Museum Donation and Acquisition Process
All museum donation and bequest offers must be submitted to the University of Alberta Museums Director for review with the appropriate University of Alberta Museums collection.
University of Alberta Museums (UAM) may acquire objects for their collections through several ways including donation, bequest, purchase, transfer, exchange, and field collecting. All potential museum acquisitions involve careful consideration of the collection's Acquisition Strategy and require approval from the collection's Department Chair, UAM's Director, and/or the Provost and Vice-President (Academic). UAlberta Museums must not acquire objects outside of their Acquisition Strategy.
Academic Curators must contact UAM for assistance in processing all museum acquisitions with the exception of field collecting. UAM acts as a liaison during the museum acquisition process between other institutions, the Office of Insurance and Risk Management, the Office of Advancement, the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic), and the Office of General Counsel. UAM assists in the completion of appraisals, donation agreements, and supporting documentation, and facilitates insurance updates and income tax receipt requests.
To submit a museum acquisition request, complete the following:
- Review Museum Objects and Collections Acquisition Procedure, FAQ: Acquisition of a New Museum Object, and the appropriate collection's Acquisition Strategy.
- Compile supporting documentation including Donation Offer Form, object information and justification for acquisition.
- Academic Curators must confirm in writing that resources are available to acquire and store objects.
- If the object(s) is on University of Alberta property, ensure a Deposit Receipt Form has been completed.
- Submit supporting documentation from steps 2 and 3 to MACS for review.
- If the acquisition request is approved, complete drafts of the following documents and forward them to MACS for review:
- Donation Agreement Form
- Request to Apply for Certification of Cultural Property, if applicable
- Copyright License Form, if applicable
- Personal Information Consent Form
- Insurance Update Form, if applicable.
If the acquisition request is denied, complete the draft Non-Acceptance of Offered Property Form and forward it to MACS for review.