Actually, Mr. Watkins, I don't think anyone has "bent" the word
"accession" to fit museum needs at all (well, perhaps someone did in the
18th or 19th century--I don't claim any expertise in the etymology of
the word). At least I don't think it's been "bent" recently. I believe
you'll find that any decent dictionary includes the "museum meaning" of
"accession," which appears to extend into real estate law as well.
Indeed, I would guess, again with no specific expertise, that
"accession" is basically a legal concept, not some specialized museum
lingo designed to confuse the great unwashed hordes who are not
privileged to work in museums. If I'm wrong, I would welcome a
correction. Furthermore, it seems to me that if a word is defined in a
standard, non-specialized dictionary, it's misleading to call it
"jargon." That is a term, often used pejoratively, to imply language
which is unduly pretentious, arcane, or non-standard, and in the case of
"accession," I don't think it's applicable at all. It's in the
dictionary, so it's not that mysterious. If in the museum context it
implies a specific set of procedures, not explained in the dictionary,
that's not surprising either. The dictionary defines skin diving and
brain surgery, but it doesn't tell me how to do them.

I frankly think that "interactive" cannot be considered museum jargon
either. Once you've looked the word up in the dictionary and/or have
seen it used in one context, I think it's pretty easy to imagine it in a
museum context (specifically exhibits) and what that might entail.

OK, folks--here's the next great challenge for a potentially
interminable Museum-L thread: authentic museum jargon which cannot be
found in a standard dictionary. At the moment, I can't think of any
candidates! I'm sure someone will be happy to remedy that.

--David Haberstich