Hello Chuck Stout et al.:

To quote from the AAM's Museum Ethics (1978):  "In general objects should be kept as long as they retain their physical integrity, authenticity and usefulness for the museum's purpose" (p. 12).  Also, "Only for clear and compelling reasons should an object be disposed of against the advice of the museum's professional staff" (p. 13).

It might be helpful to look at a sample deaccessioning criteria listing:

1. The material is outside the scope of, or is irrelevant to the mission of the museum and its acquisition policies.
2. The material lacks physical integrity.  (It is incomplete, broken, or in poor and unsalvageable condition.)
3. The material has failed to retain its documentation or authenticity, or has been lost or stolen and remains lost for longer than two years.
4. The material is duplicate in that the museum's collections contain other examples of the same type of material which are sufficient or better-suited to the needs of the museum.
5. The museum is unable to preserve the material properly.
6. The material has deteriorated to the degree that it cannot be used for exhibit or research purposes.
7. The material has doubtful potential use in the foreseeable future.
8. There exists a more appropriate repository for the material.
9. The material falls within the categories outlined in the museum's policies for the management of human skeletal remains, associated burial goods, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony.

You could also take a look at the following resources:

        Malaro, Marie C. A Legal Primer on Managing Museum Collections. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1985.

        Buck & Gilmore (eds.). The New Museum Registration Methods, 4th Edition.  AAM, 1998.

        MIT Museum's Policies (see 'deaccession', in three parts)
        http://web.mit.edu/museum/policies/

        Mystic Seaport (has a thorough collections policy, including deaccessioning)
        http://www.mysticseaport.org/public/collections/collpol.html

I'm all out of suggestions . . . hope they are useful.

Sincerely,

Jay Heuman, Visitor & Volunteer Services Coordinator
Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68102
342-3300 (telephone)     342-2376 (fax)       www.joslyn.org

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