Deaccessioning Museum Collections 2024

Since its earliest years, the Galt Museum & Archives has collected and preserved artifacts. As its collections have grown and evolved, the Galt's mandate for collecting objects has become focused on "preserving the human history of Lethbridge and southwestern Alberta." However, many artifacts donated before the current collecting mandate do not demonstrate those regions and connections. 

In 2010, the Galt's staff began actively auditing its and assessing objects that do not fit the collecting mandate of southwestern Alberta. Staff identified numerous objects in the collection that could be "qualified for deaccession" for lack of geographic relevance.  Some because they lacked historical context of any kind, and others because their known human relationships represent the history of regions and communities outside of southwest Alberta.  

Photo courtesy of Galt Museum & Archives (P19860097000)

For example, a set of woman’s cuffs were donated to the Galt’s collection in 1986. Upon donation, the donor explained their grandmother used these during the late 1940s while living in Brandon, Manitoba. A survey of museum clothing was conducted in 2017, where the original donor of this object was contacted and interviewed regarding her donations. The donor provided knowledge on sewing and clothing, but there was no information connecting the object to Southern Alberta. While the latter’s background is interesting for researchers and viewers, it does not support the mandate of the Galt Museum & Archives. The institution, thus, decided to remove (deaccession) the cuffs from its collection.  

Deaccessioning is the standard practice for museums to carefully consider which objects to remove from their collections and why. When museums have artifacts within their collections that do not fit their collecting mandate or share the stories of the region they serve, those objects may be "considered for deaccession." The deaccessioning process often helps museums refine and focus resources on the collections that are directly relevant to the histories of the communities they serve. 

A Collections Committee reviews all the objects that staff propose for deaccession. The committee includes representatives from the community, and their recommendations are reviewed and evaluated by the Galt's Board of Directors. The Galt follows industry best practices set by the Alberta and Canadian Museums Association for deaccessioning. This means that the formally deaccessioned objects are first offered to other public museums in regions relevant to the history of the object.  

By conducting collections reviews and subsequent deaccessioning projects, the Galt's staff continue to fulfill the mandate to "inspire our communities to engage in the human history of southwestern Alberta, together, preserving and sharing collections and stories."