Accession Records
(SPECTRUM Procedure: Acquisition)
Introduction
Accessioning is the formal acceptance of acquisitions (whether by gift, purchase or bequest) into
the museum's permanent collection. It is achieved through the following steps:

Transfer of Title: A legal term to describe the formal process of a change of ownership of
an object from one person or organisation to another;
 Accessioning: The formal addition of an object to an institution's collections. It follows transfer
of title and includes assigning an accession number to an object and recording details in an
accessions register. An accessions register is the permanent record of all objects, which are, or
have been, part of the institution's permanent collections. An entry in the register should record
details concerning the source, identification and history of each item.
Why do it?
Acquisition is a SPECTRUM Primary Procedure, and it is required to be in place for Museum
Accreditation (see below). It enables a museum to:



Establish accountability for objects;
Establish the identity of objects;
Confirm ownership of objects.
The Minimum Standard for SPECTRUM Procedure - Acquisition, states:
The procedure for managing and documenting acquisitions must:








Ensure that written evidence is obtained of the original title to an object and the transfer of
the title to the acquiring organisation;
Enable the reconciling of acquisition records with objects as part of retrospective
documentation, audit and inventory activity;
Ensure that a unique number is assigned to, and physically associated with, all objects;
Ensure that accession registers are maintained, describing all acquisitions and listing them
by number;
Ensure that information about the acquisition process is retained;
Ensure that donors are made aware of the terms on which their gift or bequest is accepted
by the organisation;
Ensure that collecting complies with the organisation's collecting policy, and does not
contravene any local, national or international law, treaty or recognised code of practice;
Ensure a copy of the information in the accession register is made and kept up to date.
What policy decisions are needed?
(see Acquisition - Policy requirements)
The organisation must have policies and guidelines on acquisition. It is good practice to include the:




Collecting policy governing what it acquires;
Authorisation policy for agreeing acquisitions;
Statement of the terms and conditions under which objects will normally be acquired;
Guidelines for additional storage, transport and conservation costs which will normally be
considered for an acquisition;
1

Reproduction rights that it normally expects to acquire with an object and the efforts to be
made to establish who owns the rights if not the organisation;
 Maximum time permitted to elapse between the entry of an object and the completion of the
accessioning procedure;
 Standard format for numbering systems;
 Preferred marking and labelling methods.
When is it done and who does it?
Accessioning should be completed as soon as possible after it has been decided to acquire
something. It may be convenient to accession in batches.
The decision to accept material into the collection should be made in the light of a formally agreed
written collecting policy.
Before accessioning the object
(see Acquisition - Steps 3-5)
Evaluate and authorise acquisitions according to agreed organisational policy and retain any
written documentation of this process.
Properly plan for the receipt of the object and consider all implications concerned with the acquisition.
For example confirm that appropriate long-term storage or display space is available for the object(s) to
be acquired and that sufficient staff time has been allocated to undertake the acquisition process.
Carry out and record a condition check.
Complete a condition report for the object(s) to be acquired. The condition report should be
appropriate to the circumstances. Make a brief note of the condition, eg 'Small crack on base',
'Stain on back'. An image or a more comprehensive condition report may be necessary in some
cases. It is important to check the condition of an object before acquisition to ensure that the
'hidden' costs of conservation can be avoided or planned for by the organisation. It may be
necessary to record different types of information e.g. the working capacity of large objects or the
condition of only a sample of a large group of objects.
If the acquisition comes as a disposal/deaccession from another organisation, it may arrive with an
existing condition report. This should be compared with your condition report and any
discrepancies between them discussed with the organisation disposing of the object.
Transfer of Title
(see Acquisition - Steps 6-7)
Obtain unambiguous evidence of title to the object. This must include the following documentation:






A reference to the formal title of the legal body that is acquiring the object;
The name and address of the previous owner of the object and of any agent;
A brief description of the object;
A signature confirming transfer of title to the organisation;
The method of acquisition;
The assignment to the organisation of any rights (e.g. copyright) associated with the object
and currently held by the owner;
 Relevant legal clauses so that the organisation complies with theData Protection Act and
the Freedom of Information Act legislation.
If necessary, make a record of the steps taken to obtain title, and a record of the extent to which
title has been obtained and/or demonstrated.
Depending on the method of acquisition, obtain in addition the following documentation:
2
Bequests


A legal copy of the relevant section of the will;
The agreement of the executor (signature confirming transfer of title).
Ideally, the organisation should obtain a legal copy of the full will.
Field collection





