1.1 The scope of the collections of The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society is to be consistent with the spheres of interest outlined in the “Statement of Purpose” or mandate as written below. The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society will not collect objects that do not contribute to the furthering of its mandate.
1.2 The highest possible standards of security and atmospheric control possible within the inherent building constraints shall be maintained for the exhibition and preservation of the museum collection. The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society is committed to the care and preservation of the objects in its possession in accordance with its written Conservation Standard, for the proper handling of objects, and for the fair and accurate presentation of the collection in its research reports, publications, and exhibit labelling.
2. Statement of Purpose
2.1 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society shall collect, preserve, display and interpret those objects that serve to illustrate the history and development of the Thunder Bay District and Northwestern Ontario and its people, and to provide and maintain an archive for the use of researchers and the general public.
2.2 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society shall collect objects in the following categories: contemporary history, history of Indigenous, Black, and other people of colour in the region, history of 2SLGBTQIA+ peoples in the region, history of people with disabilities in the region, cultural development (including original and commercial art), natural resources and natural resources extraction, French and English colonialization, the fur trade, Euro-Canadian colonial settlement, industry, manufacturing, regional immigration, and trade and transportation
See connections and priorities in the Museum’s Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Policy 2023
2.3 Portions of the collection shall be available for public viewing in the Museum galleries through temporary exhibitions and to researchers by permission of the Curator/Archivist.
2.4 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society shall serve as a repository for local historical information, which shall be available to the general public.
2.5 From time to time The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society shall:
Publish scholarly papers and articles of general interest on topics related to the history of the Thunder Bay District and to the activities and purpose of the Museum.
Sponsor lectures and guest speakers on matters of general historical interest and on topics specifically related to the history of the Thunder Bay District.
Initiate extension services to civic and educational institutions.
2.6 From time to time, the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society shall act in an advisory and consultative capacity to government agencies and local institutions and organizations in matters relating to the historical development of the Thunder Bay District.
2.7 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society will cooperate with other museums and historical societies in the collection, display and preservation of significant materials.
3. Ethics
3.1 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society is committed to maintaining high standards and ethical behaviour in its collecting procedures, its records management, and the use made of its objects in accordance with the relevant sections of the Canadian Museums Association Ethics Guidelines (2006), the Canadian Museums Association Moved to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Canadian Museums, the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums (2017), the International Council of Archives, the Association of Canadian Archivists and the Canadian Association for Conservation.
3.2 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society has a policy of deaccessioning and repatriation/rematriation.
3.3 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society is committed to meeting all legislative requirements applicable to its collecting activities including, but not limited to, firearms storage, handling and registration, workplace safety, and hazardous materials.
3.4 The Museum the not collect Indigenous ancestral remains or sacred belongings.
3.5 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society is committed to meeting all legislative requirements applicable to its collecting of archaeological artifacts as stated by the Ontario Heritage Act to protect the legitimacy and provenance of Ontario’s archaeological sites.
The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society will not accept the donation of any artifact that is taken by a person who is not a licensee or by a licensee in contravention of a licence, as defined in the Ontario Heritage Act.
3.6 No employee or Board Member of The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society may be involved in any dealing in objects the same as or related to those collected by the Museum. Members of the staff, board and committee consider their first responsibility to be to the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society.
If an employee or Board Member deals in or collects objects that align with the Museum’s mission, a signed memo will be completed stating that they are in conflict of interest and will recuse themselves from decisions relating to the acquisition or deaccession of Museum objects.
COLLECTION MANAGEMENT
4. Acquisition and Use of Objects
4.1 The donation of valuable historical objects and materials to The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society by individuals or external organizations is to be encouraged, as is the donation of funds to purchase, preserve, store, and display objects.
4.2 Individuals:
Objects may be acquired by donation, purchase, exchange, or bequest. Regardless of the mode of acquisition, any object acquired should, if possible, be free of encumbrances that would restrict the ability of The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society to display, loan, store, copy or dispose of such objects, as it deems necessary or in its best interest.
Donations of objects and archives must be received as a gift outright to the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society through a signed proffer-of-gift form, which transfers complete and unrestricted ownership (see Records Management Policy). The Curator/Archivist is authorized to issue receipts for income tax purposes for the appraised, fair market value of donated objects and archives in accordance with The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society‘s Appraisals Policy 2022.
Objects may be purchased as funds are allocated for this purpose, and such purchase shall be made in the name of The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, and the bill of sale shall be filed.
