There are many good reasons for the Royal BC Museum to consider deaccessioning. The museum’s collections policy identifies why and how we might deaccession.
Royal BC Museum curators, archivists and collections managers know the collections very well. In managing the collections, one of their major concerns is whether materials have provincial significance or help us further our understanding of BC’s human or natural history. If they don’t, they are considered for deaccession.
Staff members also flag objects that may be better cared for at other institutions. We recognize that some material in our collections may have greater significance for smaller regional museums or archives. We see the value in helping our peers grow their own collections.
Material that has deteriorated or is damaged beyond repair is also subject to scrutiny. So too with material that was acquired illegally or unethically by current collecting standards. Duplicates (or objects that are very similar to others in the collection) are often considered for deaccession.
Finally, natural history specimens without data—most importantly, where and when they were collected—have little scientific value and are candidates for deaccessioning. Preserved specimens degraded over time also are subject to deaccession.