How to record deaccessions and disposals

Deaccession and disposal are related but distinct processes, typically involving a formal and documented review that takes into account your institution's collections policy, as well as legal and ethical considerations. In Model Applications prior to the Standard Model, deaccession and disposal data is registered in a limited set of fields in Object Catalogue records on a Disposal panel, with a focus on documenting the disposal of an object. The Standard Model moves these fields to a dedicated Deaccessions and disposals data source, greatly expanding the scope of information that can be documented.

Deaccession vs Disposal

Deaccession is the process of removing an object from the permanent collection but not from the institution. An object might be deaccessioned for a range of reasons, including its poor condition, redundancy (perhaps it is a duplicate), lack of relevance to the institution’s mission, or legal and ethical concerns. While the object remains with the institution, deaccessioning means that it no longer requires the same duty of care as objects in the permanent collection. A deaccessioned object might be retained for use as teaching material or handling by the public.

Disposal refers to the process by which an object is permanently removed from an institution's custody, and might include donation to another institution, sale, exchange, repatriation, or, in some cases, destruction if the object is hazardous or beyond repair.

An object that was part of the permanent collection would typically need to be deaccessioned before being disposed of. In this case, the deaccession and disposal records are linked. If an object is not part of the permanent collection, it could be disposed of without first being deaccessioned.

Typically, before an object is deaccessioned and disposed of, a formal process of review would be undertaken and documented in a Collections review record (details of which will be found automatically on the Collections review tab in an object's Object catalogue record).

Model Application 5.2 and earlier

In Model Application 5.2 and earlier, deaccession and disposal data is registered in a set of fields in Object Catalogue records on a Disposal panel, with a focus on documenting the disposal of an object:

Deaccessions and disposals in the Standard Model

With the introduction of a data source dedicated to documenting deaccessions and disposals in the Standard Model far more information can be recorded about these related processes; and documentation efficiencies can be achieved during large scale deaccessions / disposals as a single Deaccessions and disposals record can be linked to all affected objects, while also managing and tracking the status of each object separately.

Tip: When an object is involved in a deaccession / disposal proposal (no matter what the outcome), the Deaccession and disposal panel in its Object catalogue record is updated with core details from the linked Deaccessions and disposals record, including justification for a deaccession and method for a disposal.

When creating a Deaccessions and disposals record start by selecting one of the two record types:

Deaccession

Manage and document a deaccession proposal for one or more objects in the permanent collection. Track the status of the deaccession proposal, and document who authorizes the deaccession, which objects are affected, and the reason(s) for the deaccession, etc.

Details

The panels available for managing and documenting deaccessions are:

The purpose and use of many fields are clear and straightforward, and we only highlight those of particular importance below:

Deaccessioning

Here we record a reference number, proposal date, identify relevant stakeholders (Associated people) and, critically, track the status of the deaccession:

Field group	Field	Details
Deaccession summary	Reference number / reference_number (RN))	A reference number for the record. If you do not provide a reference number, a number is automatically assigned when the record is saved.
	Total proposed / total_objects (TP)	Read-only field automatically updated with the number of objects covered by this deaccession proposal as they are added to the Linked objects panel.
	Total deaccessioned / total_completed (TA)	Read-only field automatically updated with the number of objects formally deaccessioned (which occurs when an object's status is set to completed).
	Record summary / record_summary (Z0)	An auto-generated summary of the record's data taken from one or more key fields. More details here.
Proposal	Proposal date / proposal_date (PD)	The date on which the proposal was made. Type a date or click the Calendar icon to select a date (details about date fields and how to use the Calendar can be found here).
Proposal	Proposed by / proposed_by (PN)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to Persons and institutions. Start typing the name of the person who proposed the deaccession and select it from the drop list, or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for the relevant person or create a record in Persons and institutions and link to it (if authorized to do so). Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here.
Associated people		There are several places in a deaccession record for identifying stakeholders and those involved with the deaccession: on the Justifications panel we identify the author(s) of narratives outlining the reasons for the deaccession; on the Authorisations and outcome panel we identify people authorizing the deaccession. The Associated people table is available for recording anyone else involved with the deaccession proposal: people consulted (about an object's provenance perhaps) or providing advice (regarding hazards associated with the object, for example), and so on.
	Name / person.name (kj)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to Persons and institutions. Start typing the name of the associated person and select it from the drop list, or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for the relevant person or create a record in Persons and institutions and link to it (if authorized to do so). Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here.
	Role / person.role (kk)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to the Thesaurus. Identify the person's role: start typing the name of a role and select it from the drop list, or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for the relevant term or create a record in the Thesaurus and link to it (if authorized to do so).
	Note / person.notes (kn)	Enter details about the person's involvement with the deaccession proposal.
Current status		Manage the current status of this deaccession proposal, including who set the status and when. Any change to the Current status of the deaccession is tracked on the Status history panel.
	Status / current_status (sS)	The current status of the deaccession proposal.
	Cascade status / current_status.cascade (sC)	Select the Cascade status checkbox to copy the deaccession record's current status (current_status (sS)) to the Status (object.status (DS)) field of all objects listed on the Linked objects panel. The update to the object.status (DS) field occurs when the deaccession record is saved. Alternatively, manage the status of each object independently on the Linked objects panel.

