[Adopted as Ch. 2.58 of the 1997 Code]
Except where the context indicates otherwise, the terms used
in this article are defined as follows:
AGENCY
All parts, boards, departments, bureaus and commissions of
the City.
OFFICER
Any elected or appointed official of the City.
PUBLIC RECORD
Any book, paper, map, photograph or other official documentary
material, regardless of physical form or character, made, produced,
executed or received by any agency or officer pursuant to law or in
connection with the transaction of public business and preserved or
appropriate for preservation by such agency or officer, or any successor
thereof, as evidence of the organization, function, policies, decision,
procedures or other activities thereof, or because of the informational
data contained therein. "Public record" shall also mean any reports
and records of the obligations, receipt and use of public funds of
any agency of the City.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
Public records shall be available for inspection by the public
in accordance with the Illinois Freedom of Information Law (5 ILCS
140/1 et seq.).
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
Any person authorized to inspect public records in accordance with §
96-1.2 may obtain a copy of the record so inspected at a cost or expense established in accordance with the Illinois Freedom of Information Law (5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.).
No records shall, under any circumstances, be removed from the
custody of the person in charge of such records for the purpose of
reproduction or for any other purpose.
[Adopted 6-17-2013 by Ord. No. 3045 (Ch. 2.59 of the 1997 Code)]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
ACCESSION
The process of accepting items into the permanent collection
of the City of Columbia.
ACQUISITION
The discovery, preliminary evaluation, assumption of physical
and legal custody, and registration of materials, documents, and objects.
COLLECTION
The aggregation of all historic and prehistoric materials,
documents, and objects maintained by the City in its library, archives
and museums.
DEACCESSION
The process of permanently removing accessioned library materials,
archival documents and/or museum objects from the collection.
DEEDS OF GIFT
Signed documents that voluntarily transfer ownership of real,
personal, or intellectual property, such as a gift of historical materials,
from one person or institution to another.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
The collecting objectives of the library, archives and museum
shall be as follows:
A. Library. To maintain existing and further collect books, magazines
and other published items pertinent to the interests of the community,
thereby advancing the City's commitment to promote the study of local
history and encourage original research, including published works
which reveal the history of Columbian life and culture, such as selected
commemorative newspapers, newsletter and bulletins.
B. Archives. To maintain existing and further collect manuscripts, photographs
and other documents pertinent to the historic record of the community,
thereby advancing the City's commitment to promote the study of local
history and encourage original research, including:
(1) Manuscripts pertaining to all aspects of the history of Columbia,
with emphasis upon the social, educational, business and economic
activities of people as expressed in personal and institutional documents;
(2) Historic photographs of people, places and events that are significant
to the understanding of Columbia's history or that help to illuminate
periods in Columbia's past;
(3) Records, organizational minutes, ledgers or other historical documents
that provide insight into the City's history and the lives of its
citizens over the years.
C. Museums. To build upon the strengths of the present collection of
objects, especially:
(1) Domestic arts, particularly of Monroe County, with particular emphasis
upon furniture, furnishings, clothing, utensils, toys and personal
effects (especially in the Miller-Fiege Home);
(2) Educational items, including books used in or with contents about
country schools (especially in the Shoemaker School);
(3) Business items, including objects used in commerce such as advertising,
calendars, and ledgers;
(4) Government items used in operation of local governments or which
were produced under the auspices of local governments;
(5) Military objects, such as weapons, uniforms and accessories, with
particular emphasis given to regional involvement in conflicts;
(6) Farming, agricultural and industrial implements, machinery, tools
and memorabilia.
Library materials and museum objects must meet all of the following
tests of acquisition before being acquired by the City:
A. The objects must be relevant to and consistent with the purposes
and activities of the City, as defined in the purpose statement above.
B. The City can provide for the storage, protection and preservation
of the objects under conditions that ensure their availability for
museum purposes and in keeping with professionally accepted standards.
C. All acquisitions shall be appropriate for research, comparison and
exhibit, and shall be of high quality as determined by the Library
Director, the Director of Community Development, other designated
City staff or consultants, if necessary.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
D. Items will have permanency in the collections as long as they retain
their physical integrity, their identity, and their authenticity,
and/or as long as they remain useful for the purposes of the City
defined in the purpose statement above.