The acceptance of objects on a long-term loan basis is discouraged. An exception may be made in the case of items of unique importance and interest to The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, or for special displays of a short-term nature. The conditions of the loan (including insurance requirements) will be spelled out in a signed loan form (see Records Management Policy).
Born-digital objects, such as digital photographs, audio recordings, and documents on a variety of media, will be collected by the Museum according to the same criteria as physical objects, in accordance with a set procedure for cataloguing such items.
These may include web resources harvested through ‘archive-it.org/’ in searches targeted towards particular relevant topics.
Varying digital storage, tracking, quality assurance, and preventative conservation options will be used for born-digital objects depending on their media type, size, and security requirements.
4.3 Organizations:
An organization’s permanent collection may be acquired, in full or in part, by The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society as approved by The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society Board of Directors and Executive Director.
Acquisition of a bulk donation from an external organization must only take place in accordance with the criteria and procedures established below.
4.4 Bulk Donation Criteria:
Prior to the acquisition of a bulk donation from an external organization, The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s Curator/Archivist and Collections Curator will assess if the collection is:
Consistent with The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s CollectionsStatement of Purpose.
The full and complete property of the donor organization in accordance with the Canadian Museum Association Ethical Guidelines (2006).
Section E. Collections Policies, E.2 Acquisitions, “When considering an acquisition, museums must ensure that legal title can be conveyed in written form and establish that the authenticity, source and provenance of the object is fully documented and ethically acceptable.”
Section C. Public Trust Role, C.2 Legal Considerations, “Most particularly, museums must guard against any direct or indirect participation in the illicit traffic in cultural and natural objects, this may include natural or cultural objects that are: stolen, illegally imported or exported from another state, including those that are occupied or war-stricken, illegally or unscientifically excavated or collected in the field.”
Acquisition of a bulk donation with no provenance and/or documentation is strongly discouraged.
Acquisition of a bulk donation with no provenance and/or documentation will only occur through a decision and memo from The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s Executive Director ratified by The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s Collections Committee.
4.5 Bulk Donation Procedures:
Prior to acquiring a bulk donation, The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society reserves the right to decline the acquisition of portions of the donation that do not support The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s Collections Statement of Purpose.
Upon acquisition of a bulk donation, The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society will store the donation offsite in a temperature and relative humidity-controlled environment to facilitate processing, and to control and monitor for possible pest infestations.
The accessioning process for the bulk donation will occur in the offsite location, wherein the objects will be accessioned, including:
Numbering the donation with new object and archival numbers corresponding with The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s numbering system.
Cataloguing.
Database management.
No gift receipt will be issued for these organizational transfers.
4.6 The acquisition of Canadian Cultural Property either through donation or purchase, requires a signed memo of intent from the Executive Director and Board of Directors.
Certified Cultural Property is property that has been determined and certified by the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board to be of “outstanding significance and national importance” to Canada.
To facilitate the acquisition of Canadian Cultural Property, it is the responsibility of the Curator/Archivist to apply for certification of the cultural property prior to donation.
A Canadian Cultural Property donation will not be purchased or accepted by the Museum prior to the property successfully receiving designation as Canadian Cultural Property by the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board.
5. Terms of Acquisition:
5.1 The acquisition of objects and archives is the responsibility of the Curator/Archivist with the assistance of the Collections Curator or a committee as assigned by The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society Board of Directors.
5.2 Objects and specimens to be accepted must be of present or future use to The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society. They should be documented as to provenance, manufacture, use, and history.
5.3 Objects being considered for acquisition will be assessed by the Curator/Archivist according to the following priorities (in no particular order of importance):
Relevance to the mandate
Educational value
Evidential or historic value
Suitability for display
Physical condition
Cultural sensitivity
Research value
Authenticity and provenance
Aesthetic or artistic merit
Cost of purchase
Restrictions imposed on the donation
Function of the object
Cost of storage and physical relocation to the Museum
5.4 If the possible acquisition of an object requires additional resources for cost of storage, cost of purchase, cost of relocation, or cost of conservation, beyond what is available in The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s Acquisitions Fund, the decision will be brought to The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s Collections Committee.
The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s Collections Committee will decide whether the possible acquisition should be brought to The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s Board of Directors to solicit the necessary resources to acquire and care for the possible donation.
5.5 An object should not be accepted if there is any question as to legal title, if it may have been removed illegally from its community or country of origin, or if it is of such a nature that it cannot be properly cared for by The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society.
