GUIDELINES FOR THE CURATION OF GEOLOGICAL MATERIALS

paragraphs above. It should be noted, however, that a geological collection (or
part of a collection) may not only have purely scientific interest and importance,
but may also be of historic significance which can equally well validate its
preservation in the public interest.
Museums are custodians of an heritage (collections - the fundamental geological
data base) and are not owners of the collections they maintain.
The governing body of a museum acts as the trustee of its collections, and has,
ipso facto, the executive power of decision over the fate of the material in the
museum; it equally has the duty to make these decisions in the light of the above.
The curator's role is to make recommendations to the governing body concerning
disposal, and to make such decisions independently. The curator does have the
responsibility to initiate such moves where appropriate. He should, however, be
aware that his recommendations may create a precedent and that his judgement
today may, in the fullness of time, be found to have been wanting.
The proper storage and maintenance of a geological collection represents an
investment of resources. There is a clear duty to make optimum use of these
resources.
In situations where resources are fully deployed or inadequate the disposal of
specimens must be regarded as a justifiable part of collection management. In
such circumstances controlled, deliberate disposal of collections is preferable to
random loss of material resulting from ignorance, neglect, and local lack of
resources.
All museums with or starting geological collections should develop and publish
an Acquisition Policy defining the nature of the material to be held in their
collections (see Section A.1).
All museums with or starting geological collections should develop a policy on
collections management which includes full consideration of disposal of materials.
In framing these guidelines certain other principles have been adopted:
All discussions and decisions relating to the fate of geological collections
should be undertaken openly.
Where the disposal of significant material is being considered, there should
always be suitable publicity in the appropriate press.
Decisions should be taken after wide consultation with appropriate experts.
Adequate documentation must be maintained permanently in the institution
from which the material is removed.
The conjunction of responsibly conceived disposal policies and acquisition
policies should benefit geology as follows:
Resources can be re-allocated following the removal of inappropriate or
obsolete inferior material from collections.
Better collaboration on the deployment of available resources between
institutions will be facilitated.
A framework will be provided for developing procedures to rescue collections
at risk.
Where a governing body is free to decide how it shall allocate money from the
sale of material, the curator should do all in his power to ensure that such monies
should normally be used to improve the museum's collections.