Justifications

Two repeatable groups of fields, Reasons for deaccession and Justification narratives used to document the reason(s) for deaccessioning the object(s):

Field group	Field	Details
Reasons for deaccession	Deaccession reason / deaccession_reason (DR)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to the Thesaurus. Start typing the term for a deaccession reason and select it from the drop list, or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for the relevant term or create a record in the Thesaurus and link to it (if authorized to do so). Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here. The deaccession and disposal of an object typically follows a formal review which can be documented in a Collections review record (details of which will be found on the Collections review tab in an object's Object catalogue record). In this case, a suitable Deaccession reason is collection review.
Justification narratives		Deaccessioning typically involves a formal and documented review of affected objects; digital copies of documents produced for the proposal can be attached to this record on the Digital references panel. In the Justification narratives fields, you can provide a searchable and reportable summary of the reason(s) for the deaccession proposal, its findings, determinations, etc. All four fields can be repeated as a group to add more justification narratives as required.
	Justification / justification.justification (C4)	A text field (up to 1000 characters) in which you summarize the deaccession proposal.
	Justification type / justification.type (C3)	A drop list. Select a high-level reason for the deaccession proposal, e.g. condition, collection suitability. This is a configurable drop list of values.
	Author / justification.author (C1)	A Linked field to Persons and institutions. Name the person who wrote the justification.
	Role / justification.author (C1)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to the Thesaurus. Identify the person's role.

Authorisations and outcome

Provide details about one or more people who authorized the deaccession, and the outcome of the deaccession:

Field group	Field	Details
Authorisations		The person who proposed the deaccession is recorded on the Deaccessions panel (Proposed by). In the repeatable Authorisations fields on this panel we record details of each person authorizing the deaccession.
	Authorised by / authoriser (AN)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to Persons and institutions. Start typing the name of a person who authorized the deaccession and select it from the drop list, or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for the relevant person or create a record in Persons and institutions and link to it (if authorized to do so). Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here.
	Authoriser role / authoriser.role (RA)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to the Thesaurus. Identify the role of the authorizer.
	Authorisation date / authoriser.date (AD)	The date on which authorization was given.
Outcome		Provide details of the outcome of the deaccession proposal.
	Deaccession successful? / outcome_success (os)	A checkbox used to flag the success of the deaccession proposal. Note that there is no system logic associated with this checkbox, but flagging the outcome here can be useful for searching / reporting purposes. Tip: The primary mechanism for identifying the status of the deaccession proposal is, of course, the Current status (current_status(cS)) field on the Deaccession panel.
	Explanation / outcome_explanation (oe)	Text field (up to 1000 characters) for summarizing / explaining the outcome of the decision to proceed, or not, with the deaccession proposal.

Linked objects

This panel holds a repeatable group of fields enabling you to link this deaccession proposal to the Catalogue record of one or more affected objects, each with its own justification, and status tracking:

While the purpose and use of most fields are clear and straightforward (or identical fields are described elsewhere in this section), it is worth drawing particular attention to Status (object.status (DS)):

Field

Details

Object number / object.object_number (IN)

A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to the Catalogue. Enter an object number if known or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box and search for the relevant object.

Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here.

Status / object.status (DS)

Select the status of the deaccession of the linked object from the drop list.

When the Status (object.status (DS)) of a linked object is updated here and the deaccession record is saved, the Activity status (activity_status(sa)) or Legal status (legal_status (os)) of the object is updated in its Catalogue record:

Current status of the Deaccession record	Status of the Catalogue record
Pending or Pending approval	Activity status (activity_status (sa)) = deaccession candidate
Approved or Open	Activity status (activity_status (sa)) = deaccession approved
Cancelled or Rejected	Clears Activity status
Completed	Activity status is cleared and Legal status (legal_status (os)) = deaccessioned

Note: If no Status (object.status (DS)) is set, Activity status (activity_status(sa)) in the Catalogue record is set to deaccession candidate by default.

All deaccession and disposal changes to an object are summarized on the Deaccession and disposal panel in the object's Catalogue record.

