Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a)
Purpose. The State Preservation Board sets as its purpose to collect, preserve,
protect, interpret, and maintain information on original or period objects of
historical significance to the Capitol or the State of Texas, or appropriate to
the early period of the Capitol's history (circa 1880-1920). The board will
encourage study of its collections including publications concerning the
objects, and will maintain the highest ethical standards in its interpretation
of the collection.
(b) Types of
collections.
(1) It is recognized the Capitol
is primarily a functioning building and not a museum. As a historic structure
it is appropriately the repository for a limited number of original or period
objects of the highest quality and significance to the history of the building
or the State of Texas, or appropriate to the early period of the Capitol's
history (circa 1880-1920).
(2)
Unlike museums, however, that are equipped and designed to maintain secondary
research or exchange collections, the board will only maintain a primary
Capitol collection including paintings, furnishings, sculpture, decorative
arts, and other related artifacts. The board will acquire only artifacts that
are appropriate to the purpose of the Capitol collections policy. Objects that
do not meet the standards noted in paragraph (1) of this subsection may be
referred to other state or appropriate depositories.
(c) Methods of acquisition.
(1) The board shall acquire its collections
through purchase, gift, bequest, or any other transaction consistent with
applicable state or federal requirements by which title to objects is
transferred to the board.
(2) To
the extent practicable, the board shall use gifts of property made to the board
for the purpose specified by the grantor. The board may refuse a gift if in the
board's judgment the purpose specified by the grantor conflicts with the goal
of preserving the historic character of the buildings under the board's
control. The office of the State Preservation Board will report to the board on
new acquisitions and request the board's formal approval of the acquisitions at
each meeting of the board.
(3) The
board may accept loans from individuals, institutions, organizations, or
foundations only if they enhance the purposes and activities of the board.
Loans will only be accepted for display or use in buildings or on grounds which
are under the jurisdiction of the board. As a general rule, the board shall not
approve the loan of items from the Capitol collection.
(4) In addition, the board maintains the
right to deaccession items from the collection. Only material that is no longer
considered relevant or useful to the purposes of the board will be considered
for deaccessioning.
(5) To deviate
from any of the policies will require the approval of the executive director of
the State Preservation Board, curator of the Capitol, and the board.
(d) Care and documentation of
collections.
(1) The curator of the Capitol is
responsible for the care of the collections. Appropriate maintenance, security,
and conservation procedures shall be developed and followed.
(2) Proper records on collected material,
permanent or loan, shall be maintained by the curator of the Capitol, and a
report to the board on the status of the collections will be made as
requested.
(e) Capitol
collections management manual.
(1) A Capitol
collections management manual in §
RSA 111.18
of this title (relating to Capitol Collections Management Manual) shall be
developed by the curator of the Capitol to effectively carry out the guidelines
contained in the Capitol collections policy.
(2) The collections management manual shall
expand the contents of the collections policy by detailing specific procedures
for acquisitions, deaccessions, and loans. Complete accessioning, cataloguing,
care, and conservation procedures shall be outlined in the manual.
(f) Standards of conduct, other
Capitol collections and related materials, revisions to the policy.
(1) As a general policy, all parties shall
adhere to the ethical guidelines recommended by the American Association of
Museums. No member of the board, the office of the State Preservation Board, or
any other individuals specified by the board shall personally receive, directly
or indirectly, any favor, promise, or thing of value which could or appear to
induce, discourage, or influence a recommendation, decision, or action
affecting accessions, deaccessions, loans, exhibitions, or activities related
to the Capitol collection. All parties shall demonstrate a good faith effort to
avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.
(2) While the board does not have complete
location control over certain historical artifacts used in legislative members'
offices in the historic Capitol, all other aspects of the collections policy
and collections management manual apply to all such artifacts.
(3) Any revisions to the policy must be
approved by the office of the State Preservation Board, and the
board.
(4) Upon recommendation of
the curator of the Capitol and the executive director of the State Preservation
Board, the board may approve exceptions to this policy.
(g) Items in the Capitol collection, unless
on loan or in storage as provided under this chapter, shall be located in the
Capitol, except that portraits originally identified with the supreme court or
the court of criminal appeals initially displayed in the Capitol after 1915
shall be located, at the particular court's discretion, in the present quarters
of the court to which the item is identified. An item located at the direction
of a court remains part of the Capitol collection and is subject to
preservation and protection by the board.
