Galleries and Museums

Museum Collections

South Ayrshire Council Collecting and Disposal Policy

1.0 Introduction

1.1 This is a Policy Statement regulating the acquisition of items for the Collections of South Ayrshire Council Museums and Galleries Service. The adoption and implementation of such a policy by South Ayrshire Council is a requirement of the Resource Registration Scheme.

1.2 This represents the aims and plans of the Council at the time of its adoption in 2002, and as such will be subject to revision as the Museums & Galleries service develops. It is, as a result, intended that this policy should be reconsidered at least once every five years - no later than July 2007, and a revised statement brought before the Council for its agreement. The Scottish Museums Council will be notified of any changes to the Collecting and Disposal Policy.

1.3 This Policy Statement supersedes all previous and existing practices and policies, formal or informal, relating to the acquisition of items for the collections of the museum.

1.4 South Ayrshire Council Museums & Galleries service contains Collections in the following areas

1.4.1 South Ayrshire Council Collections

Archaeology
This is a fairly small collection, which is mainly made up of excavation material including sweepings, potsherds and flint work. There are 2 fine Bronze Age burial urns from Girvan and small collections of Roman and medieval material. The collection is mainly made up of more recent Treasure Trove allocations of “local” excavation assemblages. There are a few other pieces of local significance, which are stand-alone objects. There is no typological focus to this collection.

Coins, Medals and Tokens

Coins
This collection is very general, containing mainly examples of British coinage along with a few foreign pieces. The main part of the coin collection is a group of pieces excavated from St John’ s Tower in Ayr. Most importantly, this includes Scottish coinage from the Seventeenth Century.

Medals
Medals are mainly presentations for involvement in war or class medals from local schools. There are also a series of medallions caste by Robert Bryden (a local artist). This collection has a local significance.

Tokens
A collection of Communion tokens includes pieces from churches throughout Scotland, but particularly Ayrshire. Badges and other material are odd individual items, which relate to local events, local people or Royal celebrations.

Costume & Textiles
This collection is mainly made up of Ayrshire embroidery (white work, lace or copies of this style) and examples of Edwardian and Victorian formal dress. There is also a small collection of clothing from the 1950s, which has local significance. Otherwise the collection contains a few examples of formal wear, military costume and work wear from the early 20th Century, which is associated with local people, trades or activities. There are also around 8 large banners and flags (which relate to protest marches, Orange Lodge organisations and the celebration of Robert Burns) and a large Covenanting flag. Finally, there are a few fine examples of tapestry and embroidery, including a modern woollen tapestry by Emma Jo Webster, and some fine embroidered tablecloths and framed pieces by local people.

Culture
Robert Burns
South Ayrshire Council has a small collection of Burns related literature, which was formed mostly from the collection transferred from the Tam O’ Shanter museum in Ayr (closed down in the early 1980s)

Paper collections (posters, letters, maps, certificates, records, newspapers etc)
There around 200 other pieces of paper based material, which relate to the local area. This collection is mainly made up of locally sold postcards, railway posters, vinyl record sleeves or newspapers, and material kept to commemorate local events (invitations to Royal and Political celebrations for example).

Domestic Life
Robert Burns
A significant portion of this collection is material transferred from the Tam O’ Shanter museum in Ayr. The artefacts are mainly material which have been associated with Robert Burns or his followers. This collection also includes fixture and fittings from the Tam O’ Shanter museum.

Other material
In addition to this, there are some fine examples of domestic material associated with local people. For example, sewing machines, cleaning equipment, cigar and tobacco containers, general containers and household equipment.

Decorative and Applied Art
This collection contains some contemporary ceramics, but is mainly made up of 19th and 20th Century candelabra, household ceramics, trophies and tableware. There is also a significant collection of formal regalia from the old burghs of Troon, Prestwick, Maybole, Girvan and the Royal Burgh of Ayr. Once again, this collection contains a large percentage of material relating to the Tam O’ Shanter museum, which was on Ayr High Street. A considerable amount of the ceramic ware has images of local scenes or Burns themes. There is also a small collection of Mauchline Box ware which again shows mainly Burns related images or scenes of local importance.

Fine Art
This is one of the largest collections held by the Museums and Galleries service. It is made up from the collections of the former Burghs of Prestwick, Maybole, Girvan, Troon and the Royal Burgh of Ayr. These collections are made up from individual purchases and gifts or bequests from local people. These major bequests include work bequeathed by Allan Forest Stark, Dr McGregor, G.B. Dunlop, R.C. Roy, Richard Edmiston Senior and Junior, Thomas Davidson, William McDowall and W.B. Scott Valentine.

