Deaccessioning museum collections

Abstract

The core of many museums are their collections, and it is expected that museums will care for the objects that comprise these collections, which are held in the public trust, in perpetuity. This has led museums to collect a vast number of objects, most of which will never be used by the museum. Deaccessioning, a natural and healthy way to manage collections and remove objects no longer relevant to the museum, is often seen as controversial and therefore infrequently practiced. The purpose of this research study was to examine the nature of large-scale deaccessioning projects in museums. This research was conducted with a case study design and data were collected through a series of semi-structured interviews with museum professionals involved in their museum's deaccessioning process, as well as document analysis. Three main findings were revealed in this study. First, museums engage in deaccessioning most often to address problems of limited storage space. Second, the greatest barrier that museums faced during their projects was not having enough resources such as staff time and materials. Third, museums that completed deaccessioning projects were often concerned with public perception and worked to avoid controversy. This study examined the practical work of large-scale deaccessioning projects in museums, and results may inform other museums about the realities of large-scale deaccessioning projects.