Deaccessioning in Latvia
Latvia is situated in the north-eastern part of Europe. It has extensive legislation of deaccessioning and disposal, but has no other tools developed.

Country details for Latvia
Official name: | Republic of Latvia |
Number of residents: | 1,96 million |
Number of museums: | 151 |
Parameters: | Legislation, National register of objects, and Accreditation scheme |
Deaccessioning possibilities in Latvia:
LEGISLATION
Specific legislation on deaccessioning and disposal is found in the
Law on Museums 2006 §13.6 & §13.7
(6) The following provisions shall be observed in relation to the objects and collections of the National Holdings: 1) it is prohibited to alienate individual objects or collections included in the National Holdings; 2) in alienating any collection or object included in the National Holdings, at first it shall be offered to another accredited museum with the intermediation and permission of the State Authority on Museums; and 3) it is prohibited to pledge objects or collections included in the National Holdings, and recovery proceedings may not be applied to them upon the request of a creditor. (7) An object may be withdrawn from the National Holdings if: 1) the object has significant damage, due to which it cannot be restored; 2) the object has been lost or naturally disintegrated; 3) the object has been acquired illegally; or 4) the object has lost the museum-related value thereof. External link latvian law on museums Law on Museums 2006 §13.6 & §13.7
and the
Regulations on Museum Stock of 2006 Section III
III. National stock items are forfeited and removed from the National Stock 29. The national stock held by the museum may be expropriated: 29.1. the museum object, which, in accordance with the museum regulations (statutes, rules of procedure, contract) and collection policy, do not correspond to the museum’s mission; 29.2. museum objects if the museum is reorganized; 29.3. Separate copies of museum objects, if there are analogous copies of the museum’s basic contents; 29.4. the museum’s subject matter if the museum can not ensure its preservation. (Amended by Cabinet Regulation No. 1102 of 29 September 2009) 30. To dispose of the subject matter of the National stock held by the museum, the director (head) of the respective museum shall submit an application to the Ministry of Culture and an extract from the minutes of the meeting of the museum collection commission. If the reason for the disposal corresponds to the conditions referred to in Paragraph 29 of these Regulations , the Ministry of Culture shall publish in the newspaper Latvijas Vēstnesis information about the object of the museum to be expropriated. Museums may apply for the acquisition of a museum object to be divested within a month after the day of publication of the advertisement. The museum applications are reviewed and decided by the Ministry of Culture, taking into account the opinion of the Latvian Council of Museums. (Amended by Cabinet Regulation No. 1102 of 29 September 2009, Cabinet Regulation No.1409 of 08.12.2009 ) 31. Museums that are part of the National Collection may be disposed of to an accredited museum or another person registered in the Republic of Latvia. 32. If the museum or other person owning the subject matter of the National Collection wishes to dispose of it and transfer it to a museum with which agreement has been reached on the acquisition of the object in the ownership of the museum, the owner of the object or his authorized person submits an application to the Ministry of Culture, the museum director also a statement of the minutes of the meeting of the museum collection commission. If the alienation complies with Section 13, Paragraph six, clause 1 of the Museums Law and the conditions referred to in Paragraphs 29 and 31 of these Regulations, the Ministry of Culture examines the application, but does not publish the announcement on the alienation in the newspaper Latvijas Vēstnesis. When making a decision, the Ministry of Culture takes into account the opinion of the Latvian Museum Council. (Amended by Cabinet Regulation No. 1409 of 08.12.2009 ) 33. In order to alienate a museum item in the National Stock to a non-museum registered in the Republic of Latvia, the owner of the respective museum object shall submit an application to the Ministry of Culture. If the alienation complies with the condition referred to in Section 13, Paragraph six, Clause 1 of the Law on Museums , the Ministry of Culture publishes in the newspaper Latvijas Vēstnesis information about the museum object to be divested. Museums may apply for the acquisition of a museum object to be dispossessed within a month after publication of the advertisement. Applications are reviewed and decided by the Ministry of Culture, taking into account the opinion of the Latvian Council of Museums. (Amended by Cabinet Regulation No. 1409 of 08.12.2009 ) 34. If within a month after the day of publication of the advertisement in the newspaper Latvijas Vēstnesis, no museum requests to acquire objects disposable in the National stock, the museum or other person owning the relevant subject of the National Stock or the authorized representative of the owner may, in the case referred to in Paragraph 35 of these Regulations, In order to turn to the Ministry of Culture for removal of the item from the National stock, if the withdrawal meets the criteria referred to in Section 13, Paragraph seven of the Museums Law . (Amended by Cabinet Regulation No. 1409 of 08.12.2009 ) 35. In order to remove an item from the National Collection, the director of the museum (head) submits an application to the Ministry of Culture and an extract from the minutes of the meeting of the Museum Collection Commission, while other persons possessing a museum object included in the National Collection – an application. The submitted documents are reviewed by the Ministry of Culture. When making a decision, the Ministry of Culture takes into account the opinion of the Latvian Council of Museums and, if necessary, the opinion of the expert commission. (Amended by Cabinet Regulation No. 1409 of 08.12.2009 ) 36. The inventory numbers of items removed from the National Stock are prohibited for use in newly acquired items of the National Collection. External link Regulations on Museum Stock of 2006Regulations on Museum Stock of 2006 Section III
GUIDELINES
Latvia has no guidelines on deaccessioning and disposal.
OTHER TOOLS
Latvia has no other tools on deaccessioning and disposal.
CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS
Latvia has no national classification system for museum objects
NATIONAL REGISTER OBJECTS
Latvia has a national register of museum objects, called the Catalogue of Unified National Museum Holdings. It is administered by the Ministry of Culture
ACCREDITATION SCHEME
Latvia has a museum accreditation scheme, administered by the state.
RELATED NEWS
Câmara do Porto will pay for maintenance and insurance of the collection Juan Miró
December 2017: The City Council of Porto will pay for the maintenance and insurance of the collection of the Catalan artist Juan Miró, after the government chose the city to welcome it permanently, an [...]
Debt-Ridden Portugal Will Keep Trove of Joan Miró Paintings Inside the Country
September 2016: The fate of the Portuguese government’s collection of 85 Joan Miró paintings, which was on the verge of being auctioned off in 2014, has finally been determined. On Monday, Prime Minis [...]