A reference to collection site and other field collection information;
Evidence of right of title as appropriate;
Evidence of internal and external justification for the collecting;
Proof that the collecting is both legal and licit;
Evidence of external responsibilities i.e. compliance with Memoranda of Understanding
between the organisation and other organisations/countries/governments;
 Evidence of CITES (The 'Washington' Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) plus export and import permits where applicable.
Gifts

The signed offer of an object from the donor, including any terms specified - although any
gift with attached conditions is strongly discouraged. (A signature confirming transfer of title
is preferable, although a signed entry form would give evidence of the reason for deposit
where a gift was intended.);
 The signed acceptance of the object by the organisation, including any agreed terms.
Information about all gifts must be accessible by donor name.
Purchases




A signed statement from vendors stating that they are the legal owners;
A signed statement of the provenance of the object (if known);
The original invoice and receipt identifying the goods purchased;
The details and conditions of any grant aid received for the purchase.
Exchange

The transfer of title to the object for which the non-monetary exchange was made.
Treasure

A record of the treasure inquest, including any expert report submitted as evidence.
All original documents supporting title should be located in a secure fire proofed area as a core
part of the long-term documentation about the collection.
Copyright
(see SPECTRUM Procedure: Acquisition - Step 6)
In all relevant cases establish and record the owner of the copyright and other rights associated
with the object and its use. For more information see the the Collections Trust factsheets Copyright
Essentials and Copyright for Collections.
What form should accession records take?
(see SPECTRUM Procedure: Acquisition - Step 12)
The accession register should be made of archival quality paper and be bound in permanent form.
If a computer system is being used, copies of new records should be printed out on archival quality
paper using a durable print medium and securely bound at regular intervals. The print-out should
be signed and dated, preferably on every page. The original register should be kept in a secure
condition, ideally in a fire-proof cabinet.
3
A SPECTRUM Adviser says:
'A museum I've talked to has a collection of 87,000 objects which increases by several thousand
each year. All documentation is now done straight onto computer with hard copy print-outs if
required: there is no manual recording. The museum has used microfiches as accession registers,
as the volumes of a bound register take up a lot of room.'
Duplicate copies of registers should also be maintained. Microfiche copies, photocopies, CD-ROM
versions, are acceptable. Copies must be held at an alternative location. Organisations constituted
as companies or charitable trusts should have a second copy of their accession register held with
another registered organisation since in the event of liquidation, the original may be held as a
record relating to an asset, thereby preventing access to the information.
Copies should be produced sufficiently often and kept securely enough to prevent the information
being tampered with. This is expensive and may involve sending the registers away for copying.
Photocopying is an acceptable alternative, particularly if the copies are kept at the museum, rather
than the originals and are regularly monitored for signs of deterioration. A good quality (more than
80gsm) high rag content paper should be used and copies should be made using a dry-process
photocopier. Registers should not be damaged by forcing them against the copier glass and
splitting the spine.
If your documentation is computerised, it may be possible to generate back up copies of the
accession register from computer files. Register pages can be printed on archival quality paper
using a laser printer (or a good quality impact printer using a carbon ribbon). These can then be
securely bound and signed on the first and last pages by the person responsible for the collection.
Pages should not be left unbound longer than a year.
A SPECTRUM Adviser says:
'My biggest worry would be the format a record is stored in. If it is simply a copy of a museum
database it could become unreadable if their database provider went bust. A standard format, like
text, would be preferable. A low-tech solution is often the best. A CD needs to be re-created at
least every 5 years, preferably more often (particularly if you use low-quality CDs!)'
What about old accession registers that do not come up to SPECTRUM standards?
Many collections are over a hundred years old, and their registers do not come up to present day
standards. If this is the case for your museum store the registers in the best possible conditions, as
you would items in your collections, and make sure that your security copy is made onto archival
paper. Similarly many old registers contain mistakes. Do not feel that this means that registers
should be rewritten or corrected. Maintain the registers as they are and make sure that your
catalogue record is correct and up to date.
A SPECTRUM Adviser says:
''Mistakes' can form an important part of a documentation record, and should not be discarded. For
instance, natural history terms have changed and developed as scientific knowledge has grown:
the names given to geological specimens in late 19th century collections form part of a geological
artefact's story.'
Accessioning the object
(see Acquisition - Steps 9-17)
Assign a unique number to the object. The organisation should have a policy for deciding the
format of its numbers. Parts of a single object may be assigned the same root number, but with a
unique extension appended to each one. Where large numbers of similar objects are gathered
together in a secure container, the container may be numbered, its contents counted and the total
recorded (eg beads in a box, a box of sherds, a tray of insects).
4
Process the acquisition of archives or large sets of specimens by describing a set or an archive as
a single object, and assigning a single object number. Sort, list and provide access to archives
acquired in this way according to established archival practice.
Record the following information in the accession register for each object or associated set of
objects identified by a single number:








