Acquisition and Disposal policies for the University Museum Collections

Submitted for approved by University Court on 12 June 2007
To be reviewed on or before 12 June 2012

1. Existing collections, including the subjects or themes for collecting

1.1 The University has been collecting works of art, teaching specimens and other museum artefacts since it first opened as University College Dundee in 1883, but only since 1994 have these been cared for by a professional Curator within Museum Services, now part of Archive, Records Management & Museum Services. The University first achieved Registered status for its collections in 1996, and is now reviewing its Acquisition & Disposal Policy in line with the requirements of the MLA's Accreditation Standard.

1.2 The main subjects of the University's museum collections are as follows:

a) Artefacts or specimens used in teaching or research at the University of Dundee;

b) Artefacts or artworks that have been part of the corporate, academic or social life of the University, or that were used or created by current or former staff or students;

c) Artefacts or specimens gifted or bequeathed to the University specifically because of their historic or artistic significance;

d) Artefacts or artworks specially commissioned by the University, or purchased in order to enhance the cultural life of staff, students and visitors.

Please note: in all the above, the term 'University of Dundee' is taken to include the University's predecessor institutions (University College Dundee and Queen's College Dundee) and affiliated institutions such as Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Dundee College of Education, etc.).

1.3 The distinct collections at present are as follows:

Alan Woods Bequest: A large collection of contemporary British art bequeathed by former Duncan of Jordanstone College lecturer Alan Woods in 2000, including works by Art College staff and students.

Anatomy: Wax models, teaching charts and instruments. Although the University also has an Anatomy Museum containing human anatomical specimens, this is a teaching collection not under the responsibility of Museum Services.

Applied Computing: Teaching equipment.

Archives: Artefacts relating to documentary collections held by the University Archives, principally the Torrance Collection (ethnographic items from Palestine) and artworks and objects relating to the Glasite Church.

Biochemistry: Scientific instruments and teaching equipment.

Chaplaincy: Various items of silver and sculpture.

Chemistry: Scientific instruments and teaching equipment.

Civil Engineering: Scientific instruments and teaching equipment.

Design Chairs: Classic designs from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Dental School Collections: Dental instruments, a significant collection of comparative anatomy (animal teeth and jawbones) and various paintings and sculptures. Partly owned by NHS Tayside.

Duncan of Jordanstone College Collection: A large collection of artworks by students, usually acquired at the annual Degree Shows. Mostly paintings and drawings but also printmaking, photography, sculpture, artists books, video art, textiles, ceramics and silver. Also artworks by College staff and some presentation items.

Dundee College: A small collection of scientific instruments and teaching equipment used at Dundee College.

Education: Art and artefacts belonging to the former Dundee College of Education, including significant pieces of 20th-century Scottish art.

Electrical & Electronic Engineering: Scientific instruments and teaching equipment.

Fine Art: The University's main fine art collection of paintings, drawings and prints, mostly Scottish from the 17th century onwards.

Geography: Teaching equipment.

Herbarium: A large collection of botanical specimens, mostly comprising the Flora of Angus. Also scientific instruments and teaching charts.

Law: Various artworks and presentation items.

Maggie's Centre: A collection of artworks looked after by Museum Services on behalf of the Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Caring Centres Trust.

Mathematics: Teaching models and other equipment.

Mechanical Engineering: Scientific instruments and sectioned aeroplane and car engines.

Media Services: Items of audio-visual equipment used in teaching.

Needlework Development Scheme: Embroidery pieces from around the world collected by the NDS 1934-61.

Nicoll Collection: A substantial collection of 19th and 20th-century British art gifted by James Nicoll in 1951.

Physics: Scientific instruments and teaching equipment.

Physiology: Scientific instruments and teaching equipment.

Presentation Collection: Miscellaneous collection of items gifted to the University by other institutions.

Psychology: Scientific instruments and teaching equipment.

Scottish Arts Council Bequest: A large collection of Scottish 20th-century printmaking gifted from the SAC collection in 1997.

Silver Collection: The University's presentation silver, including the Mace and other ceremonial items.

Tayside Medical History Museum: Medical instruments, pharmaceutical items and other objects relating to the history of healthcare in Tayside, including artworks owned by the hospitals. The collection is jointly owned by the University and NHS Tayside.

University Collection: Miscellaneous items relating to general University life, including student and staff gowns and medals.

Visual Research Centre: Artworks created by artists-in-residence at the VRC.

Zoology Museum: Large collection of zoological specimens, many of which were acquired by Prof D'Arcy Thompson in the 1880s and 1890s. Also teaching charts and models.

2. Criteria governing future collecting policy, including the subjects or themes for collecting

2.1 The University will continue to add to its collections in order to represent the history of its teaching and research, as well as aspects of its corporate and cultural life (see 1.2 above). Of the collections listed in 1.3, the following are expected to develop in this way in the future: Anatomy, Applied Computing, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Dental School, Duncan of Jordanstone College, Education, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Geography, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Media Services, Physics, Physiology, Presentation, Psychology, Tayside Medical History Museum, University Collection, Visual Research Centre. It is also anticipated that new teaching and research areas will develop at the University, which may lead to the creation of new museum collections.