There is a considerable proportion of the collection which is made up of local scenes or work by local artists. There is a particularly strong group of works by Robert Bryden, William Bell Scott Valentine and original artists of the Ayr Sketch Club. Most of this ‘local’ work is on paper and is unframed. There are also a considerable number of pieces relating to Robert Burns, including some 200 un-researched pieces, which formed part of the Tam O’ Shanter Museum collection and 54 recently acquired works of ‘Tam O’ Shanter’ by the artist Alexander Goudie. Work is present in all mediums, with some significant works on paper by Robert Colquhoun, the Rev John Thomson of Duddingston, D. O. Hill, James Faed, Sir D.Y. Cameron, G. Leslie Hunter and P. Wyndham Lewis. In addition to this there are significant works in oil by Thomas Faed, Sir Joseph Noel Paton, G. Leslie Hunter, William Muir, John Faed, David Gow, Sir Daniel MacNee, James of Skirking Howe, Eyre Crowe, Alexander Nasmyth, S.J. Peploe, Lucien Pissarro, E.A. Hornel and George Henry.

A few of the pieces are of international or UK significance, and have in the main become part of South Ayrshire Council’s collection through bequests to the former Burghs at the start of the 20th Century. Most of the collection has a Scottish element, representing the work of Scottish artists or Scottish scenes/life. Work acquired since then has been mainly of local scenes, items with a Burns theme or work from local artists.

History of Science
This collection is mainly pieces of electrical equipment, which do not seem to have been acquired with any particular collecting focus. There are instruments for radio transmission, television sets, household appliances and some scientific experimental equipment. There is also a very small collection of surgical equipment, particularly equipment associated with childbirth donated by a local doctor. This small collection is of local significance and needs more research.

Industry and Commerce
Agriculture
There are a small number of industrial objects relating to farming including a plough,scythe etc. Most of these items are examples from the former Tam O’ Shanter museum.

Communications
There are a few radio systems, including a Morse code communication device. This is a basic collection, which forms no real collecting focus and requires further research.

Construction
There are timbers, plaster casts and building equipment used in the construction of local buildings.

Manufacturing, Trades and Crafts
There are items relating to the production of goods in local factories and in the home. This includes collections relating to the Maybole Boot and Shoe factories and some local breweries. Of particular significance within this collection are around 30 steel bench planes made by Stewart Spiers. This collection also includes a series of ‘mini’ bench planes. This collection illustrates some significant developments in local trades and crafts.

Mining and mineral
There are a few items relating to the mining industry of Ayrshire. This is not a large collection

Shops and Businesses
There are some examples of shop signs, posters and advertising wares. This collection also includes branded shop products and fixtures and fittings from former local businesses. This collection contains some extremely interesting material about local businesses, which no longer exist. The focus of this collection is mainly on the town of Ayr, the historic County town.

Textiles
There are a number of artefacts relating to the manufacture of local textiles, including samplers, patterns and sewing kits/machines.

Tourism
There are a number of advertising posters and postcards relating to ‘the seaside’ in Ayr or to visiting Burns country.

Maritime
This is mainly a collection of some fine boat models, which relate to the ship building industry in Troon. These items are mainly in display cases, although there are a few smaller uncased examples. There are a number of maps and charts about the area and about the Ailsa Troon Shipyard. Any new paper-based material is now normally passed to the Ayrshire Archives Centre.

Natural Sciences
Fossils, Rocks, Gems and Minerals
Around 4,000 specimens mainly of the Alexander collection previously held at Belleisle House in Ayr. This collection is listed in parts and has a strong local element. Most specimens have been acquired from local donors. This collection requires considerable research to establish collecting areas which could be focussed on in the future.

Mammals
A weasel and a fox

Birds and Eggs
74 birds – mainly locally recognised species. A few individual examples like a Golden Eagle, Kingfisher, Parrots, Kiwi, Humming Birds and Cockatoos. Around 600 Bird Eggs – Part of the Alexander collection formerly kept at Belleisle House.

Reptiles and Amphibians
Tropical American Lizard, Crocodile, and a Gecko

Fish
Porcupine Fish

Other invertebrates
A collection of around 200-300 sea shells mainly from the local area and formed by local collectors.

Botany including herbarium
Around 2,000 Herbarium specimens. These are part of the Braidwood collection (a 19th Century collection from Lanarkshire).

Other Natural Sciences
There are around 50 specimens relating to the above collection including horns, antlers, bones, tusks, skins, shells, feathers and beaks.

