A. Statement of Purpose

1. Goals of the Society.
The goals of the Tacoma Historical Society are to preserve and present the heritage of the City of Tacoma, Washington. Toward that end, the Society plans to establish a museum for display and interpretation of artifacts and documents related to the history of the ori-ginal, subsequent and present sites of the city. It is anticipated that some artifacts and documents will be collected which are "representative" of periods in Tacoma’s history and may actually have come from other areas, but nonetheless serve as authentic period pieces and may be collected.



2. Collection Criteria .
All items in the collection date primarily from 1841 to the present and represent the historic development of Tacoma. Collected articles may represent the Native American culture or otherwise date from earlier periods if they repre-sent historic development of a Tacoma-related event/place/person.


3. Types of Collections.

1. Permanent.
   The permanent collection is intended to be those artifacts held in trust for the community.
2. Non-permanent.
   This consists of items not appropriate for the permanent collection but utilized for education or other museum purposes.

B. Acquisition of items.

1. Definition(s)

a. Gift(s)
The Society may accept gifts of collection and non-collection related items so long as they are used/disposed of per the giver's intentions, and per the needs of the Society. The Society will acknowledge such gifts; however, appraisal of value will be the responsibility of the giver.

b. Loans.
Artifacts may be loaned the Society if the loan conditions are acceptable to the Board of Directors, and if the loan is compatible with the goals of the Society.

c. Purchases.
The Society may purchase artifacts for inclusion into the permanent or special collections if in accordance with the goals of the Society.

d. Exchanges/Trades.
The Society may exchange/trade artifacts with outside entities if such exchange/trade is in the interest of the Society.

2. Criteria for collection/acquisition.

a. Consistent with Society Policies.
The artifact/property must be collectible per Society policies, or disposable per Society policies.

b. Storage/preservation
The acquired property must have adequate storage and a plan for preservation completed.

c. Funds available.
Adequate funds must be available to acquire, store, and to preserve the artifact/property.

d. Legal/Ethical requirements.
The acquisition must be legally consummated and legal in origin. The method of acquisition and source thereof must be without question.

e. Restrictions acceptable.
The restrictions placed on the acquisition must be accept-able to the Board of Directors of the Society.

f. Controversy/Obscenity.
Acquisition of any artifact/property must meet acceptable community moral standards and must meet the approval of the Board of Directors.

3. Authorizations

a. Board of Directors
Every transaction covered by this policy requires approval by the Board of Directors except as delegated to the duly constituted officers/staff.

b. Officers/Staff.
The president/vice president is empowered to make decisions on acquisitions/dispositions on behalf of the board when time constraints make it unfeasible to poll the board by telephone or mail.

Subject to the goals of the Society and Collection Criteria, small acquisitions may be made and donations may be accepted by officers/staff and members of the Collections Committee.

C. Deaccessions

1. Definition(s).

a. Sales:
The intentional sale of an artifact(s) when same no longer meets criteria for collection as stated in this policy.

b. Loss:
The unintentional loss of an artifact(s) through theft, fire, flood, natural or manmade disaster, or when said artifact(s) reach a state of deterioration such that they no longer meet the needs of the Society.

c. Exchange:
The duly authorized (see 3-a,b) exchange for desired property with another entity.

2. Criteria.

a. Sales:
Sales may be made if the item(s) no longer meet the display/interpretation needs of the Society, if the item(s) are duplicative, if the item(s) are found to be fraudulent or not authentic, or if the item(s) are re-quested to be sold by the terms of donation.

b. Loss:
Item(s) may be deaccessioned if deemed a loss as de-fined herein only after professional appraisal.

c. Exchange:
Item(s) may be deaccessioned by permanent exchange with an approved entity, under proper authority.

d. Use of funds to dispose:
Funds may only be authorized as is consistent with authority for original collection of artifact(s) .

e. Use of funds from disposal:
Funds collected from any dis-posal of artifact(s) shall be used for acquisition for or care of the collection.

f. Authority/Forms:
Authority for deaccessioning of artifacts shall be the same as for collections under this policy, (see B-3).

D. Loans.

1. Definition:
Loans are the time-limited, monitored transfer of artifact(s) to an authorized entity.

2. Criteria:

a. Incoming:
Loans made to the Society must have the same ap-proval as collections (see B-2,3), and meet the tests of suitability, preservability, affordability, and other as the approvers may determine. Loans shall not be accepted for more than one year.

b. Outgoing:
Loans made to other approved entities must have the same approval as collections (see B-3). and meet the legitimate needs of loaned entity as well as assuring the artifact(s) are maintained and preserved and transported in accordance with accepted industry standards.

c. Monitoring:
All loans shall be monitored to insure compli-ance with the terms of the loan.

The Tacoma Historical Society and its museum will forge connections between past and present generations, fostering an appreciation of the past and a sense of place within our community's history. This we will do by collecting, documenting, and sharing the unique and complete history of our city.