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Windsor's Community Museum Policies
Mission Statement
Windsor's Community Museum inspires passion, arouses curiosity and promotes learning about
the unique history and the natural, social, technological and cultural development of the City of
Windsor and area for the benefit of our community and our visitors. The museum will acquire,
preserve, document, illustrate and promote this history.
Scope and Extent of the Collection
The collections management policy states goals of the Museum with respect to its collections.
The policy outlines responsibilities and sets standards for all collections-related activities.
The Museum is the repository for the Macdonald Collection, a gift of the late G. F. Macdonald.
This collection is under the trusteeship of the Windsor Historic Sites Association. The Museum
is also the repository of the public collection under the trusteeship of the City of Windsor.
The following guidelines are to be used in acquiring the collection:
a) Artifacts must serve to illustrate life, traditions and/or support industries upon which
Windsor would have been dependent until the 21st century or the present, at the discretion
of the Curator and with the approval of the Manager of Cultural Affairs.
b) Artifacts may be two dimensional (e.g. photos, maps, pamphlets, books, etc.) or three
dimensional.
c) Artifacts should be well documented and include such aspects in the documentation as:
1. Circumstances surrounding its discovery (who, when, where, why)
2. Original owner and manufacturer
3. Original use of the artifact
4. Chronological history of the artifact
5. Other pertinent details
d) The Museum will not collect curiosities and relics that do not contribute to a significant
historical awareness of the City of Windsor and area.
e) Artifacts are to be collected for the purpose of exhibition and research and not for the
sake of collection.
f) Donations are deemed to be unconditional gifts in accordance with the museum's Gift
Form.
g) Artifacts may be acquired through donation, gift, purchase or exchange with another
institution.
h) Time and a portion of the budget shall be allocated to register and maintain the collection,
and to train staff.
i) In the event of accidental loss or destruction, a report in writing to the Manager of
Cultural Affairs will be made.
C OL L E C TI ON S P OL I C Y
Windsor's Community Museum Policies
Method
All artifacts must be recorded in an accession register, must be catalogued, with donor
information, appropriate classification and have a signed gift form. Subsequent computer entry
onto an approved collections program will follow with regularly scheduled back-ups.
All artifacts will be catalogued using a three-part number consisting of the year of the donation,
the number of the donation, and the number of artifacts in the donation (i.e. 1996.001.001). The
number must be physically attached to the artifact in a uniform, inconspicuous area.
Condition reports are to be collected to document the condition of each artifact upon receipt, or as
they are to receive conservation treatment.
Artifacts must be of present or future use in exhibits or research, have an educational value and
must be in reasonable condition so that the museums may fulfill their goal of conservation with as
little alteration to artifacts as possible.
Ethics
The Museum will not directly or indirectly acquire material:
Which has been collected, sold or otherwise transferred in contravention of any
provincial or national statute;
Which has been collected, sold or otherwise transferred in contravention of the 1970
UNESCO convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import,
Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (or any similar statutes) as
ratified in Canada June 28, 1978;
Whose object's recovery involved recent unscientific or intentional destruction or
damage of known archaeological sites or from illegal or clandestine excavations; or
Which has a questionable, undetermined or unethical history of ownership.
Deaccession
Deaccessioning refers to the permanent removal of collection materials that have been acquired
on a permanent basis. The decision to deaccession material must receive the approval of the
Curator and Manager of Cultural Affairs. The Museum will not acquire materials with the
intention to deaccession.
Artifacts offered to the museum and found to be inappropriate within the Collections
Management Policy, should be referred to another museum for consideration. Duplicates of
artifacts that are not historically significant, not of use for research, loan, extension programs or
exhibition, may be deaccessioned at the discretion of the Curator and Manager of Cultural Affairs
and treated as follows:
a) Offered to another museum, library or archives.
b) Used in educational programming.
c) Disposed of in an ethical manner.
Deaccession: Other considerations:
The Museum will do its utmost to insure that deaccessioned collections that are
significant to the cultural heritage of Ontario and Canada are retained in Canada.
Prior to deaccessioning, the materials will be thoroughly researched and documented
(except as prohibited by accidental loss or destruction), on standardized forms. These
Windsor's Community Museum Policies
records will be maintained by the Museum as a permanent public record.
Where the deaccession involves the transfer of ownership or responsibility, appropriate
document or record will be used.
Prior to deaccession through intentional discard, sale, trade or exchange or gift, the fair
market value of the object shall be determined, if necessary, by an independent appraisal.
Funds resulting from a deaccession (i.e. proceeds from a sale, funds from an insurance
claim) shall be retained for collections acquisition or conservation.
Additional laws and Regulations Related to Collecting
In situations where copyright is of relevance, the Museum will respect the provisions of the
Copyright Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-42). The Museum will also respect the provisions of the
Ontario Heritage Act (2005), Firearms Act (S.C. 1995, c. 39), The Freedom of Information and
Personal Privacy Act (FIPPA), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Canadian Museums Association (CMA) Ethical
Guidelines, International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Ethics and any subsequent
revisions or replacements of those Acts or guidelines.
Personal Collecting by Museum staff and Museum Advisory Committee (MAC)
The acquisition of an object similar or related to that which the Museum collects or intends to
collect by museum employees and advisory committee members is considered to be 'personal
collecting.' All employees and advisory committee members are required to declare a conflict of
interest when such situations arise.
Appraisals
a) Artifacts may be received as donations or bequests. All appraisals over $1,000.00 must be
done by an accredited appraiser, and must meet with the approval of the Manager of
Cultural Affairs.
b) Once an appraisal is complete, the Manager of Cultural Affairs will prepare a report with
details to the City financial department in order for a receipt for income tax purposes
Loans
a) Loans of artifacts may be accepted only for a defined period of time, and for definite
purposes of display, research or education. Artifacts of a more recent nature or outside
the collections policy may be accepted on loan. Such would be the case with exhibits of
a special theme or interest.
b) Loans remain the responsibility of the owner for insurance purposes unless special
arrangements are made between the owner and the City. While on loan, artifacts will
receive the same care given to the museum's collection.
c) Loans of artifacts may be made to other institutions judged by the Curator to be suitable
borrowers for display, research or educational purposes. The Curator will be the sole
individual permitted to loan artifacts and the like.
General Provisions
a) In situations deemed critical by the Curator, a collections committee of MAC and the
Curator may be called upon to function as the basis for refusal of a donation.
Windsor's Community Museum Policies
b) Acquisitions of firearms may only be accepted by the Curator or designate who have
completed the appropriate courses of the Canadian Firearms program as directed by the
RCMP.
c) The insurance of the collection, including the structures shall be reviewed and adjusted
accordingly on an annual basis.
d) The Museum will encourage maximum use of its collection to the extent that the integrity
of the collection is not compromised and the use remains consistent with the overall goals
and ethics of the Museum. It is recognized that deterioration and destruction of some
objects may occur within the course of normal museum operation.
e) The Museum will cooperate with other museums institutions and agencies, in order to
avoid duplication and achieve an integrated plan for preservation and interpretation.
f) The Museum will maintain a public record of its collection
Review
The collections management policy shall be periodically reviewed.
Approval Date
Amended
September 1, 2008 (museum
transitioned to governance by
City of Windsor - transition
plan passed by council as
part of CR327/2007)
October 9, 2013 approved by
Social Development, Health
and Culture Standing
committee - M400-2013;
approved by city council
November 4, 2013