Collections of the Thompson Historical Society

 

Blair Cole, our administrator, is overseeing our collections, housed in the Hattie Green Memorial Collections Room. Mr. Cole works with our curator, Mark Savolis (860-923-2770) and our collections review board (Joe Iamartino, Sue Vincent, Alice Biesiadecki and Blair Cole) to evaluate gifts given to the Thompson Historical Society and, if accepted, to see that they are properly registered in our Past Perfect Software system and cared for. If you would like to add to the historical photo collection or archive, please call Joe Iamartino at (860) 923-3776. To assist in the accession and deaccession processes, the society has adopted the following.....

Collections Management Policy

ACCESSION                                                                                                Dr. Paine's Desk

Purpose:   To acquire, hold, preserve and make available, documents, photos, and artifacts pertaining to the history of the town of Thompson.

A registrar shall be appointed by the board of directors.  The curator or collections committee shall evaluate all acquisitions before accepting items for our collection.  A number of considerations follow:

  • A.  Does the piece fit our collections policy?
    B.  Can the item be given appropriate care, given our funds, time, or staff?
    C.  Is the potential use of the item adequately described?
    D.  Is the item genuine as stated?
    E.  Is the collection offered without restrictions (copyright, patent, trademark or trade name    restrictions)?
    F.  Does the item avoid any appearance of being obscene, defamatory, potentially an invasion of privacy, or physically hazardous?
    G.  If the item is offered for purchase, is it at the least expensive price or a reasonable price?
    H.  Will accepting this gift avoid the appearance of endorsing, or obligating our organization to the donor?
    I.  If the item is acquired, what additional expenses need to be incurred?
    J.  Is them item appropriate to our institution, or could it be more appropriately placed in another museum or historical society?
    K.  There will be an acknowledgment of the gift or bequest, and sent by the registrar, president, or collections committee.
    •

    All new acquisitions must be assigned an accession number, recorded on the appropriate form, and cataloged.

    All collections owned by The Thompson Historical Society shall be housed in the Ellen Larned Memorial building or the Old Town Hall.

    No document, photo, or artifact owned by the society shall be removed by anyone from its quarters unless approved by the registrar and a director, with the appropriate form completed and signed.

    DEACCESSION

    Purpose:  An item or collection may be deaccessioned if it no longer contributes to the mission of the society or in the case of duplicated items.

    DEACCESSIONING CHECKLIST:

  • A.  Does the society own clear title to the item or collection?  (Refer to accession record)
    B.  Is the item or collection no longer relevant or useful to the purpose of our society?
    C.  Has the piece deteriorated beyond usefulness?  Can it be conserved or preserved?
    D.  Is the piece duplicated by better material in the collection?
    E.  What is the intended method and particulars of the proposed disposition:   exchange, sale, donation, or destruction?
    •

    The curator and registrar will make the decision of disposal and bring it to the board of directors for their approval.

    Images Donation & Use Policy:
     
    1.0   Donation
     
    In the event a member of the Society or general public elects to donate an image in hard copy form, in the form of a negative, in the form of a movie or slide, or in the form of a digitally scanned file in any format type (TIF, JPG, BMP, PDF etc.), that image is donated with the understanding that the donor is granting an non-exclusive, unrestricted license of use to the Thompson Historical Society. The Society may use the image for any purpose consistent with the charter of the Thompson Historical Society. In the event an image is donated with restrictions of any kind, those restrictions will be noted and archived with the image or in a database relating to the images.
     
    2.0   Use outside of the Thompson Historical Society publications or activities
     
    In the event a member of the Society or general public requests the use of an image in our archives, it is our general policy to support the mission of historical education in our community and to grant the request subject to the following terms:
    -          The image is reprinted with the note “Use by permission of the Thompson Historical Society, PO Box 47 Thompson, CT 06277” 
    -          The image is not manipulated in any way that detracts or alters in any significant manner the original image content
    -          The image is used to support positive causes, not demeaning or degrading activities
    -          The image is granted with the understanding that this is a single purpose use activity (book, newspaper, newsletter etc….)

    ETHICS STATEMENT:   It is inappropriate and highly unprofessional for an individual member or director to decide what material will be deaccessioned, and then to be able to buy that material from the society.  There are NO circumstances in which it is ethical to give an item to any member, director, spouse, or relative of the society.  This practice is not ethical, and shall be specifically prohibited.