The object number;
A brief description containing sufficient information to identify each object and separately
numbered part. The description should be sufficient to allow identification in the absence of
the object number;
The date of entry in the accession register;
The method of acquisition;
The source (name and address of donor or vendor);
The entry form number;
The transfer of title form number if separate from entry form;
Any conditions (or reference to any conditions) pertaining at the time of acquisition.
Mark or label the object with its unique number. The method will depend on the type of material and its
condition. The preference should normally be physically to mark objects; however in some cases this
may not be possible, for further details see the Collections Trust's Labelling and marking factsheet.
If possible, practically and legally, photograph the object.
Record the initial the location of the object.
Further information which should be recorded for each object or group of objects includes:






The reason for acquisition;
The date of acquisition (ie date that title was acquired, which may predate formal accessioning);
The history of the object;
The form of acknowledgement (credit line);
Any additional contextual information received directly from the acquisition source;
Any additional information about the acquisition of the object.
The greatest effort should be made to acquire all available information and associated objects with
each object at the time of collecting, particularly where an object is removed from its context.
In the case of gifts, send an acknowledgement to the donor, together with the object number and
information about access.
Notes
Do not acquire objects if there is any doubt about the vendor or donor's rights of ownership.
Objects found in an organisation with no number or provenance, for example during audit or inventory,
may only be accessioned if you are confident that they are the property of the organisation and they
are required. Every effort should be made to trace the origins of such objects, including all possible
external sources and internal records (eg entry records, correspondence, loans files, etc) and to
reconcile them with existing records. In such cases, always document and retain all information about
the find and any subsequent accession. This will enable the audit trail to be picked up in the case of
any subsequent claims to the object.
The Collections Trust accession registers and transfer of title forms
Archival quality accession registers can be ordered from the Collections Trust. They have 147
numbered double pages with pre-printed column headings. Pre-printed Museum Object entry
forms are available from the Collections Trust, for sale or as a sample to help you create your own
in-house forms. These carbonless, triplicate forms include a Transfer of Title agreement and terms
and conditions. They were developed by the Collections Trust and the East Midlands Museums
Service. Older Collections Trust Transfer of Title forms are still available.
5
The Collections Trust Transfer of Title forms
The Collections Trust Object entry forms have a section for transfer of title or separate Transfer of
Title forms are available. It is not necessary to use Transfer of Title forms and your museum should
decide whether it wishes to. They can be useful for the following reasons:

Listing in detail the items being acquired. It is sometimes not possible to do this on Object
entry forms;
 A separate Transfer of Title form can be filed in the object's history file for easy reference;
 Making it clear to the donor that title is being transferred, particularly for very valuable or
significant acquisitions;
 If the depositor who signed the Object entry form was not the owner.
The Collections Trust Transfer of Title forms are in triplicate. The three-part form should be
completed and signed by the museum. The first two parts should then be given or sent to the
owner/depositor for signing. It is also polite to send a less formal covering letter with the form,
thanking the donor for their gift. The donor should return the first part of the form to the museum
and keep the other for reference. The returned part should be filed in the object history file. The
third part should be filed by the museum in numerical order to monitor the completion and return of
the first part. It can then be added to the object history file or kept in a separate Transfer file when
the donors signed form is received.
Sources of help and advice
This factsheet is a slightly adapted version of: SPECTRUM: The UK Museum Documentation
Standard, Cambridge: MDA, 2005.
See also:
Harrison, Margaret & McKenna, Gordon. Documentation: a practical guide. Cambridge:
Collections Trust, 2008.
Longworth, Christine & Wood, Barbara ed. Standards in Action: Working with Archaeology,
Cambridge: MDA and Society of Museum Archaeologists, 2000.
The Collections Trust factsheet Labelling and marking museum objects.
SPECTRUM
SPECTRUM is a standard created by and for the museum profession to promote good practice in
museum documentation. It covers all those areas of museum activity that produce information, and
is the result of contributions from documentation practitioners in museums throughout the UK. It is
available free, for non-commercial use, at: http://www.collectionstrust.org.uk/spectrum
SPECTRUM defines 21 Procedures, which describe the process of documenting and managing
objects in a museum.
Section 4 of the Accreditation Standard uses SPECTRUM as the basis for its documentation
requirement. The 'minimum records' referred to can be achieved by following the 8 SPECTRUM
Primary Procedures:








Object entry
Loans in
Acquisition
Location and movement control
Cataloguing
Object exit
Loans out
Retrospective documentation
6
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License. To view a copy of
this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/
7