E. The materials or objects must, as much as possible, be documented
as to origin or source and have a clear connection to Columbia or
Monroe County (even if only as a representative item).
F. All moral, legal, and ethical implications of the acquisition must
have been considered.
G. Acquisitions by purchase shall be made after proper financing has
been arranged.
H. Deeds of gift shall be promptly registered upon receipt of all acquisitions.
I. A separate file arranged by donors' surnames or other sources of
acquisition will be maintained under supervision of the Director of
Community Development (or his or her designee) and shall contain deeds
of gift.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
J. All donations of materials are considered outright and unconditional
gifts to be used at the discretion of the City, and title to all objects
acquired shall be free and clear, without restriction to use or future
disposition.
K. No appraisals shall be done by trustees, staff members, volunteers
or any other person closely associated with either, but staff may
render impartial assistance to donors seeking independent, qualified
appraisers.
L. Documents, materials and objects relevant to Columbia and its citizens
may be acquired by purchase, commission, bequest, gift, exchange,
field collection, and/or abandonment. No materials or objects shall
be knowingly or willfully accepted or acquired which are known to
have been illegally collected in the United States contrary to federal
or state law, regulation, treaty, and/or convention.
M. The City shall refuse to acquire documents, materials and objects
where there is cause to believe that the circumstances of their collection
involved needless destruction of historic sites, buildings, structures,
habitats, districts, and objects.
All materials and objects shall be processed under the following
procedures and policies:
A. All museum objects shall be assigned accession numbers and shall
be indexed by category, date of acquisition, and by name, with suitable
cross referencing.
B. Collection records, including source, location and subject, as well
as accession files and accession book shall be kept in accordance
with accepted professional standards. Duplicate copies of records
will be kept in a safe place off-site.
C. Materials shall be stored in a manner to provide optimum security,
accessibility and preservation.
D. Restoration shall be performed only by qualified professionals.
E. Deeds of gift shall be made for all property received. A letter of
thanks to the donor with a copy of the deed of gift will serve as
the official receipt for the donor's purpose. Deeds of gift will set
forth an adequate description of the objects involved and the conditions
of transfer.
The deaccession process shall be cautious, deliberate, and scrupulous
in meeting the following criteria:
A. The material, document or object is outside the scope of the purpose
of the collection and this collection policy.
B. The material, document or object is irrelevant to the purpose of the collection, as defined in §
96-2.2, above.
C. The material, document or object lacks physical integrity.
D. The material, document or object has failed to retain its identity
or authenticity, or has been lost or stolen and remains lost for more
than two years.
E. The material, document or object is duplicate and without intrinsic
value.
F. The City is unable to preserve the material, document or object properly.
G. The material, document or object has deteriorated beyond usefulness.
H. The material, document or object has doubtful potential use in the
foreseeable future.
No accessioned materials, documents and/or objects shall be
removed from the City's collection and physically disposed of except
by strict conformity to the following rules:
A. When the Library Director, Director of Community Development, or
their designee(s) deems it advisable to deaccession any object or
collection owned by or deposited with the museum and has determined
that the item proposed for deaccession is duplicative, superfluous,
deteriorated, incompatible or otherwise found to be disposable, a
deaccession recommendation shall be prepared.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
B. Upon the approval of a simple majority of the City Council present
at a regular or special meeting, the items may be deaccessioned and
the minutes shall reflect that decision.
C. If the deaccessioned material was donated to the City, consideration
may first be given to return to the donor; second consideration will
be given to placing the object, through gift, exchange, or sale, in
another tax-exempt educational institution, and deaccessioned objects
not disposed of in either of these manners will only be sold in a
manner that will protect the interests, objectives and legal status
of the City.
D. The City does not sanction the sale or gift of deaccessioned objects
to its employees, officers or trustees.
E. In compliance with the U.S. Tax Reform Act of 1984 and IRS regulations,
no donated object shall be deaccessioned for any reason for two years
after the date of its acquisition.
F. Funds received from the sale of deaccessioned objects from the collection
will be used only to benefit the collection; proceeds may not be used
for general operating expenses.