https://spnhc.biowikifarm.net/wiki/Threatened_and_Orphaned_Collections

“What are endangered and orphaned collections

Orphaned collection: A collection that has lost curatorial support or whose owner has abandoned it (Cato et al. 2003, p. 255)^[1]. A collection that is no longer wanted by the institution or individual that houses it. The institution publicly renounces its responsibility to care for the collection. Often, the collection is offered and adopted by another institution but sometimes collections are disposed of without consultation.

Endangered collection: A systematic collection that, for any reason, is or soon may be no longer regarded as of value to its present ownership and thus in danger of becoming lost to the systematics research and education community (Duckworth et al. 1993)^[2]. Collections that lack curatorial support at the moment or are in imminent danger of losing curatorial support, and may become orphaned in the near future (Hoagland 1994)^[3].

Endangered/orphaned collection: “a substantive body of systematic material which is or soon may be no longer regarded as of value in its present ownership. This may be due to reduction of or absence of staffing or other support or negative or uninformed institutional policy decisions. The collection thus is in danger of becoming lost to the systematic research and education community…Adoption or acquisition of an endangered/orphaned collection is an activity independent of normal collecting activities of the museum, university or other entity.” (West 1988, p. 65)^[4].”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

The following guidelines elaborate upon the principles of the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums concerning the deaccessioning and disposition1 of objects 2 from museum collections.

The guidelines consider deaccessioning within the context of acquisition and accessioning and are intended to assist in the practical application of the Code of Ethics’ principles.

Acquisition The decision to acquire an object (whether it is offered for donation, acquired at sale or auction or found during an archaeological excavation) and accession it into a museum’s collection should be made thoughtfully, considering the nature of the object and its provenance, the museum’s mission3 and the resources that will be required to care for, display and provide access to the object. A museum’s collections policy should thoroughly define the acquisition process and address the legal and ethical principles and professional responsibilities involved4 . Acquisitions should be made in accordance with the highest standards of due diligence5 and in accordance with the applicable law6 .

Accessioning Once a museum acquires an object, the object is accessioned.

Accessioning is the formal process involved in accepting and recording an item as an object in a museum’s collection and its inventory. A record of the acquisition, accession processes, and all relevant documents accompanying the object should be kept and preserved. 1 In the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums, the term “disposal” is used instead of “disposition”.

For the purposes of these standards, the word object is used broadly to refer to all cultural objects, as defined in the relevant international legislation: cultural objects are those which, on religious or secular grounds, are of importance for archaeology, prehistory, history, literature, art or science.

Guidelines on Deaccessioning of the International Council of Museums Deaccessioning Deaccessioning is the act of lawfully removing an object from a museum’s collections. Where the law does not prohibit a museum from de-accessioning, a museum might consider deaccessioning an object from its collection for one of the following reasons: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Abstract .... QVMAG has one of the largest and most important natural science collections in Australia. They are a physical record of Tasmania's fauna, flora and geology; they are a window into Tasmania's natural history, mineral wealth and prehistoric life. The value of Natural Science collections RIGHT The breast feathers of the rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus). 40 QV [COMPELLING READING] ... CLICK HERE TO GO TO SOURCE

TASMANIAN EMU NOTES QVMAG ... CLICK HERE

Link to source

Link to source

CITIZENS CURATION

LINKS [1] - [2] - [3]
The Rise of the Citizen Curator: Participation as Curation on the Web ... Rebecca O'Neill ... Museum Studies, Autoethnography, Wikipedia Studies, Curation, Curatorship From jazz clubs to cheese plates, the term curation has become a signifier of the growing need to organise and prioritise the seemingly endless possibilities of the digital sphere. The issue addressed here is in the associated meanings of the word curation and what it means to be a curator by examining the experience of the curatorial within a discrete context: the Irish curatorial landscape. The word curation comes from the Latin curare, to care for, and has long been associated ..... READ MORE HERE