Creating a Collection: A Tour Through the Smith College Museum of ArtMain MenuHow do museums build and unbuild collections?How This WorksInstructions on How to Use this WebsiteHow to Read a Museum LabelThis will help you navigate the SCMA and other museumsWhat is "Public Trust"?Why Museums CollectHow Museums CollectWhy Museums Remove Objects from their CollectionsHow Museums Remove Objects from their CollectionsSamantha Page4d4aad3cbb232d6b14d08c9a79a502129237df5c
"The Ins and Outs of Deaccessioning" by Charles Phillips, 1983
12017-04-02T10:33:07-07:00How Museums Remove Objects from their Collections17structured_gallery2017-05-05T12:35:44-07:00So you want to take an object out of your collection? Here we'll explore how museums go about making this type of change, considering it is a difficult and sometimes controversial thing, as well as an important part of maintaining a collection.
First, let's keep in mind what we know about "public trust." Museums don't just think about who visits in the present day, but they also think about future visitors. When the SCMA decides to remove an object from its collection, the staff members involved have to be very careful in deciding HOW to deaccession.
