Donating to the River & Rowing Museum
Important information about donating to the Museum
Once a donation has been agreed by the Museum and the paperwork signed by the donor,
the object is then the property of the Museum. We would advise you to think carefully about
this decision. You are agreeing to the object being held by the Museum in perpetuity (for the
future) for the public it serves. This means that you will have the same access rights to the
object as all other members of the public. It can not be returned to you should you change
your mind about your decision. We would also advise that you consult family members first
or should you be donating on behalf of a club or society that all members are in agreement.
Donors should be aware that objects donated to the Museum will not always be on display.
As with all museums, although we try to make the collection as accessible as possible
(arranged viewings, online or through temporary exhibitions and displays) a significant
proportion of the collection will be in storage at any time.
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Existing Collections
The Museum’s accessioned collections total around 18,000 objects. These objects have been
acquired since 1995, and the collections continue to grow. They can be broadly defined in
terms of the Museum’s three main themes of the River Thames, the town and locality of
Henley and the activity of Rowing from trade to sport.
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Collections Policy
The Museum collects artefacts, including archaeology, natural history, visual and decorative
material, contemporary art and craft, social history, costume, photographs, and associated
documents which are relevant to the history of rowing, the River Thames and the town and
locality of Henley.
The Museum collection includes: 
Artefacts, especially boats, oars and related equipment that illustrate the history
of oar powered craft for work, leisure and competitive sport.

Artefacts which will increase appreciation and understanding of the natural and
human history which has been influenced by the presence of the River Thames
and its tributaries.

Artefacts which will enable the Museum to tell the story of the historical
development of the town of Henley and its environs and the town's association
with the river.
The Museum will acquire items in accordance with this policy by gift, bequest or purchase.
No items will be accepted with specific conditions unless with the approval of the
Foundation.
The Museum will take into account limitations on collecting imposed by such factors
as inadequate staffing, storage and care of collection arrangements.
3.
Loans
The Museum has established the following policy for accepting loans: -
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
All loans will be entered into the Museum for a specified period of time.

The Museum does not accept items on a ‘permanent loan’ basis.

Loans are usually the result of the Museum actively looking for objects for
display either in the permanent galleries or for a temporary exhibition, or for a
specific area of research being undertaken. The Museum will rarely accept objects
for loan under any other circumstances.

Short term loans of less than a year will only be agreed for specific items that are
required for special exhibitions of limited duration.

Objects borrowed by the Museum will be treated with the same care and
attention as items within the Museums own collections with regard to security,
environment and conservation criteria.

All loans will be checked and reviewed regularly.
Acquisition Documentation Procedure
All artefacts entering the Museum are subject to the following procedure: 
A Museum Object Entry Form must be completed in triplicate and signed by
both a representative of the Museum and the depositor. One copy will be given to
the depositor to act as a receipt, one copy accompanies the artefact for
identification and one copy remains in the book as a file copy.

Approximately once every other month an acquisitions meeting is held at which
all offers for donation are discussed by relevant staff and a decision made on
whether the offer can be accepted. This decision is based on the museum
collections policy.

If the object is accepted into the collection the donor will be informed by letter
and a Transfer of Title Form will be sent to be signed, which transfers ownership
of the item to the Museum. The artefact is then given an accession number and
entered into the accession register, prior to cataloguing.

The item may also be accepted into the reference or handling collections. Details
of the difference between these collections and the Museum’s main collection are
outlined below.

If the object is acquired on loan, a Museum Loan form must be completed by both
parties, including the length of the loan, the notice required before removal or
renewal of the loan and the value for insurance purposes. The form must then be
signed and the three copies distributed as listed above.

If the donation is declined then the donor will be contacted and asked to collect
their object. Should the donor not respond then a letter will be sent informing the
donor that should the object not be collected within the next 6 months then the
Museum reserves the right to dispose of the object.
Reference and Handling Collections
The Museum makes a distinction between its main collection and material which it retains
for the purposes of reference and educational handling.
Only material in the main collection is accessioned. The distinctions between the three
collections are explained below.
This is the main Museum collection, and holds the objects which are central to the purpose,
philosophy and activities of the Museum. Material in this collection is held in perpetuity for
the public good with a strong presumption against disposal. All reasonable steps are taken
to conserve the objects in as close to their original condition as is possible.
This collection includes the widest range of material (including archival as well as threedimensional objects), from prehistory through to the current day.
Entry to the Museum collection is achieved through the process of accessioning. Once
accessioned an item is presumed to be in the collection for perpetuity, with a strong
presumption against disposal. Items can only be removed from the collection (‘deacessioned’)
according to the procedures set out in this policy; procedures which include the formal
approval of the Museum’s Board of Trustees.
The Museum will collect material that according to the criteria defined in this policy,
namely that it:
 Is significant to one of the Museum’s three themes: the River Thames; the town
of Henley-on-Thames and the history of Rowing,
 Is in some sense unique or significant, and that its long term preservation will be
of benefit to the Museum and to the wider public.
 Does not duplicate material already in the collection.
 Does not more properly belong in the collection of another suitable public
institution such as a museum, library or archive.
The reference collection (mainly written material but also including things such as videos,
CD-Roms and audio tapes) contains material of interest to visitors, researchers or members
of the public. Although significant and relevant, this material does not have the degree of
importance attached to those items accepted into the main collection.
With regard to books, for example, the Museum’s policy is that the most significant works
(those published before 1945, those that have a value of over £300 or those with some other
special significance) are accessioned into the main collection. Other books would be accepted
into the reference collection.
Material in the reference collection is preserved by the Museum whilst it is useful for staff
and researchers. Because the material is non unique, or is preserved elsewhere, the material
does not have the level of long term preservation afforded to items in the main collection.
As reference items are not accessioned there is no formal process for removing and disposing
of reference items. The Museum will make reasonable efforts to contact the original donor of
the objects before disposing of items in the reference collection.
The handling collection is material used by educational groups (principally school groups) as
part of a structured visit to the museum. As the material is actively handled, usually by
children, it inevitably suffers a degree of damage and degradation.
Objects in the handling collection are emphatically NOT in the main Museum collection. As
such they are not accessioned and may be freely disposed of if damaged or no longer
required by the Museum.
Material in the handling collection is collected for specific courses and events rather than for
the longer term.