Photography
This collection is mainly artistic photography, historic studio portrait photography or images of historic events. Throughout South Ayrshire the Carnegie Library, the Museums and Galleries Service and the Ayrshire Archives Centre are acquiring photographic collections. At the moment the Museums and Galleries service acquire material associated with the present museum collection or work intended for artistic merit. It has already been recognised by the Museums and Galleries Service and the Archives Centre that a collecting policy in this area should be drawn up between these 3 bodies.

This collection also includes some photographic equipment, which include various cameras, enlargers and film recorders. This is a very basic collection of equipment with very few examples.

Society
Crime, Law and Punishment
There is a small collection of items associated with the old Ayr Jail and the practice of the police force in Ayrshire

Education
This collection includes various objects, which would provide a ‘background’ to Victorian schooling. This collection has no particular collecting area, apart from the social and education potential of illustrating school life. Some items are from local schools or local people. With more research this collection may form a handling collection focus in the future.

Religion and Beliefs
There are a few family bibles and a number of items of communion plate within this collection

Sport and Leisure
This collection includes a number of children’s toys and games, in particular a number of doll models. These include a large collection of woollen dolls representing characters from Beatrix Potter. There are also a number of sporting trophies and sporting equipment, including curling stones and golf.

Transport
There are a few large pieces of railway construction materials and a number of plans and records relating to the West Coast Railway Line and the Duke of Portland. This collection includes the large silver model of ‘the Duke’ train made to commemorate the Kilmarnock-Troon railway line and the Duke himself.

Warfare and Defence (collections other than weapons and accessories)
Most material is of local significance relating to life in wartime and is part of the Ayrshire Yeomanry collection. This has historically been displayed at Rozelle House, but is the property and stewardship responsibility of the Ayrshire Yeomanry and their Honorary Curator. Items within South Ayrshire Council’s collection are mainly occasional items which relate to local people including medals and some costume.

Weapons and Accessories

This collection mainly consists of some 50 edged weapons and clubs or spears, which were part of the collection of the Royal Burgh of Ayr. The pieces are mainly wood and steel. There are 4 firearms and a small amount of ammunition, which are from the past century. There are around 4 uniforms dating from the end of the Nineteenth Century. There are around 5 military flags from around the beginning of the Nineteenth Century. The rest of the collection is of individual items relating to local people or the life of local troops in battle.

World Culture
This collection includes a diverse range of items, mainly Oceanic weapons, with a few pieces from Asia and New Zealand.

1.5 South Ayrshire Council Museums & Galleries service will continue to collect material in the following areas

1.5.1 South Ayrshire Council Collecting Areas

Where the term ‘local’ is used this refers to the area outlined in clauses 4.1 and 4.2 of this policy. Similar collections to that of South Ayrshire Council are collected by other Ayrshire venues. With this in mind, all acquisitions to ‘local’ collections will take into account the collecting areas of the museum described in Clause 4.2 of this policy. South Ayrshire Council will retain copies of the Collecting Policies of North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire and Burns Cottage & Museum to ensure fair collecting as described in clauses 4.1 and 4.2 of this Policy.

Archaeology
The Museums & Galleries service will continue to collect items offered for acquisition by Treasure Trove and the Finds Disposal panel in order to maintain South Ayrshire as the repository for local archaeological finds. Other items will be collected if they are deemed to have “local” significance. There will be no attempt to build up a comprehensive collection in terms of a period or type. All acquisitions to this collection will be acquired according to the specific clauses regarding collection of archaeological objects in this policy.

Coins, Medals and Tokens
The Museums and Galleries service will continue to collect Communion tokens of local significance, which enhance this small local collection as it is. Medals will be collected if they bear a strong relationship to local people or events. There will be no acquisition of coinage unless pieces will enhance the interpretation of items already held, or represent other collections from local sights. In general, specimens will only be collected if they are of local significance or enhance the interpretation of the Collection as it stands. There is no intention to build up a comprehensive collection of coinage.

Costume & Textiles
It will be useful in the future to compare the content of the Ayrshire embroidery/lace/white work collections of South, East and North Ayrshire. All three authorities (& the National Museums) collect this type of material, which at the moment is usually because of its particular ‘local’ significance to each area. South Ayrshire Council will continue to collect this type of work, after reference to the Collecting Policies of the other authorities. In general, work of this type will be collected if it forms a particular relationship to a local person or was locally manufactured. Further Edwardian and Victorian costume will be collected, again, if it has a local significance and storage space permits. Although, with further research into this collection it may become obvious which specific types of costume or accessories would enhance the collection as it is. The Collecting Policy should be amended at this point. Other material will be considered if it represents a local industry, event or person of local significance.