2.2 The Duncan of Jordanstone College Collection will continue to be added to each year by purchase from the annual Degree Show. At present this is only possible through funding from the School of Fine Art, but it is hoped to encourage other parts of the Art College to acquire work as well, thus making the collection more representative of the College as a whole.

2.3 The main Fine Art collection will also continue to develop through the acquisition of works of Scottish art, with an emphasis on painting, drawing and printmaking, and on artists associated with Dundee. The aim is not just to acquire works that have an aesthetic value for display around the campus but also to increase the research value of the collection by making it as representative as possible (given budgetary restrictions) of the history of fine art in Scotland.

2.4 If resources allow, the Design Chair collection will also be developed to ensure its continuing use as a teaching resource for the Schools of Design and Architecture.

2.5 There is unlikely to be further active collecting for the Herbarium and Zoology Museum, unless historical specimens can be found that were part of the University's original teaching collections, or that relate to their principal creators, such as Patrick Geddes and D'Arcy Thompson.

3. Period of time and/or geographical area to which collecting relates

3.1 As the collections aim to represent the history of the University and related institutions, most date from the 1880s up to the present day. Future collecting is likely to be mostly from the recent past, as current teaching equipment becomes obsolete.

3.2 Active collecting for the Duncan of Jordanstone College Collection began c.1955 and has continued since then. The University will continue to acquire contemporary work from the College, but would also like to acquire more work by staff and students pre-1950s.

3.3 The main Fine Art collection dates back to the 17th century, but mostly dates from the 19th and 20th centuries. Future collecting is likely to focus on the 20th and 21st centuries.

3.4 The Design Chair collection features designs from the 1850s onwards. Future collecting is likely to focus on the 20th and 21st centuries.

3.5 The Tayside Medical History Museum aims to represent the history of medicine in the region. The oldest items in the collection are 18th-century, and while future collecting is likely to focus on the 20th and 21st centuries, older items would certainly be welcomed.

3.6 The geographical area to which most of the collections relate can be defined as the premises of the University of Dundee and its related institutions, though many items were originally acquired from much further afield - the Zoology Museum, Design Chairs and Needlework Development Scheme particularly being intended as international collections.

3.7 The main Fine Art collection includes works by English and European artists, but mostly comprises Scottish art, and Scotland will continue to be the focus for future collecting, with an emphasis on Dundee artists.

3.8 The Tayside Medical History Museum aims to represent the history of medicine throughout the Tayside region, though the emphasis remains on Dundee.

4. Limitations on collecting

4.1 The University recognises its responsibility, in acquiring additions to its museum collections, to ensure that care of the collections, documentation arrangements and use of the collections will meet the requirements of the Accreditation Standard. It will take into account limitations on collecting imposed by such factors as inadequate staffing, storage and care of collection arrangements.

4.2 To help advise the Curator in this regard, heads of departments/units will be required to nominate an appropriate member of staff to be the honorary curator of any collection(s) in those departments/units and to assist with the documentation, accommodation and care of these collections.

4.3 Proposals for acquisitions must have regard to

(a) the state of the objects to be acquired;

(b) the availability of adequate accommodation, staff and facilities for conservation;

(d) the desirability of avoiding duplication of similar objects already held in local museums (see 5.1 below);

(e) the availability of valid title to the objects (see 8.1 below).

4.4 Where the acquisition of any item would result in significant financial implications in respect of storage, conservation or display, the matter will be referred to the University Court for decision.

4.5 Items offered to the University as gifts or bequests will not normally be accepted if they are subject to any restrictive covenant or special conditions, such as that they must be displayed in a particular way. In exceptional circumstances, if the University feels that the item(s) in question are of over-riding importance, the University Court may be asked to approve the acquisition of a specific item to which conditions are attached. A general exception to this rule will be deemed to exist in respect of restrictive covenants or conditions intended only to assure the permanent protection of the item concerned in the University's collections, such as restrictions placed upon any legal powers of disposal that the University may have; under such circumstances, it may be reasonably recommended that the University Court accept the gift or bequest in question.

5. Collecting policies of other museums

5.1 The University will take account of the collecting policies of other museums and other organisations collecting in the same or related areas or subject fields. It will consult with these organisations where conflicts of interest may arise or to define areas of specialisms, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication and waste of resources.

5.2 Specific reference is made to the following museums, whose collecting areas may overlap: McManus Galleries and Broughty Castle (Dundee City Council), Verdant Works and Discovery Point (Dundee Heritage Trust) and the University of St Andrews Museum Collections.

6. Policy review procedure

6.1 The Acquisition and Disposal Policy will be published and reviewed from time to time, at least once every five years. The date when the policy is next due for review is noted above.

6.2 The Scottish Museums Council will be notified of any changes to the Acquisition and Disposal Policy, and the implications of any such changes for the future of existing collections.

