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The Morris County
Historical Society maintains collections relating to the
history of Morris County, New Jersey; the Victorian
period as it relates to its headquarters at Acorn Hall;
and the Crane Hone family that lived at Acorn Hall. The
Collections Management Policy details the scope of the
collection, its mission, and how objects are added to
the collection. For questions about the policy, donating
an object, or doing research in the collection, please
contact the Society's Curator, Debra Westmoreland.
COLLECTION
MANAGEMENT POLICY
Collections Mission
The collections
mission is to preserve, exhibit and enhance the various
collections of the Morris County Historical Society.
The Morris
County Historical Society contributes to the community
by preserving and interpreting its collection of Morris
County historical objects and their headquarters
property of Acorn Hall. The Society’s collection exists
for exhibition, education and inspiration. As stewards
of this collection, the Society maintains a well-defined
acquisition and deaccession policy that encompasses and
supports our Mission Statement and guides us in
strengthening the existing collection.
Scope of Collection
The Morris
County Historical Society’s collections are designated
as Accessioned, Educational, Archival and Library and
should meet one or more of the following criteria:
New
acquisitions will predominately represent objects
pertaining to the history of Morris County, New
Jersey.
The objects relate to the
Crane-Hone family history.
These
objects should meet the highest standards and be in
good condition. An independent expert’s opinion is
required when an object’s authenticity is in
question and/or of high value.
Objects
should be appropriate and consistent with the
purpose, exhibition, and educational activities of
the Society.
The current collection consists
of:
· Acorn Hall
· Mary Crane Hone Collection
Furniture
Decorative Arts
Paintings,
photographs and works on paper
Books
Costumes & textiles
Personal and family
papers
Costume Collection
(which includes late 18th century to
mid-20th century pieces)
Nineteenth century
artifacts & ephemera
Della Volpe
Collection
Kollar Collection
Miscellaneous
furnishings
Miscellaneous
paintings and works on paper
Miscellaneous
decorative arts objects
Archives
1. Oral history
2. Sheet music
3. Morris County
documents, maps and photographs
4. Documents,
maps, and photographs of towns within
Morris County
5. Documents,
photographs and materials related to
Morris County residents and their
families
6. Victorian
paper ephemera
Morris County History
Collection
1. Tools
2. Advertising
objects
3. Commemorative
items/memorabilia
4. Artwork
5. Architectural
artifacts
6. Documentary
artifacts
Victorian Research Library
1. 19th
century texts, both fiction and
non-fiction
2. 20th
century reference texts
3. Periodicals
Collection Policy/Plan
The Accessioned
collections of the Morris County Historical Society are
the foundation for the Society’s programs and a vehicle
through which the Society carries out its mission to
educate the public. These collections are expanded and
enriched by selectively building on existing strengths,
by filling gaps in collections of technical, material,
stylistic, historic, or in contextual significance; and,
in special instances, by introducing and pursuing new
areas of collection. The curatorial staff is responsible
for developing, reviewing, and revising the Morris
County Historical Society Collecting Policy and
Philosophy.
The primary
rationale for collecting is to develop a body of visual
and intellectual material that documents and interprets
the history of Morris County, New Jersey and the
Society’s headquarters at Acorn Hall.
Space for
storage of collections is an important factor in
deciding whether or not to commence a collection in a
new area, although preferential consideration is given
to collections of undeniable significance to the Morris
County Historical Society in spite of storage
limitations. The Morris County Historical Society
discourages the acceptance of collections that do not
meet the stringent review required to pursue acquisition
in a new collecting area, while making every effort to
suggest a suitable home for such collections.
Acquisition
Acquisitions are
made through gift, bequest, purchase, or exchange and
require the approval of the Curator or Archivist and
Director. Under no
circumstances shall any other staff member or volunteer
make any decision whatsoever regarding the acquisition
of an object. They also may not accept objects on even a
temporary basis for review by the appropriate staff
members.
To be added to the collection an
object MUST meet each of the following criteria:
The appropriateness to the
scope of the collection.
The potential for
exhibition and study.
The ability
of the Society to provide storage, protection, and
preservation of objects under conditions that insure
their availability for Society purposes and in
keeping with professionally accepted standards.
The
possibility of achieving satisfactory resolution of
copyright, trademark, or other restrictions of use
or ownership.
The acceptability of an
object’s provenance.
Accepting gifts
or bequests will be left to the discretion of the
Curator (and in appropriate circumstances in
consultation with the archivist) except under the
following conditions when the Director’s recommendation
and the Board of Trustee’s approval are required:
When the
object or collection has an estimated value of
$1,000 or more.
When large
objects are offered (defined as occupying a space,
singly or grouped, exceeding 10 cubic feet).
When an
extensive collection is offered (defined as
exceeding 20 objects).
When an
object offered represents a new area of collection
for the Historical Society or departs from the
principal collecting emphasis of the Society’s most
recent collections plan.
When packing,
transportation, storage, or conservation costs
exceed $150.
The acceptance
of all gifts and bequests shall be unrestricted. No
commitment shall be made as to exhibition, attribution,
or placement of the gift. While it is the Society’s
intention to accession for long-term use and
preservation, no guarantee shall be made that the gift
or bequest be retained by the Society in perpetuity.
There shall be no exceptions to this policy unless any
such restrictions or special provisions are considered
by the Board of Trustees. We are not obliged to accept
items bequeathed to the Society which are not
appropriate for our collections.
Under no circumstances will
Society staff give an appraisal of objects. Normally,
MCHS will not pay for an appraisal or reimburse a donor
for appraisal costs.
Educational
Collections are acquired in the same way as Accessioned
Collections and are acquired to support the program
goals of the Morris County Historical Society. Objects
in the Educational Collections are deemed to be of
lesser importance than those in the Accessioned
Collection and may be destroyed when used for
experimentation, for touching by public on exhibition,
or for hands-on teaching.
In order to be added to the
Educational Collection, an object must meet each of the
following criteria:
The relatedness of the
reference material to objects in the Accessioned
Collection.
The spatial requirements:
an object may take no more than 1% of the space
required by the Accessioned collection.
The number of items.
Temporary Custody/Review
The depositor of
an object accepted by the Morris County Historical
Society for the purpose of examination, attribution,
identification, consideration for acquisition, etc.,
must be issued a receipt stating the terms of
acceptance. This receipt clearly states that Morris
County Historical Society will give the object the same
kind of professional care as objects in the collections
but that it will not insure the object while in its
care. The receipt also specifies the duration of time
the Morris County Historical Society is willing to hold
the object and specifies conditions for the disposition
of the object if left in the custody of the Morris
County Historical Society beyond the agreed closing
date. The acceptance of an object to be considered for
acquisition does not mean it will be accessioned into
the permanent collection. |