Culture
Robert Burns
This is obviously another area that is collected by, in particular, the Burns Cottage Museum. Any items which become available will be discussed with the Burns Cottage Museum.

Paper based material/archives
There is no intention to build up a comprehensive collection within this area, however, as material becomes available which relates to local events, people or businesses it may be collected. All collecting within this area will normally be discussed with the Ayrshire Archives Centre.

Domestic Life
Robert Burns
Most of the work in this collection relates to the Tam O’ Shanter Museum once in Ayr. If items relating to this organisation became available they would be considered for the collection, however, they would be discussed with Burns Cottage Museum.

Other material
This collection requires considerable work to formulate any distinct collecting area. At the moment the collection is extremely varied and does not form a distinct collecting area. Items will be collected in the future if they have a strong ‘local’ significance to a local person, business or event.

Decorative and Applied Art
Contemporary craft work may be acquired as part of the Fine Art collection, should it relate to makers of local significance, otherwise there is no intention to build up a collection of contemporary craftwork. All historic decorative and applied art will be considered for collecting should it have a local significance. All items relating to Robert Burns will first be discussed with the Burns Cottage Museum. It is the Museums and Galleries service’s intention to actively pursue the acquisition of items of regalia relating to the old Burghs of Troon, Prestwick, Maybole, Girvan and the Royal Burgh of Ayr. In the case of the small collection of Mauchline Box ware it would only be the intention of the Museums and Galleries service to acquire such material if it had particular local significance.

Fine Art
A few of the pieces are of international or UK significance, and have in the main become part of South Ayrshire Council’s collection through bequest to the former burghs of Prestwick, Troon, Girvan, Maybole and the Royal Burgh of Ayr. Work acquired since then has been mainly of local scenes, with a Burns theme or from local artists. With this in mind, the Museum and Galleries service intends to continue to acquire work by local artists or work of local significance. Work by other ‘masters’ outside this collecting area will only be considered if it relates to the body of other work already part of the collection or relates to South Ayrshire. In this situation the Museums and Galleries service will consult with other collectors in Scottish Museums. It may be necessary to set up a group to consider the future collecting areas for this collection, as it is made up such a considerable body of work.

History of Science
This small collection is of local significance. There is no intention to build up a comprehensive collection of electrical appliances, experimental materials or surgical equipment. Further material will only be acquired if it has particular local significance or enhances the collection already acquired.

Industry and Commerce
Agriculture
There is no intention to collect in this area, unless justified as the clauses of this policy state.

Communications
There is no intention to collect in this area, unless justified as the clauses of this policy state.

Construction
There is no intention to collect in this area, unless justified as the clauses of this policy state.

Manufacturing, Trades and Crafts
This collection does illustrate some significant developments in local trades and crafts. It would certainly be hoped that this collection could be added to should appropriate material become available. There is only a small amount of material relating to local industries. With appropriate storage allocation in the future this collection should be actively added to in order to represent the trade and craft of all areas within the South Ayrshire Council area.

Mining and minerals
This is not a large collection and the Museums and Galleries service will not collect such material unless it has particular local significance.

Shops and Businesses
The Museums and Galleries service would seek to add to this area as the opportunity arose and to focus this collecting on local businesses and shops. There are a fair amount of objects relating to Ayr but little for the other Burghs and villages. This collection should be added to as items with minimal storage needs become available and should attempt to build up objects relating to all areas of South Ayrshire.

Textiles
This is a collecting area which is strongly focussed on by East Ayrshire Council. It would not be the intention of the Museums and Galleries Service to add specifically to this collection, only as items of ‘local ‘significance become available.

Tourism
This is an area of local tourism, which South Ayrshire should continue to focus on. Items relating to the tourism industry in South Ayrshire will be actively collected. Items on a Burns theme will be offered first to the Burns Cottage Museum.

Maritime
The Museums and Galleries Service will continue to collect items relating to the ship building industry at Troon, and to ship models, which have a local connection.

Natural Sciences
Fossils, Rocks, Gems and Minerals
The current collection requires assessment by a professional geologist to establish collecting strengths and potential collecting needs. No active collecting of individual specimens should be considered without this input. Full collections from local donors or full collections of local significance may be considered outside this.

Mammals
There will be no need to build up a comprehensive collection of mammals, however, further specimens of common local species may be accepted if they become available.

Birds and Eggs
Examples of local birds will be collected only in particular circumstances. There will be a strong presumption against duplication specimens of local significance, which already form part of the collection. However, as specimens, which are duplicates become available, they will be considered in comparison to the specimens already part of the collection. Specimens may replace others where they are in better condition and do not eliminate specimens of historical significance to the collection. Condition of specimens before entry will be of paramount importance to potential acquisition.

