CCW 18-093, Dated March 27, 2018 Regarding the Deaccession of Objects from Simcoe County Museum Collection, Be Received; And
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To: Committee of the Whole Agenda Section: Performance Management Division: CAO, Clerk's and Communications Department: Museum Item Number: CCW - 18 - 093 Meeting Date: March 27, 2018 Subject: Objects for Deaccession from Simcoe County Museum collection Recommendation That Item CCW 18-093, dated March 27, 2018 regarding the deaccession of objects from Simcoe County Museum collection, be received; and That staff proceed with the deaccession of the identified objects in accordance with the Museum Collections Management policy. Executive Summary Simcoe County Museum has been collecting objects since 1930, and currently has more than 30,000 artifacts in the permanent collection. When an object is accepted into the collection, it is with the intent that this artifact will be held permanently at the museum, and that the museum will ensure that it has the adequate capacity and resources to record, preserve, display and store each of those artifacts in accordance with the highest professional standards. As part of a solid collections management program, and in order to properly care for and manage the collection, it is necessary from time to time to review artifacts in the collection to assess their condition, provenance (the object’s complete documented history), relevance to the museum’s mission and statement of purpose, and duplication within the collection. Objects that are in poor condition, lack provenance, have no relevance to the museum’s purpose, or are duplicate items, may be good candidates for consideration of removal from the collection. In a museum collection, removing objects from the permanent collection is known as deaccessioning. Deaccessioning objects is an important component to maintaining a robust and healthy museum collection. As the museum collection grows, the practice of completing collections analysis and identifying objects for deaccessioning allows objects to be evaluated and potentially moved to a more appropriate location. March 27, 2018 Committee of the Whole - CCW 18 - 093 Page 2 In accordance with the professional standards and ethics set out by the Canadian Museums Association, and outlined in the Museum Collections Management policy, staff recommend that the evaluated items identified in this report be deaccessioned, for the reasons outlined, in accordance with the criteria and goals outlined in the Collections Management policy, attached as Schedule 1 to this Item. Background/Analysis/Options As part of the museum’s ongoing collections management efforts, it was determined that a review needed to be undertaken to evaluate if any objects currently in the collection would be suitable candidates for deaccessioning. This review began in summer, 2016, and continued through to October, 2017. Staff have been fortunate to have assistance from a collections summer student, and Interns from the Museum Studies programs at Georgian and Fleming Colleges to conduct an inventory and photo documentation project. These staff were tasked with matching objects in our outdoor storage areas (Vespra Shed, Trades Barn, and Storage Coverall) to the corresponding record in PastPerfect, the museum’s collections management database. Each matched object was thoroughly documented with updated physical descriptions, new condition reports, and identifying photographs included in the database. During this inventory project, a list of items was created to identify which artifacts should be considered for deaccession based on poor condition, duplication within the collection, or lack of provenance. Should the recommended items be approved for deaccession, staff will follow the process outlined in the collections management policy. All items will first be offered to the other museums located within Simcoe County. Any remaining items will then be posted on the ON-Muse listserv, an email distribution list coordinated by the Ontario Museums Association that is sent to museums in Ontario. Any museums interested in acquiring a deaccessioned piece are required to make arrangements to have that item picked up within two months. Items not accepted by other public institutions in Ontario will be disposed of confidentially through a trusted auction house or site. Any funds generated from the sale of these items will be retained in the museum’s Channen Fund Reserve Account for future acquisitions, as per the collections management policy. If a deaccessioned artifact is in an advanced state of deterioration, posing a safety hazard to staff and the public, or can no longer serve a definable purpose, the object will be destroyed. Two museum staff members will be present to oversee the object’s destruction and complete the appropriate documentation of the process. Proposed Items for Deaccession The following items, having been carefully reviewed by the collections team; Registrar, Collections Technician, and Museum Curator, are recommended for deaccession from the museum’s permanent collection. It should be noted that, while not included in the reason for deaccession, many of these items are duplicates of artifacts in the collection. Form issued: April 2016 March 27, 2018 Committee of the Whole - CCW 18 - 093 Page 3 Object ID Object Name Description Reason for Condition Deaccession 957.316.1 Stereoscope Stereoscope. Wood body with aluminum Poor Poor hood. Includes set of slides condition 960.685 Feed One FEED CHOPPER, or TURNIP Lack of Fair Chopper CHOPPER. Hand turned, it has a disc and provenance a cast iron container. This is a model No. 2 pulper, side wheel type (as per 1927 M-H catalogue). 