Documenting Deaccessions - smith-special-collections/sc-documentation GitHub Wiki

Deaccessioning is the permanent removal of previously-accessioned materials from Smith College Special Collections. In order to provide accountability to donors and transparency to researchers using our materials, it is important to document and publish the fact that materials once available for research are no longer available.

All separations from archival collections, excluding those consisting entirely of bibliographic material that was not formally accessioned or duplicates, requires completion of a deaccession authorization form for each collection.

For deaccessions of multiple bibliographically controlled items from one or more sources, a single deaccession authorization form with an attached list of key data for each item (call number, title statement, publication information, date, donor [if relevant]) is sufficient for authorization. If there are multiple sources, the completed form is filed in the appropriate repository’s Collection Development folder under a new folder for bulk bibliographic deaccessioning; otherwise it is filed under the donor as usual.

Once the deaccession authorization form has been completed and signed via DocuSign, disposition may occur and the following things must happen in order to properly record the deaccession:

• PDF copy of signed form is added to the electronic Collection Development file
• Deaccession subrecord is added to ArchivesSpace resource record (for archival material)
• Finding aid or catalog record is updated

Note: For donations that consist solely of bibliographic materials, the absence of an agreed upon restriction on disposition, as determined by a review of the appropriate donor files, provides sufficient right to deaccession.

Further documentation instructions are currently located in the processing separations procedure.