Reptiles and Amphibians
There is no intention to acquire further items like these unless particular circumstances exist.

Fish
There is no intention to acquire further items like these unless particular circumstances exist.

Other invertebrates
This collection needs further work to determine any particular collecting focus or potential collecting needs. This collection will not be added to by individual specimens until this has been completed. There is no intention to acquire further items like these unless particular circumstances exist.

Botany including herbarium
This collection does require further research to ascertain any future collecting needs. The collection in itself is basically complete, further specimens should only be added if they have strong local significance or represent a local collector or collecting area.

Other Natural Sciences
There is no intention to continue collecting this type of material. Materials such as this should only be collected if it has a very strong local significance or enhance the exhibition potential of other items within the collection.

Photography
The Museums and Galleries Service and the Archives Centre have already agreed to liase on potential acquisitions and would hope in the future to bring the collecting policies of all three areas (to include libraries) together as one. At the moment the Museums and Galleries service acquire material associated with the collection as work of artistic merit.

Photographic equipment, which include various cameras, enlargers and film recorders. This is a very basis collection of very few examples, which should not be added to form a collection of items relating to the history of photography. However, if machinery associated with film or photography does become available, and has a local significance, it will be considered for collection only if there is a strong link to the collection already held.

Society
Crime, Law and Punishment
As and when items associated with the local areas and local practices become available, they will be considered for the collection

Education
The expansion of this collection should only be considered if the display potential for such a resource can be realised. Nonetheless, if items do become available which are of particular local significance they should be included in the collection. This collection may be added to with a handling focus in mind.

Religion and Beliefs
Items should only be considered for this collection if they have particular local significance and relate to local people, events, customs and practices. However, it may be useful to consider collecting a more diverse range of material to represent all religious and belief practices in the local area.

Sport and Leisure
There is no intention to collect other children’s toys and games, unless they have a strong local significance. However, the Museums and Galleries service will actively pursue items, which relate to local sporting interests to enhance this collection further.

Transport
This is a significant collection, although very small, which is also focussed on by East and North Ayrshire Museums services. It is the intention of the Museums & Galleries Service to continue collecting items relating to the local area and to consult with these other authorities should potential acquisitions arise.

Warfare and Defence(collections other than weapons and accessories)
Items offered for acquisition will be considered if they are of local significance and represent the combat life of a local person. There is no intention to create a comprehensive collection of this type, although acquisition of items for handling kits relating to the 2nd World War may be considered.

Weapons and Accessories
There is no intention to acquire further items like these unless particular circumstances exist.

World Culture
This collection is mostly of local significance, and it is not intended that it should be actively added to.

2.0 General Rules for Collecting

2.1 The Council accepts the general principle that it is their responsibility to ensure to the best of their ability that all of the collections in their care are adequately housed, conserved and documented.

2.2 The Museum will not acquire, whether by purchase, gift, bequest or exchange, any item, unless the Museums & Galleries Officer acting on the Council’s behalf is satisfied that valid title to the item in question can be acquired. In particular, no item will be collected which has been acquired in, or exported from, its country of origin including the United Kingdom, or any intermediate country in which it may have been legally owned, in violation of that country’s laws.

2.3 Where an item is offered as a gift in good faith and the prospective donor is uncertain of the identity of the legal owner/s and the Museums & Galleries service is unable to find this out as a result of its own reasonable efforts, the Museums & Galleries Officer shall be permitted to accept the item, provided a permanent and detailed note of the circumstances and known facts is made at the time of acceptance.

2.4 So far as biological and geological material is concerned, the museum will not acquire by any direct or indirect means any specimen that has been collected, sold or otherwise transferred in contravention of any national or international wildlife protection or natural history conservation law or treaty of the United Kingdom or any other country, except with the express consent of an appropriate outside authority eg a British court in the case of a specimen seized from a third party under the Protection of Birds Act.

2.5 Under the legal principles of Treasure Trove and bona vacantia, the discovery of antiquities in Scotland is a matter for report to the Crown. Scottish archaeological material will therefore not be acquired by any means other than allocation to the Museums & Galleries service by the Crown, normally on the advice of the Treasure Trove Advisory Panel or the Historic Scotland Finds Disposal Panel, unless the Museums & Galleries Officer, acting on the Council’s behalf, is satisfied that valid title to the item in question can be acquired, such as by certificate of ‘No Claim’ from the Treasure Trove Advisory Panel Secretariat.