963.1846 Baby One wicker BABY CARRIAGE. Lack of Poor Carriage provenance, Poor condition 963.2002 Knick Knack One glass slipper with heel. Intricate design Broken Poor 964.2223 Cradle Scythe One CRADLE SCYTHE in two pieces. The Lack of Poor blade of the scythe is completely rusted all provenance, over the surface. Poor condition 964.2286 Milk Can One MILK CAN. The can is metal and Lack of Poor cylindrical in shape. Stamped into the metal provenance on the front of the can is "Meaford Creamery". There is visible rust on the entire surface of the can. 964.2477 Sewing One SEWING MACHINE. Early Jones Poor Fair Machine sewing machine brought over from Blythe, condition, England. Duplication 967.3710 Milk Can MILK CAN is cylindrical in shape, and has a Lack of Fair mushroom shaped lid at the top. It has provenance "Silverwoods Toronto" engraved across centre portion of can. 1968.47.1 Ensilage One Cutting box or CORN CUTTER. Lack of Fair/Incomplete Cutter "Aurora Agricultural Works". The base is provenance rectangular in shape and is made of wooden material that is painted red. 1969.68.10 Binder One grain BINDER. Horse drawn, and used Lack of Poor to cut and bind grain into sheaves provenance, Poor condition 1969.117.2 Slant-Top One sloped-top mahogany DESK. Four Lack of Poor Desk drawers on the left side measure 39cm provenance, length by 13cm width. Poor condition 1970.54.1 Baby One wicker BABY CARRIAGE. Frame of Lack of Poor Carriage body is a combination of wood and metal provenance, fixtures. Poor condition 1972.61.1 Vehicle One BUGGY BACK or BUGGY Lack of Poor Component FOOTREST. Broken front wooden edge. provenance, Edges have metal nails in them, appear to Poor have held a fabric or lining of some sort. condition 1972.61.10 Scale One set of SCALES. Metal rusted sliding Lack of Poor weights and graduated scale. provenance, Poor condition Form issued: April 2016 March 27, 2018 Committee of the Whole - CCW 18 - 093 Page 4 Object ID Object Name Description Reason for Condition Deaccession 1973.11.3 Baby One wicker BABY CARRIAGE. Two wheels Lack of Poor Carriage are located inside the carriage and are no provenance, longer attached to the body. Poor condition 1974.127.5 Fruit Press One FRUIT or CIDER PRESS. Constructed Lack of Poor of various components made of metal and provenance, pine, painted green. poor condition 1975.9.2a Milk Can MILK CAN, "Lakeshore Dairy Ltd. Lack of Poor Etobicoke". provenance 1975.9.2b Milk Can MILK CAN, Lakeshore Dairy Ltd. Lack of Poor Etobicoke". provenance 1975.9.2c Milk Can MILK CAN, "Detroit Creamery Co". Lack of Poor provenance 1975.23.2 Saucer Two saucers, one with three cornered piece Poor Poor missing condition 1975.23.4 Teacup Three teacups, one with handle broken off, Poor Poor the remaining two with large vertical cracks condition from top edge. 1975.34.19 Lid One clear glass lid or cover from butter Poor Poor dish. Badly broken on top, mended condition 1975.132.1 Carriage One horse drawn BUGGY, two seater, Poor Fair constructed of wood with homemade rubber condition rimmed wheels. 1975.133.2 Bottle Stopper Two crystal decanter stoppers, one floral Poor Poor design, one rounded. Broken condition 1976.35.1 Wheelchair One WHEELCHAIR, with wooden frame Lack of Poor and metal fixtures. On the back there is also provenance, a sticker label with the manufacturers name Poor "The J.F. Hartz Co Limited Sick Room condition Supplies Toronto & Montreal." 1976.73.4 Tin One black pepper tin, rusted and label torn Poor Poor in places condition 1976.83.2 Doll Carriage One DOLL CARRIAGE, folding type, metal Poor Poor disk wheels painted red. condition 1977.8.12 Hand Fan One ivory HAND FAN, oval shape. Very Poor Poor fragile condition, and evidence of carpet condition beetles. 1977.15.11 Goblet One Goblet, Ribbon band pattern. Broken Poor Poor stem condition 1977.33.3 Crock Three gallon earthenware crown Crock, Poor Poor cracked, with hole in side condition 1977.57.54 Bowl One small pink satin glass bowl. Badly Poor Poor broken and mended. condition 1977.68.19 Pitcher One small pitcher, acanthus leaves in greek Poor Poor style. Chip in top lip. condition 1977.123.2 Vase Moorcroft Vase, 2/3 of rim is broken. Poor Poor condition 1978.48.1 Sewing One SEWING MACHINE, cobbler's leather Lack of Fair Machine working machine, made by Singer.