Deaccessions and Disposals records include the Actions, Expenses and income and Free fields panels.

Disposal

Manage and document the disposal of one or more objects that have already been deaccessioned (an object that was part of the permanent collection would typically need to be deaccessioned before being disposed of); or which do not require a formal deaccessioning process (non-collection items and accessories, for example).

Track the status of the disposal proposal, and document the method of disposal, any expenses and / or income associated with the disposal, etc.

Details

The panels available for managing and documenting disposals are:

The purpose and use of many fields are clear and straightforward, and we only highlight those of particular importance below:

Disposal

Here we record a reference number, disposal method and date, identify relevant stakeholders and, critically, track the status of the disposal:

Field group	Field	Details
Disposal summary	Reference number / reference_number (RN))	A reference number for the record. If you do not provide a reference number, a number is automatically assigned when the record is saved.
	Disposal method / disposal_method (lc)	A Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to the Thesaurus. Start typing the term for a disposal reason and select it from the drop list, or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for the relevant term or create a record in the Thesaurus and link to it (if authorized to do so). Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here.
	Total objects / total_objects (TP)	Read-only field automatically updated with the number of affected objects as items covered by this disposal proposal are listed on the Linked objects panel.
	Total disposed / total_completed (TA)	Read-only field automatically updated with the number of items formally disposed of (which occurs when an item's status is set to completed).
Recipient	If disposal of the item(s) results in the transfer of the item(s) to another party, provide details of the party here.
Linked people	Repeatable group of fields used to identify anyone else involved with the disposal of item(s) (e.g. staff making decisions or moving items, external people who may be taking on the object, etc.).
Auction information	If disposal of the item(s) occurs at auction, provide details here. The Auction field is a Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to the Auctions data source. Start typing the auction name and select it from the drop list, or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for the relevant auction or create a record in Auctions and link to it (if authorized to do so). Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here.
Movement and shipping logistics	If disposal of the item(s) results in the transfer of the item(s) to another location, provide details of the movement plan here. The Reference number field is a Linked field A type of field used to link one record to another. A Linked field is a drop list of values (records that the field can link to). When a link is made, the field stores a reference to the linked record (a linkref). to the Movement and shipping logistics data source. Start typing the reference number for a movement plan and select it from the drop list, or click the Link icon to display the Find data for the field box; search for the relevant movement plan or create a record in Auctions and link to it (if authorized to do so). Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here.
Current status	Manage the current status of this disposal proposal, including who set the status and when. Any change to the Current status of the disposal is tracked on the Status history panel.
	Status / current_status (sS)	The current status of the disposal proposal.
	Cascade status / current_status.cascade (sC)	Select the Cascade status checkbox to copy the disposal record's current status (current_status (sS)) to the Status (object.status (DS)) field of all objects listed on the Linked objects panel. The update to the object.status (DS) field occurs when the disposal record is saved. Alternatively, manage the status of each object individually on the Linked objects panel.
Record summary	Record summary / record_summary (Z0)	An auto-generated summary of the record's data taken from one or more key fields. More details here.

Linked objects

This panel holds a repeatable group of fields enabling you to link this disposal proposal to the Catalogue record of one or more affected objects, each with its own status tracking:

Field

Details

Object number / object.object_number (IN)

Details about working with the Find data for the field box can be found here.

Status / object.status (DS)

Select the status of the disposal of the linked object from the drop list.

When the Status (object.status (DS)) of a linked object is updated and the disposal record is saved, the Activity status (activity_status(sa)) or Legal status (legal_status (os)) of the object is updated in its Catalogue record:

Current status of the Disposal record	Status of the Catalogue record
Pending or Pending approval	Activity status (activity_status (sa)) = deaccession candidate
Approved	Activity status (activity_status (sa)) = disposal approved
Open	Activity status (activity_status (sa)) = disposal in progress
Cancelled or Rejected	Clears Activity status
Completed	Activity status = disposal complete

All deaccession and disposal changes to an object are summarized on the Deaccession and disposal panel in the object's Catalogue record.

Movement requested?

Title transfer requested?

Title transfer complete?

Three checkboxes are provided for flagging requested movements and transfer of title:

Movement requested? / object.movement_requested (DY)
Title transfer requested? / object.title_transfer_requested (dt)
Title transfer complete? / object.title_transfer_complete (DT)

Details about a requested movement are recorded in the object's Catalogue record on the Movement and shipping logistics panel (linked to a record in the Movement and shipping logistics data source); details about ownership are recorded on the object's Catalogue record on the Usage | Object history | Ownership panel.

Deaccessions and Disposals records include the Actions, Expenses and income and Free fields panels.