- conditions before being acquired by the Board of Directors.
- 1. The donor must have clear title.
- 2. The objects or materials must, if possible, be documented as to provenance.
- 3. The historical significance of museum objects must be relevant to the heritage of the North Platte Valley and High Plains.
- 4. All moral, legal, and ethical implications of the acquisition must have been considered and resolved by the Museum board.
- 5. If an object is for sale, funding must be available.
- 6. Legacy of the Plains must have the resources to properly care for the proposed acquisition.
- 7. Ordinarily, acquisition should occur without donor restrictions. Exceptions include objects or materials whose benefits outweigh the possible burdens of donor restrictions. Use and disposition of acquired objects and materials will be at the discretion of the board unless otherwise specified.
- 8. The acquisition of material or objects must conform to the museum collections policy.
- (b) Means of Acquisition.: Objects and materials may be acquired by purchase, bequest, gift, exchange, field collection, excavation, abandonment, or any other method which transfers title to the museum. All rights, including reproduction, title, and interests shall be obtained by the Board of Directors for all potential acquisitions without restrictions or limiting conditions, if possible. If not, acquisitions shall have the potential of being converted to free and clear title under appropriate law.
- (c) Acquisition Procedure: All donations and gifts to Legacy of the Plains must be approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. However, the Executive Director-Curator of the Museum may directly accession photographs or paper items for the archive that are of historical value but which will not require significant care resources. A list of items approved in this manner will be submitted to the Collections Committee and Board of Directors. In all other cases, the Executive Director-Curator of the Museum recommends the acquisition of objects and materials to the Collections Committee, which makes recommendations to the Board of Directors.
- 1. A record or file will be maintained on all permanent acquisitions of Legacy of the Plains. Records will include legal documents, inventory, and historical information.
- 2. Objects and materials in the Museum collections will be retained permanently if they continue to be relevant and useful to the mission and purpose of the museum, and if they can be properly sorted, preserved and used.
- 3. Deaccessioning of objects may be considered when one or more of the criteria no longer prevail.
- 4. The Board of Directors does not guarantee to keep the donated material together as a unit. Objects, manuscripts, books and photographs will be accessioned by the appropriate department.
- 5. Gifts to Legacy of the Plains are deductible from taxable income in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Income Tax law. Appraisals of the value of the material or objects cannot be made by the donor, an employee, a friend, or a relative of the donor, a Legacy of the Plains employee, a board member, or a friend, a relative of staff, or a board member. Donors desiring to take an income tax deduction must obtain an independent appraisal. Copies of the appraisal must be filed with the donation.
- (d) Miscellaneous: No staff member may obligate the Board of Directors to the acceptance of any material or object not consistent with the intent or spirit of the acquisition policy.

The Deaccession Policy: "Deaccessioning is the process of removing permanently accessioned objects from the museum collections. This deaccession process should be cautious, deliberate, and ethical."

Policy last updated: February 21, 2013