7. Acquisitions not covered by the policy

7.1 Acquisitions outside the current stated policy will only be made in very exceptional circumstances, and then only after proper consideration by the University Court, having regard to the interests of other museums.

8. Acquisition procedures

8.1 The University will exercise due diligence and make every effort not to acquire, whether by purchase, gift, bequest or exchange, any object or specimen unless the University Court or the Curator is satisfied that the University can acquire a valid title to the item in question.

8.2 In particular, the University will not acquire any object or specimen unless it is satisfied that the object or specimen has not been acquired in, or exported from, its country of origin (or any intermediate country in which it may have been legally owned) in violation of that country's laws. (For the purposes of this paragraph 'country of origin' includes the United Kingdom).

8.3 In accordance with the provisions of the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, which the UK ratified with effect from November 1 2002, and the Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Act 2003, the University will reject any items that have been illicitly traded. The University Court will be guided by the national guidance on the responsible acquisition of cultural property issued by DCMS in 2005.

8.4 So far as biological and geological material is concerned, the University will not acquire by any direct or indirect means any specimen that has been collected, sold or otherwise transferred in contravention of any national or international wildlife protection or natural history conservation law or treaty of the United Kingdom or any other country, except with the express consent of an appropriate outside authority.

8.5 Under the legal principles of Treasure Trove and bona vacantia, the discovery of antiquities in Scotland is a matter for report to the Crown. Scottish archaeological material will therefore not be acquired by any means other than allocation to the University by the Crown, normally on the advice of the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel (SAFAP), unless the Curator, acting on the University Court's behalf, is satisfied that valid title to the item in question can be acquired, such as by certificate of 'No Claim' from the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel Secretariat.

8.6 Any exceptions to the above clauses 8.1-8.5 will only be because the University is either:

acting as an externally approved repository of last resort for material of local (UK) origin; or

acquiring an item of minor importance that lacks secure ownership history but in the best judgement of experts in the field concerned has not been illicitly traded; or

acting with the permission of authorities with the requisite jurisdiction in the country of origin; or

in possession of reliable documentary evidence that the item was exported from its country of origin before 1970.

In these cases the University will be open and transparent in the way it makes decisions and will act only with the express consent of an appropriate outside authority.

9. Spoliation

9.1 The University will use the statement of principles 'Spoliation of Works of Art during the Nazi, Holocaust and World War II period', issued for non-national museums in 1999 by the Museums and Galleries Commission.

10. Repatriation and Restitution

10.1 The University Court, acting on the advice of the Curator, may take a decision to return human remains, objects or specimens to a country or people of origin. The museum will take such decisions on a case by case basis, within its legal position and taking into account all ethical implications.

11. Disposal procedures

11.1 By definition, the University's Museum Services has a long-term purpose and should possess (or intend to acquire) permanent collections in relation to its stated objectives. The University Court accepts the principle that, except for sound curatorial reasons, there is a strong presumption against the disposal of any items in the museum collections.

11.2 The University will establish that it is legally free to dispose of an item. Any decision to dispose of material from the collections will be taken only after due consideration.

11.3 When disposal of a museum object is being considered, the University will establish if it was acquired with the aid of an external funding organisation. In such cases, any conditions attached to the original grant will be followed. This may include repayment of the original grant.

11.4 Decisions to dispose of items will not be made with the principal aim of generating funds.

11.5 Any monies received by the University from the disposal of items will be applied for the benefit of the collections. This normally means the purchase of further acquisitions but in exceptional cases improvements relating to the care of collections may be justifiable. Advice on these cases will be sought from MLA.

11.6 A decision to dispose of a specimen or object, whether by gift, exchange, sale or destruction (in the case of an item too badly damaged or deteriorated to be of any use for the purposes of the collections), will be the responsibility of the University Court acting on the advice of professional curatorial staff, and not of the Curator of the collections acting alone.

11.7 Once a decision to dispose of material in the collection has been taken, priority will be given to retaining it within the public domain, unless it is to be destroyed. It will therefore be offered in the first instance, by gift, exchange or sale, directly to other Accredited Museums likely to be interested in its acquisition.

11.8 If the material is not acquired by any Accredited Museums to which it was offered directly, then the museum community at large will be advised of the intention to dispose of the material, normally through an announcement in the Museums Association's Museums Journal, and in other professional journals where appropriate.

11.9 The announcement will indicate the number and nature of specimens or objects involved, and the basis on which the material will be transferred to another institution. Preference will be given to expressions of interest from other Accredited Museums. A period of at least two months will be allowed for an interest in acquiring the material to be expressed. At the end of this period, if no expressions of interest have been received, the University may consider disposing of the material to other interested individuals and organisations.

11.10 Full records will be kept of all decisions on disposals and the items involved and proper arrangements made for the preservation and/or transfer, as appropriate, of the documentation relating to the items concerned, including photographic records where practicable in accordance with SPECTRUM Procedure on deaccession and disposal.