5.6 Objects may be acquired for use in educational programs or as exhibit support items. Such objects will not be accessioned into The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s collection, will remain distinct from objects within the permanent collection, and will be exempt from the Conservation Standard.
When possible, the donor will be informed of this intended use at the time of donation.
Educational objects may be removed from The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s facilities for outreach programs or used in travelling exhibitions.
Educational objects will not be stored in the collections storage rooms alongside the permanent collection.
Archival records shall not be loaned out, instead, digital copies shall be utilized.
5.7 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society does not guarantee to exhibit donations, nor is it obligated to put the donor’s name on display with the object.
5.8 It is understood that the collection of The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society is for the public benefit and enjoyment through regular exhibition or examination. The staff are responsible for ensuring the proper exhibition, preservation, documentation, cataloguing, and research of the objects in the collection.
5.9 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society will pause the acquisition of new object donations if the backlog of unprocessed donations is determined by the Executive Director to exceed staffing resources able to address it. If this backlog threshold has been reached, the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society will provide additional resources (staff, funding) to address the backlog in a timely fashion.
6. Loans:
6.1 Outgoing Loans:
At the discretion of the Executive Director and Curator/Archivist, The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society may loan items to other institutions for the purpose of display, education or research, providing the following conditions are met:
The loan should be for a set amount of time, subject to renewal on a two-year basis,
The receiving institution must employ paid staff,
The receiving institution must insure the object under its own policy.
The receiving institution must complete a facility survey to demonstrate how it meets the following conditions:
The object will be reasonably secured against theft appropriate to its risk factors,
The object will be housed in Canadian Museum Association standards for environmental conditions including temperature/humidity, air quality, exhibit construction materials, and proper lighting conditions,
The receiving institution will properly credit The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society where possible, and respect any copyright conditions that may be in effect,
The receiving institution must complete condition reporting on an annual basis,
The receiving institution is responsible for all expenses related to arranging, packing, and shipping of the objects,
Any returns of loaned property must be coordinated ahead of time,
The receiving institution will be prohibited from making any alterations, restoration, and performing any conservation or preservation treatments to objects or archival resources without prior coordination and authorization.
The Executive Director or Board of Directors of The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society must sign the Outgoing Loan Form if the object(s) are part of a long-term loan with no end date listed at time of signing, or the value of the loan exceeds $100,000.00.
The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society retains the right to recall loaned objects, while giving the receiving institution 90 days’ notice. The Executive Director may use their discretion to make exceptions to the above as situations may warrant.
6.2 Incoming Loans:
The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society will borrow objects for exhibition, study or other purposes consistent with its Collections Statement of Purpose for a specified time period.
Loans are made to the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society by institutions and individuals.
A loan agreement or memo specifying intended use must be completed for such material and the Curator/Archivist must approve the transaction.
The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society will provide the same standard of care and security for the objects on loan as it does for those in its collection.
Treatment will not be undertaken on borrowed objects without prior written consent from the owner. Any treatments must be documented.
When The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society borrows material and exhibits from another institution, it will follow the procedures prescribed by the lending institution.
When The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society borrows material from individuals or from institutions with no lending procedures or forms, it will follow the procedures of The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society.
Incoming loans must be fully documented:
The documentation will include one copy of the signed loan form and information relating to value and condition,
This record becomes a permanent record.
7. Deaccesions Policy
7.1 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society reserves the right to dispose of objects or archival material in its collection provided the following principles are observed:
The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society shall only deaccession (remove permanently from the collection) objects, belongings and archival records in accordance with accepted professional standards and ethics as outlined in the Canadian Museums Association Ethical Guidelines (2006), Sec. E.4, and the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums (2004), Sec. 2.12-2.17.
The term belongings refers specifically to objects from Indigenous individuals, Nations and/or communities, in accordance with the report Moved to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Canadian Museums (2022).
7.2 In the case of poorly or undocumented objects and archival records, The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society must be able to demonstrate that it has made a serious, diligent and documented investigation to determine ownership prior to deaccessioning.
7.3 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society shall not acquire donations of objects or archives with the intention of eventual disposal for financial gain, however the transfer of items into the collection from another organization with the intent to exchange to reinvest in the collection shall be allowed. Bequests should not be accepted with the intent of disposal unless first consulting with the executor.
7.4 All deaccessions will take place in an ethical manner and in adherence to applicable laws, international agreements and treaties.
