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Since our founding in 1895, Delaware County Historical Society’s friends have been and remain vital to the on-going support of the organization’s mission. Together we must continue to share, protect and preserve the unique historical and cultural heritage of our land and its people.
2022 Update from the Executive Director
Dear DCHS Friends,
As you may have heard from the news, Delaware County Historical Society (DCHS) is closed to the public for a long overdue and essential inventory and vetting of its collections and artifacts. This process or “review” will allow for reflective re-examination of the DCHS collections and will offer members of the community various opportunities to participate.
The DCHS team has spent over a month investigating and researching national and even international best practices for collections management. Additionally, the team has conferred with leaders in the field of collections development. Using this information, DCHS has created a methodical process for implementing a complete inventory and vetting of the collections.
Our primary goal is to shape the collections’ composition to accurately support the mission of Delaware County Historical Society: “to collect, protect, and preserve the history and culture of Delaware County, making it accessible to all through strong educational outreach.” Just as important is to ensure that DCHS is providing good stewardship to our collections.
In the coming months DCHS will be sending out a timeline for implementation, and our best estimate of how long the process will take to complete. DCHS fully respects the importance the role that public trust including donor confidence plays, and will strive to be transparent and open throughout the entire process. To prevent improprieties any deaccessioning and/or disposal of items from the collections will be subject to rigorous procedures and will include a final review from a committee composed of qualified appraisers, local historians, donors, DCHS members and DCHS Board members.
“Deaccessioning and disposal are a legitimate part of responsible collections management. Prudent collections management includes a judicious consideration of appropriate deaccessioning and disposal. This periodic review, evaluation, deaccessioning, and disposal of existing collections is intended to refine and improve the quality and relevance of the collections with respect to the mission and purpose.” (Smithsonian Institute, 2001)
Please know that DCHS will not be disposing of any items of the collections to generate revenue for general operating funds or capital costs, and, of course, donors will the get first right of refusal if their items are under consideration for deaccession. The limited “team” is working as hard as we can to make DCHS relevant and meaningful to the residents of Delaware County, while ensuring the future sustainability of Delaware County Historical Society for generations to come.
If you have additional questions or would like to discuss this further, Sandy Tutton, Chair of the DCHS Board of Directors, and Laurie Grant, DCHS Executive Director are available.
Historically yours,
Laurie J. Grant, Executive Director
Delaware County Historical Society
Office: 610. 359. 0832 x 100
Cell: 610. 952. 5393