2.6 No excavated or archaeological material will be acquired unless the Museums & Galleries Officer, acting on the Council’s behalf can be reasonably certain that the circumstances of excavation or recovery did not involve recent unauthorised destruction of, or damage to, ancient monuments, known archaeological sites or places of special scientific or historic interest, or failure to disclose finds to the owner or occupier of the land where found, or to any proper authority.

3.0 Collecting Procedures

3.1 The Museums & Galleries Officer, as the Council’s senior museum professional, will normally have delegated authority and responsibility for the acceptance or rejection of potential gifts or bequests to the Museum, for soliciting gifts of material for the collections within the terms of this policy, and for making recommendations and taking action on the purchase of material in accordance with this Policy and within the Council’s normal standing orders.

3.2 Where the acquisition of any item would result in significant financial implications in respect of storage, conservation or display, the matter will be referred to the Council for decision.

3.3 Items offered to the Museum as gifts or bequests will not normally be accepted if they are subject to any restrictive covenant or special conditions, such as that they be displayed in a particular way. In exceptional circumstances, if the Museums & Galleries Officer feels that the item(s) in question are of over-riding importance, the Council may be asked to approve the acquisition of a specific item to which conditions are attached. A general exception to this rule will be deemed to exist in respect of restrictive covenants or conditions intended only to assure the permanent protection of the item concerned in the Museums & Galleries servicce collections, such as restrictions placed upon any legal powers of disposal that the Museum may have; under such circumstances, the Museums & Galleries Officer may reasonably recommend that the Council accept the gift or bequest in question.

3.4 The acceptance of items, on loan, normally for a finite period for display or specific study, may be authorised by the Museums & Galleries Officer acting on the Council’s behalf. In exceptional cases, a privately owned item of major importance that falls within the scope of this Policy may be accepted on a finite long loan, whether or not it is required for immediate display or study. No item will be received on “permanent loan”, a term which has no legal status. The period of all loans will normally be agreed in writing between the Museums & Galleries Officer and the owner of the item at the time of deposit. Where the term of a loan has expired, it may be renewed or extended for further finite periods, at the discretion of both the owner and the Museums & Galleries Officer.

4.0 Collecting Area

4.1 The Collecting Area for the Museums & Galleries service will be the area defined by the political boundaries of South Ayrshire Council. In the case of a regimental or company collection, or a collection based around the life of a person, the concept of a Collecting Area does not apply, and this respect collecting will be governed by association, rather than geographical area.

4.2 The Museum & Galleries service acknowledges that other museums in the area have traditionally collected within certain parts of the area now claimed, which are specified. The Museum will work with these specified places to ensure that material is preserved in the place most appropriate, given the nature of the items and their provenance. The specified places are: Burns Monument and Cottage, East Ayrshire Museums service, North Ayrshire Museums service, Glasgow Museums and the Hunterian Museum.

4.3 Items made in, at some point used within, or otherwise provenanced to the Museums & Galleries service Collecting Area, may be acquired, regardless of their location at the time of acquisition. Where this involves the collection of items from a place within the geographical sphere of influence of another museum, a principle of open actions and good communications will apply.

4.4 In an emergency, and to ensure the preservation locally [and in public ownership] of important material, the Museums & Galleries Officer is exceptionally authorised to collect material from outside the museum’s stated collecting area, relating to those parts of Ayrshire not yet covered by any museum service. Such material is acquired on the understanding that it may be transferred to other museums at a future time.

4.5 Where the Museum seeks to collect the work of “local” artists, or to acquire “local” views, the area defined at 4.1 above will normally be used as the basis for decisions.

4.6 Acquisitions outside the current stated policy should be made in very exceptional circumstances, and then only after proper consideration by the governing body of the museum itself, having regard to the interests of other museums.

4.7 Any Archive material acquired by South Ayrshire Council for their museum collections in the future will be decided upon with reference to the Ayrshire Archives centre in Ayr, who are the stewards of South Ayrshire, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire Council Archives as recommended by the Keeper of the Records of Scotland. The Ayrshire Archives centre are the custodians of South Ayrshire Council Archives and, therefore, no Archives are or will be actively collected by South Ayrshire Council Museums & Galleries service. However, any material deemed to be acquired and accessioned by the Museums & Galleries service of South Ayrshire Council, after negotiation with the Ayrshire Archives centre, will be preserved in accordance with ‘The Code of Practice on Archives for Museums in the United Kingdom’ and to meet ‘The Standards for Record Repositories’ (1990). Such material will only be accessioned in accordance to the clauses of this policy document.

