page_title: Deaccessioning (museum)
section_title: Disposal
hierarchical_section_title: Deaccessioning (museum) / Decision process / Disposal
caption_attribution_description: The Crosby Garrett Helmet on auction at Christie's, London, on 7 October 2010. Photo by Daniel Pett.
context_page_description: Deaccessioning is defined as the process by which a work of art or other object is permanently removed from a museum’s collection.
context_section_description: Disposal is defined as the transfer of ownership by the museum after a work has been deaccessioned. Following approval of deaccession from the governing board and/or the CEO/museum director, the work is disposed of and the title of ownership is completely transferred away from the museum or terminated. The method chosen is determined by the physical condition of the work, the intrinsic value or cultural value of the work and extrinsic value or monetary value of the work. With all methods of disposal, museums are charged to maintain and retain all records of the object, its deaccession and disposal.
  The process of disposal is completed through the following methods:
  Donation of the object to another museum, library, or archive for educational purposes
  This is the ideal disposal choice for museums as it assures that the object will remain accessible to the public. Museums seek out possible institutions where the object might a useful addition to the collection or is better equipped to maintain the object.
  Exchange of the object for another object with another museum or non-profit institution
  This is another viable method for assuring that the object remains accessible to the public in some way.  Exchanges are made in such a way that there is relatively equal value of the items involved, not just monetarily but historically.
  Museum should be able to justify the trade, including any exceptional circumstances that would favor one party over another. This is why obtaining an appraisal of the object from more than one appraiser is a mandatory step in the deaccession process. See object evaluation above.
  Educational and research programs
  Often works deaccession from the collection can be reallocated into educational programs, to be used for hands-on demonstrations, school outreach programs, or testing for conservation research. In this case it is understood that the work will be subject to physical destruction over time.  In this case, the work would be re-accessioned into a study or educational collection that is not as closely monitored as that of the main collection.
  Physical destruction
  Objects that may have deteriorated due to an inherent vice, natural disaster, vandalism, accident, or other causes as well as works that made be considered hazardous, such as those containing drugs, chemicals, explosives, or asbestos should be disposed of via physical destruction. If dealing with hazardous materials, the proper authorities should be consulted in order to determine the best method of destruction.  The method of destruction will depend on the type of material and completed in such a ways as to be irreversible. This is also the best method for works that are found to be fakes or forgeries. See physical examination above.
  Human remains or certain items of religious or cultural sensitivity might need to be handled in a prescribed way in order to meet legal requirements or cultural standards. See NAGPRA from more information.
  Repatriation.
  Repatriation is the process of returning an object to their place of origin or proper owner.  This is method of disposal is used for objects found to be illicitly held by the museum, such as Nazi looted art and objects requested for return according to NAGPRA. The illicit status of an object would be determined upon claim of repatriation via NAGPRA or claim by proper owner, in the case of Nazi looted or other stolen works. In either case, clear title and provenance would be determined during the step in which the legal status is verificated. See verification of legal status above.
  Return to donor.
  Similar to the process of repatriation, if the work was donated to the museum and the donor or legal heir can be located at time of deaccession processing, the museum may elect to return the object to the donor. This is not the best option for museums for a few reasons. First, it removes the work from public accessibility and second, it can cause tax complications, as a deduction can be given for a portion of the work's value upon donation and the return of the work to the donor may result in an audit o
caption: An auction at Christie's.
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