Section 1: Statement of Purpose
Section 2: Collecting Objectives
Section 3: Acquisition Policy
Section 4: Acquisition Procedures
Section 5: Deaccessioning Policy
Section 6: Deaccessioning Procedures
Section 7: Loan and Transfer Policy
Section 8: Loan and Transfer Procedures
Appendix: Sample Forms

The Purpose of the Woodstock Historical Society shall be to acquire and preserve historical knowledge and materials of Woodstock, Connecticut. It shall promote this history by every feasible means to as wide an audience as possible

The Society shall discover and collect any material, which may help to establish or illustrate the history of the area. These acquisitions may be by purchase, grant, donation or otherwise; and may include buildings and land determined to be of historical interest to Woodstock.

The Society’s collections may include study collections and expendable collections, in addition to regular collections.

1. Acquisition Criteria
All Society acquisitions must meet the following criteria before being accepted by the Society and the Museum:
1. The owner must have clear title.
2. If the item is to be purchased, the Board of Directors must arrange funding before the transaction is agreed upon.
3. An independent appraiser prior to the transaction must determine a fair market value.
4. The Society must be in a position to properly care for the acquisition in the short and the long term.
5. The significance of the artifact must be determined.
6. The provenance and authenticity of the artifact must be documented as much as possible.
7. All moral, legal and ethical implications of the acquisition must be considered.
8. Except for rare circumstances, no acquisition will be encumbered by less than full literary rights, property rights, copyrights, patents or trademarks.
9. An acquisition must be free of donor imposed restrictions.
10. All acquisitions must conform to the Society’s collecting objectives set forth above.
 
2. Means of Acquisition
1. Artifacts may be acquired by purchase, bequest, gift, exchange, field collection, excavating, levy by creditors, abandonment, reversionary clause, and adverse position.
2. No artifact shall be knowingly or willfully accepted or acquired which is known to have been illegally imported into or illegally collected in, the United States contrary to state or federal law, regulation, treaty or convention.
3. The Society subscribes to the provisions of the ICOM Convention of 1970. The Society shall refuse to acquire materials artifacts where there is cause to believe that the circumstances of their collection involve destruction of historic sites, buildings, structures, habitats, districts and objects.
 
3. Title to Acquisition

All right, title and interest shall be obtained by the Society for all potential acquisitions, without restrictions or limiting conditions if possible. Such acquisitions shall have the potential of being converted to free and clear title under appropriate law.

4. Conflict of Interest

No member of the Society or its staff may obligate the Society to accept any object which is not consonant with the intent of the collecting objectives and acquisition criteria set forth in Section 3.1, or approved by the Board of Directors.

5. Records

The Board of Directors or its designee shall maintain permanent and accurate acquisition files, which contain all legal instruments, conveyances and other materials relating to each acquisition.

1. Authority

The Board of Directors on behalf of the Society shall accept acquisitions by gift. The Board of Directors shall make purchase of artifacts. All acquisitions by whatever means shall be in conformity with the collecting objectives for the Society and acquisition criteria set forth in Section 3.1.

2. Procedures
1. An Acquisition by gift or purchase is documented by Deed of Gift or Bill of Sale forms. The Board of Directors acknowledging the gift or purchase sends the donor or seller. They are also send two signed copies of the appropriate form and are asked to return one copy. This transaction may be completed in person.
2. The object is assigned an accession number. It is evaluated on the accession Worksheet, labeled with its accession number and placed in an appropriate location in the collection.

1. Purpose of Deaccessioning
   1. "Collections shall not be sold or otherwise disposed of in order to provide financial support for institutional operations or for any other reason other than acquisition of new collections," [AASLH Statement of Professional Ethics, August 23, 1991].
   2. Objects, which do not contribute to the Society’s statement of Purpose, may be considered for deaccessioning. Possible examples are duplicate, irrelevant or badly deteriorated objects. Their deaccessioning may be considered as a method of improving existing collections, making maximum use of available space and best serving the public interest.
   3. Society ownership and conditions of that ownership relevant to any object must be reviewed before it may be deaccessioned.
   
   
2. Manner of Deaccessioning.

Deaccessioned objects may be removed to expendable collections (see Loan and Transfer Policy and Procedures, Sections 7-8), traded to other institutions or conveyed to other museums or educational institutions. Such objects may be sold with specific approval of the Board of Directors. No object shall, in any way or at any time, be sold or conveyed to a Society member or staff person, or their representatives.

1. Authority

The Board of Directors shall have the authority to deaccession an object.

2. Procedures
1. A Deaccessioning Recommendation form shall be used to evaluate an object considered for deaccession. Such a recommendation shall include the accession history of the object, current market value, reason for deaccessioning, etc. (see Appendix).
2. The processing of the transaction shall be documented thoroughly with a Deaccessioning Worksheet (see Appendix).
3. The title to any deaccessioned object shall be properly transferred by Deed of Gift or Bill of Sale.

1. Loans
   1. In order to further the purpose of the Society, the Society may grant or request loans of objects with the approval of the Board of Directors.
   2. Any loan, incoming or outgoing, is conducted in a manner consistent with appropriate stewardship for objects of material culture.
   
   
2. Transfers

The Board of Directors may transfer objects within the Society’s collections as a deaccessioning procedure.

1. Authority

   The board of Directors shall execute all loans and transfers on behalf of the Society.

2. Procedures
   1. Loans
   1. The appropriate Incoming or Outgoing Loan form shall document an Object loaned from or to another individual or institution.
   2. A Collections Receipt shall accompany any loaned object.
   
   
   2. Transfers

   A Collection Receipt shall accompany any objects transferred within the museum collections, and its permanent accession record will be appropriately noted regarding the transfer.

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