4.7.1 South Ayrshire Council Museums & Galleries service maintain a small working collection of administrative material relating to the acquisition of the permanent collection and to past exhibitions in Council buildings. This includes general correspondence, exhibition listings and some slides. At the moment this is a working resource, which is not classified as Archive material. In addition to this, any material found during the retrospective documentation exercise, which is deemed to be Archive material is discussed with the Archivist at the Ayrshire Archives centre to decide either accession to South Ayrshire Council’s museum collection or transfer of title to the Ayrshire Archives Centre.

South Ayrshire Council Disposal policy

5.0 Disposal

5.1 This is a Policy Statement regulating the disposal of items from the collections of South Ayrshire Council’s Museums & Galleries Service. The adoption and implementation of such a policy by South Ayrshire Council is a requirement of the Resource Registration scheme.

5.2 One of the basic functions of museums is preservation; items acquired by a museum are generally considered to be inalienable once they have been incorporated into the collections. There is a strong presumption against the subsequent disposal of items from museum collections, other than in very specific circumstances. This Policy Statement covers the circumstances in which disposals may take place, and the procedures to be followed.

5.3 This Policy statement supersedes all previous and existing practices and policies, formal or informal, relating to the disposal of items from the Collections of the Museums & Galleries Service.

6.0 General Principle

6.1 The Council hereby confirms its acceptance of the principle that the collections of the Museums & Galleries service are held in trust for future generations. Only under exceptional circumstances will the disposal of any specimen from the Collections be permissible.

7.0 Reasons for Disposal

7.1 To remove from the Collections any item which is too badly damaged or deteriorated to be of any further use for the purposes of the museum.

7.2 To improve the curatorial care of the collections by the disposal of duplicate or unprovenanced material of low intrinsic relevance to the collecting policy.

7.3 To transfer to the ownership of another registered museum any item which, by reasons of changes in public, social or educational need, administrative responsibility, development priorities, or the establishment of a new registered museum, the Museums & Galleries Officer advises the Council would be more appropriately placed elsewhere.

7.4 In those cases where the museum is legally free to dispose of an item (if this is in doubt, advice will be sought) it is agreed that any decision to sell or otherwise dispose of material from the collections will be taken only after due consideration. Decisions to dispose of items will not be made with the principal aim of generating funds. Once a decision to dispose of an item has been taken, priority will be given to retaining the item within the public domain and with this in view it will be offered first, by exchange, gift or sale to Registered museums before disposal to other interested individuals or organisations is considered.

8.0 Authority for Disposal

8.1 No Museum Specimen may be disposed of without the specific authority of the Council, through the acceptance of a minute of its Lifelong Learning Committee or its successor body. Such a decision must be the responsibility of the Council’s Lifelong Learning Committee, acting on the advice of their Museums & Galleries Officer and not of the Museums & Galleries Officer or any person acting alone.

8.2 If the disposal of a quantity of similar material is proposed, the Council may, however, give Museums & Galleries Officer delegated authority to act in the specific, once a general principle has been approved.

8.3 Where recommendations concerning the disposal of Museum Specimens are to be made, it is understood that there will need to be certain preliminary investigations before a report can usefully be brought before the Council. This may include such matters as obtaining valuations, seeking the views of donors, and contacts with other registered museums who may be interested in accepting transfers. Within the terms of this policy, it is understood that the Museums & Galleries Officer, under the supervision of the Head of Lifelong Learning, has authority to act in this way, without prejudice to the Council’s eventual decision.

9.0 Disposal of Purchases, Gifts & Bequests

9.1 Where it is the intention to dispose of an item which was acquired by purchase, the Museums & Galleries Officer will take all reasonable steps to discover whether the original purchase was assisted by a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the National Fund for Acquisitions, the Local Museums Purchase fund, the National Art Collections Fund or other identifiable funding source. Where it is known or discovered that such a grant was made, the body concerned or its successors will be notified of the Museum’s intentions so that any relevant conditions attached to the original grant may be fulfilled, such as that the value of the grant or a proportion of any money raised by sale, should be surrendered.

9.2 Items given or bequeathed will not normally be disposed of without prior consultation with the original donors or their families within the first generation, and wherever possible their approval should be obtained to the course of action proposed. This is, however, a matter of courtesy rather than a legal requirement. The Museums & Galleries Officer shall be entitled to waive this requirement where all reasonable efforts to trace a donor have failed, and additionally where no details of the donor exist.

9.3 In appropriate circumstances, having taken account of the procedure set out in paragraphs 8.1 - 8.3 and 10.1 - 10.8 of this Policy, the Museums & Galleries Officer may recommend the return of an item to its original donor.

10.0 Disposal Procedure

10.1 Where a museum item is no longer required by the Museums & Galleries Service, and approval has been given by the Council to its disposal, it shall be offered first to other registered museums, wherever possible as a gift, but otherwise by loan, exchange or sale.

