Current through Register Vol. 43, No. 39, September 26, 2024
The manner of disposition of property from society collections holdings shall be in the best interests of the state historical society and the public that it serves and represents in owning the property. Property to be considered for removal from collection holdings shall undergo the following procedures.
(a)
(1) Documentation relating to the property being considered for removal shall be assembled by the society staff member responsible for the property. This documentation may include deeds of gift or accession records, contracts, photographs, signed authorizations, correspondence, or advertisements.
(2) Clear title to the property shall be established by the staff member responsible for the property, subject to the provisions of K.S.A. 58-4001 through 58-4013, and amendments thereto. For manuscript materials and images of artworks, this may apply to the tangible property rights only.
(3) Property for which the donor has taken a charitable donation tax deduction shall not be removed by the society from collection holdings except in accordance with federal tax law and regulations, unless the property presents a clear and present hazard to society staff, patrons, visitors, volunteers, collection holdings, or physical plant.
(4) In the course of normal processing of collections, duplicates and extraneous materials may be removed and shall be exempt from deaccessioning procedures.
(b) When property that has been donated by an individual is being considered for removal from the society's collection holdings within 20 years of the donation, reasonable effort shall be made to notify the donor or the donor's immediate family of this decision.
(1) A letter offering to return this property to the donor shall be sent to the last known address of the donor.
(2) If the letter is returned and no forwarding address is available, and the identity and addresses of immediate family members, spouse or children are unknown to society staff, then deaccessioning of the property shall be undertaken by the society. If one or more family members are identified, the notification shall be sent to each of them.
(c) If historical materials have been micrographically or electronically recorded and meet the following criteria, then the original materials shall be considered duplicate properties and may be considered for removal from the collection holdings.
(1) The micrographic form shall have two copies: one security negative and one copy negative or positive. Electronically recorded copies shall be made according to established standards. The security negative may remain in the possession of an outside vendor who has performed the micrographic reproduction and retains the security negative.
(2) Before removal of the original historical materials from the collection holdings, a properly trained person shall inspect the micrographic copies to determine that they are satisfactory substitutes for the originals. This shall include refilming or appropriate treatment for redox and other forms of deterioration.
(3) The security copies shall be periodically inspected for deterioration, and that deterioration shall be controlled.
(d) The internal committees for collection review shall review the property being considered for removal from the collection holdings of that division. A list of property agreed upon for removal shall be forwarded to the society's assistant executive director.
(e) The deaccession review committee shall review the property being recommended for removal from the collection holdings. Duplicate properties shall be exempt from deaccession review committee review, but duplicate properties that are deaccessioned shall be disposed of in accordance with the procedures described in 118-1-4(f).
(1) A list of property, including appropriate documentation and rationalization for removal of the property from the collection holdings, being considered for removal from the society's collection holdings shall be provided by the society's assistant executive director to the deaccession review committee members. Public notice of the availability of that list for public review shall also be provided by the society's assistant executive director. The deaccession review committee shall also receive a mail ballot to be returned to the society's assistant executive director within 30 days of receipt. For each item on the list, there shall be two choices: deaccession review committee members may either authorize the item for deaccession or defer the item for discussion at a meeting of the deaccession review committee. A unanimous vote by mail ballot returned by the due date shall be required to authorize property for deaccession from the society's collection holdings.
(2) If the mail ballot is not unanimous, a meeting of the deaccession review committee shall be called by the society's assistant executive director. Five members shall constitute a quorum. The deaccession review committee shall reach a two-thirds majority agreement of members present before property may be removed from the society's collection holdings. If a two-thirds majority agreement cannot be reached to remove property, the property shall be retained in the society's collection holdings.
(f) Property determined by the deaccession review committee to be appropriate for removal from the society's collection holdings shall be disposed of by one of the following methods. Preference shall be for the property to remain in public ownership or domain.
(1) Hazardous property shall be disposed of according to existing state and federal laws or guidelines from appropriate state and federal regulatory agencies.
(2) Kansas newspapers shall be offered to historical or genealogical societies, or both, or other appropriate institutions of the county or area in which the newspaper was originally published. If competing entities are requesting newspapers and the matter cannot be resolved locally, the deaccession review committee shall make the final decision.
(3) When possible, property may be traded to a public or private institution or individual for property that the society wishes to obtain.
(4) Property may be offered for donation or sale to Kansas libraries, museums, archives, historical and genealogical societies, educational institutions, and other not-for-profit repositories for historical materials, public or private. Notification of the availability of deaccessioned materials shall be provided by first-class mail to local institutions within Kansas when these materials have local research, educational, or exhibit value. Appropriate institutions shall be selected by staff for notification from the membership directory of the Kansas museums association or the directory of historical and genealogical societies in Kansas published by the Kansas state historical society.
(5) When appropriate, property may be offered for donation or sale to out-of-state libraries, museums, archives, historical and genealogical societies, educational institutions, and other not-for-profit repositories for historical materials, public or private.
(6) Property may be sold to the general public.
(7) Property not disposed of by trade, donation, or sale may be destroyed by burning, shredding, recycling, depositing in a landfill, or by other methods.
(8) Documentation relating to the property removed from the collection holdings shall be amended to include the date and method of disposition. The documentation shall be accessible upon request during the society's regular business hours. Some donor information may be restricted as provided for in K.S.A. 45-221, paragraph (a)(8), and amendments thereto.
(9) Property offered for sale to the general public shall not be purchased by society employees or officers or deaccession review committee members.