7.5 Deaccessioning and disposal must only take place in accordance with the criteria and procedures established below.
7.6 Deaccessioning Criteria:
An object or archival document/collection may be deaccessioned for the following reasons, in no particular order:
It does not or no longer has relevance to the mandate or the acquisition policies of The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society.
It is duplicated elsewhere in the collection.
It has been identified as hazardous to people or other components of the collection.
It has deteriorated, is in poor condition, or is of poor quality.
It lacks sufficient provenance, historical relevance, or educational relevance.
It is beyond the capacity of The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society to preserve.
It is not useful for research, exhibition or education programs.
It is more appropriate in the collection of another cultural institution.
It meets the criteria for repatriation/rematriation (See Repatriation/Rematriation Addendum).
7.7 Deaccessioning Procedures:
The Curator/Archivist shall, after due consideration, physical inspection, and consultation with applicable staff, interested parties and authorities, identify material to be deaccessioned and ensure that no mandatory restrictions are attached to the gift.
The Curator/Archivist shall present a written recommendation to the Board of The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, or a committee thereof, outlining the reasons for deaccessioning.
The Board or its committee shall decide each case on its merit and approve or disapprove the recommendation of the Curator/Archivist.
For any deaccessioned object, the reasons for its removal from the collection and the method of its disposal shall be entered on the object’s entries in the master catalogue, accessions register, and collection database. Copies of the object record and decision rationales shall be added to The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s records.
Records for the deaccessioned objects or resources shall be maintained in perpetuity.
7.8 Methods of Disposal:
A deaccessioned object may be disposed of in the following ways:
It may become part of the education collection and used in educational programming or as an exhibit prop.
When an object in the education collection, or exhibit prop, is no longer needed or is in poor condition, it does not undergo a formal deaccession process. These items may be disposed of as deemed necessary by education staff through a memo with photographs provided to the Collections Curator.
It may be offered to another non-profit institution as a gift or transfer.
Every effort shall be taken to ensure objects of national or provincial significance remain within a Canadian institution.
Every effort will be made to advertise the object as widely as possible among institutions with similar mandates that have purposes similar to those of The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society.
Appropriate legal documentation will be used to transfer ownership of deaccessioned objects transferred or gifted to another institution.
A belonging may be repatriated/rematriated provided it meets any or all of the criteria listed in the Repatriation/Rematriation Addendum.
Objects may be sold publicly provided that no staff, board or committee member, volunteer, or any person directly involved in its deaccessioning shall be eligible to purchase it. Such a purchase would constitute a conflict of interest.
The monies realized by sale of deaccessioned objects shall be placed in a trust fund for the purchase of items for the care of the collection, or for funding the purchase of objects that support the Collections Statement of Purpose.
Any such sale shall not take place in The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society or in a location associated with The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society.
Objects may be destroyed and/or discarded to the City of Thunder Bay’s landfill site.
The deaccessioned object must not be offered back to the donor or the donor’s family as the offering of such a personal benefit may jeopardize The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s charitable status. This holds true regardless of whether an official donation receipt or tax receipt was issued to the donor.
8. Collection Records Management Policy
8.1 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society undertakes to ensure that the following collection records management standards are maintained.
8.2 These duties will be performed by the Collections Curator, and overseen by the Curator/Archivist, who will therefore be responsible for the continuity and efficiency of the records management system.
8.3 The Collections Curator will ensure that the collections records management system of The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society is understood by all those who use it. To this end, a description of the system and a list of cataloguing procedures will be made available to all.
8.4 The Collection Records Management System of the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society will include the following:
A temporary receipt/tag,
A signed Gift Form and provenance worksheet and loan forms, or bills of sale as appropriate,
A permanent and unique three to four-part number physically attached to each object according to accepted museum practices,
Records of donor information and object catalogue records that are primarily stored in the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s online database,
Paper records of donor information,
Digital photographs of each newly acquired object,
Miscellaneous documents relating to the item’s provenance, where applicable.
8.5 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society will ensure that time is scheduled on a regular basis for designated staff to maintain the collection records and to research the objects being accessioned.
8.6 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society will ensure that adequate workspace and equipment are available for staff to catalogue and inventory the collection.
8.7 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society will allocate annual portions of its budget for research, and for the equipment and materials required to maintain the collection records.
8.8 The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society undertakes to continue to train and provide professional development for its staff to use and maintain collection records.
