Next to guidelines there are other tool developed that help in the deaccessioning and disposal process.
Countries with other deaccessioning tools
Other tools and deaccessioning
Collections review
Deaccessioning and disposal projects are not goals to be striven for as a part of good collections management, but rather are a means to attain a healthy collection. The process of determining whether or not an object fits into the museum collection is a topic not included in these guidelines. What should be disposed of depends on many different factors within the museum itself, such as a collections profile. In the last ten years there have been developments in numerous countries regarding collections assessment tools that help museums make the right decisions.
The Netherlands have developed the Assessing Museum Collections tool. In other countries this has not been formalized in a national publication. Rather, museums themselves develop these processed themselves.
Deaccessioning websites and other online possibilities
Digital communication and disimination of information is being used more and more frequently in the museum field. The UK (Find an Object) and the Netherlands (Afstotingsdatabase) have developed websites where museums can present their proposed disposals. This gives other museums the chance to apply for new ownership (in the UK and NL), and to mark an object as possible national heritage that should not leave the public domain (NL only)
Countries with other deaccessioning tools
Country | |
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Belgium | Flanders has developed an collection assessment tool called Kwaliteitsvol Waarderingstraject. |
Estonia | Estonian museum professionals can use a mailing list, provided by the Estonian Museums Association to present the proposed disposals. |
The Netherlands | Online database for museums to present their proposed disposals www.afstotingsdatabase.nl Collections Assessment tool: Op de Museale Weegschaal (Assessing Museum Collections)
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United Kingdom | The British Museums Association has developed the website Find an Object, for museums to present their proposed disposals. Individual museums are working on collection review methods. |