number, donor or collection name on the folder in pencil
- Treat the folder like it's an extension of the object

The accession folder should include such things as:

Accession Number
Date that the record was created and by whom
Artist/Maker name (if known)
Title
Creation Date
Medium
Dimensions
Credit Line
Markings or inscriptions
Approving curator and/or committee comments
Donor/Seller Contact info
Condition Notes

Insurance Value
Associated info/comments (came in box or crate? assembly instructions?)
Appropriate paperwork showing transfer of title
License Form
Photograph of object(s)
Light level restrictions or other information about the use or care of the object(s)
Research about the object, artist or creator
Provenance information
Incoming shipping information
Receipts from museum to previous owner
Correspondence between previous owner about how the object came to the museum
Object location
Catalog record

As Time Goes On... Adding To Your Accession File

You'll want to continually update your paper accession file as you use your object

- Exhibition History
- Loan History
- Publication History
- Rights and Reproductions
- Conservation History

Oddities

Half gift/purchase- For this process each half in the appropriate way and make sure that the credit line is agreed on.
Partial/Percentage Gift- The donor gives only a percentage at a time. May be for tax purposes or the desire to hold on to some of the items. In this case, try to get in writing what and when is coming in the future.
Promised Gifts or Bequests are not binding unless the donor's intent is expressed in their will. Pledges can be binding or nonbinding, binding pledges require action by both parties
Old Loans- Must make the effort to locate the lender, thoroughly document your steps
Found in Collection- Must make the effort to determine the origins, thoroughly document your steps.

Discussion Topic

Select one of the following hypothetical situations and discuss about how you think you would deal with that situation. Type out the question and provide your answer. Or if you have your own museum acquisition story/scenario feel free to do that.

A major donor calls on Dec. 24, offering a substantial year-end gift. However, your curator is out of the country until the new year. The director worries about offending the donor, but can you accept the donation without the curator’s approval?
How do you determine whether a donor has full authority to give an object to the museum? What do you do when you believe a gift has been finalized and another party arrives with a claim to the object?
Your museum is hosting an exhibition of digital and media art. You receive on loan many DVDs with digital artwork. The insurance values differ widely: some lenders place a value on the intellectual artwork, while others require insurance only for the physical disk. How do you bring some equality to this situation? Do you need to?
You have arrived at a new job in an anthropology museum. One of your first finds is a metal cabinet in the “holding area” for collections. It contains various objects, some with handwritten notes under them, some with no notes at all. The first you look at says “Possibly a gift, 1982” and the second says “M. Campbell identification request, 12/91.” The list goes on. What are the issues with these objects and how do you resolve them? What do you recommend for a system that will keep this from happening in the future?

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