10.2 Where it is intended that an item should be sold, an independent valuation should be sought: the Scottish Museums Council will normally advise on obtaining this but cannot give valuations. The Council will accept this as the maximum price for the sale of a museum item to a registered museum, for a period of six months. It will, however, be open to the Council to authorise a sale to a registered museum at a reduced or nominal price in order to keep an item in public ownership. If sale to an individual, or an organisation other than a museum, does become necessary, the item would then normally be offered at a price no less than valuation.

10.3 In the first instance, the Museums & Galleries Officer shall seek to identify a specific registered museum with whom an arrangement acceptable to both parties can be made. If this proves impossible, the intended disposal shall be made known to the museum community at large. This will be by means of an announcement sent to the offices of each Area Museum Council and placed in the monthly publication of the Museums Association and other professional journals if appropriate.

10.4 The announcement must indicate the nature and number of the museum items involved, and the basis on which a transfer would be made. A period of at least two months must be allowed between the appearance of the announcement and the implementation of any decision.

10.5 If, as a result of such an announcement, more than one museum responds, care must be taken to avoid a situation where museums are competing with each other in ignorance. In such cases, and particularly if the transfer is to be by sale, it will usually be appropriate for the parties concerned to be informed of each other’s interest, and time allowed for open discussion before a transfer is finalised.

10.6 If, after two months, no registered museum has declared an interest in acquiring the museum item on the basis offered by the Council, it may then be offered for sale to other interested organisations, to private individuals, or by auction. This may also be done if a registered museum, which has previously expressed an intention to purchase, is unable to complete such a purchase within a reasonable period, normally six months.

10.7 Where a museum item is to be disposed of by gift, if after six months no registered museum can be found which is willing to accept responsibility for the item, it may be given to any appropriate organisation or individual willing to receive it. First priority should be given to organisations in the public domain.

10.8 If the disposal of a museum item by all other means has proved to be impossible and disposal is regarded as absolutely essential, in exceptional cases the Council may be asked to authorise its destruction.

11.0 Disposal by Destruction

11.1 The destruction of a museum item will only be acceptable if its retention in the Collections would not be appropriate and no alternative public or private home can be found for it. Museum Specimens which have become in some way seriously damaged, or have deteriorated beyond the point of further usefulness for the Collections, may also from time to time need to be formally de-accessioned. In such circumstances, the Council acting on the advice of the Museums & Galleries Officer may authorise the destruction of an item. This must be carried out in a discreet, confidential and permanent fashion.

12.0 Procedure Following Disposal

12.1 Full records and photographs will be kept of all disposals from the Museums & Galleries Service. Where items have been disposed of, this shall be recorded in the appropriate register.

12.2 Where a museum item is transferred to another registered museum, all the associated documentation must accompany the item or follow within a period of one month. Where appropriate, this will include any photographic records. The Museums & Galleries Service will retain on file copies of key sections of the documentation, for future reference.

12.3 Any money received by the Council as the result of the sale of a museum item will normally be placed in the Purchase Fund and used for the acquisition of further items. The prior approval of the Scottish Museums Council will be sought on any occasion when an alternative use, such as improvements to the care of collections, is proposed.

13.0 Human Remains

The Council, acting on the advice of the museum’s professional staff, may take a decision to return human remains, objects or specimens to a country or people of origin. This is entirely a matter for the Council to consider, taking into account the ethical implications and within their legal position. Under such circumstances it is recognised and accepted that it would be inappropriate to apply the procedure outlined in paragraphs 7.4 and 10.6.

Appendix

1. The Museums & Galleries service is defined as those premises, staff and collections of original material which may from time to time be under the control of the Museums & Galleries Officer. At the time of adoption of this policy, this principally encompasses Rozelle House Galleries. The term “Museum” is used in a functional sense, and may at all times be taken to subsume the terms “Gallery” or “Art Gallery”, or otherwise as appropriate.

2. “Collections” are defined as:

“any item entered in the Accession Registers of the Museums & Galleries service, whether as gift, or purchase, together with any item not entered in the Accession Registers, but in the possession of the Museums & Galleries service at 21st June 2002, which was donated or purchased with the intention that it should become part of the Collections.”

“Valid title” is defined as valid legal ownership.

3. The Museums & Galleries Officer is defined as being the professional officer responsible to the Council, through the Head of Lifelong Learning, for the operation of the Museum according to proper professional standards. The Museums & Galleries Officer will have the Diploma of the Museums Association, or such other equivalent qualifications and/or substantial relevant experience as may be determined to be acceptable by the Scottish Museums Council.