9. Repatriation/Rematriation Addendum
9.1 This section has been developed in the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation following the recommendations of the More than Giving Back: Repatriation Toolkit, and the Moved to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Canadian Museums.
9.2 Repatriation/Rematriation is the recognition of Indigenous people’s stake in their heritage, which in practice can mean such things as negotiated return of belongings and related cultural materials, and/or sharing authority and responsibility for caretaking and interpretation of collections between the Indigenous rights holders and the Museum.
9.3 Scope of Collections: The Museum has been collecting objects, archives, and belongings of historical significance since the early 20th century. Below is a brief overview of the belongings within the Museum’s permanent collection.
The Museum does not have any ancestral remains or known burial belongings within the permanent collection.
The Museum has a large collection of archaeological artifacts donated by licensed archaeologists that are attributed to Indigenous peoples and nations throughout Canada.
Among the permanent collection, there are less than 10 sacred and/or culturally significant belongings that were collected or donated to the Museum by non-Indigenous donors during the defined Period of Duress.
9.4 Repatriation/Rematriation Criteria: The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society (“Museum”) recognizes the need to act proactively in identifying Indigenous belongings in the Museum’s permanent collection that meet the repatriation/rematriation criteria listed below.
It has been verified as being acquired illegally or unethically.
It is, or contains, ancestral remains.
It is, or consists of, culturally sensitive or sacred material.
It is of major importance to the preservation or interpretation of heritage and/or culture for the Indigenous rights holders.
9.5 Request Process:
There are several ways to begin the repatriation/rematriation process for an eligible belonging in the Museum’s collection, including but not limited to:
Initiated by the Museum,
Through formal application by letter or email to the Executive Director of the Museum by the official representative of the requesting group or Indigenous rights holders for a specific belonging or group of belongings,
Through formal application by letter or email to the Executive Director of the Museum by the official representative of the requesting group or Indigenous rights holders for an overview of the inventory of Indigenous belongings in the Museum’s Collection.
Overlapping Claims: The Museum will consider all overlapping claims on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with all Indigenous rights holders involved, as they are identified during the provenance research process, or if multiple Indigenous rights holders request the repatriation/rematriation of the same belonging. A third party may be sought to arbitrate.
9.6 Repatriation/Rematriation Methods:
Each repatriation/rematriation will be considered on a case-by-case basis, in collaboration with Indigenous rights holders, the Society’s Collections Committee, and the Museum’s Indigenous Advisory Group, to determine the method of repatriation/rematriation. The most common repatriation/rematriation methods are listed below:
Return to associated individual/family.
Return to associated Nation/community.
Transfer to an institution in the associated Nation/community.
Enter into a loan agreement wherein co-stewardship is arranged between the Indigenous rights holders and the Museum.
Special access, wherein associated groups may request the use of the belonging or group of belongings for ceremonial activities in accordance with the protocols of the Indigenous nation.
Loan to communities for community display or use.
The returning of un-accessioned belongings to their home communities.
Alternative shared authority arrangements as decided in collaboration with Indigenous rights holders.
9.7 Roles and Responsibilities:
This section is meant to help clarify who will act during each part of the repatriation/rematriation process. The responsibilities listed below may shift on a case-by-case basis based on the laws, protocols, and cultural practices of the Indigenous Nations or rights holders involved in the repatriation/rematriation efforts.
Museum Staff:
The Museum accepts onus for beginning repatriation/rematriation efforts where possible.
The Museum accepts the responsibility for providing the resources to facilitate repatriation/rematriation efforts, including but not limited to the costs associated with identification, deaccessioning, conservation, and return, or to seek out alternative funding where appropriate.
The Curator/Archivist and the Collections Curator are responsible for the internal identification of belongings in the Museum’s collection that may qualify for repatriation/rematriation.
The Curator/Archivist and Collections Curator are responsible for researching provenance or managing the hiring of external researchers.
The Curator/Archivist and Collections Curator are responsible for contacting the associated Indigenous rights holders.
The Executive Director is responsible for the initial response to repatriation/rematriation requests from outside of the Museum.
Museum staff and the Board of Directors will review all external requests in a timely manner.
Indigenous Rights Holders:
Indigenous rights holders are responsible for submitting individual requests for repatriation/rematriation when not initiated by Museum staff.
The Museum’s Indigenous Advisory Group and Indigenous rights holders may participate in consultations regarding repatriation/rematriation requests where appropriate.
Indigenous rights holders may assist in determining proper protocols for access, care, use and repatriation/rematriation of belongings.
