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Deaccessioning Museum Objects
Deaccessioning Museum Objects is an innovative exploration of museum collections management practice and the ethical complexities of object disposal within the contemporary social context.
Disposal of objects from museum collections aids in the creation of dynamic and sustainable institutions but can be perceived as a betrayal of public trust and professional duty. Written by an experienced museum professional and researcher, Jennifer Durrant delves into the historical development of disposal to offer insight into the fundamental transience of museum collections. Durrant explains the ethical timeliness and social responsibility of object removal, presenting real‑life examples and practical models for transparency creation to show how deaccessioning can be brought to public view and understanding. Emphasising the interaction between professional practice, personal action, and the centrality of conscious reflection, Durrant helpfully investigates what ‘open and honest’ working entails and explores the creation of transparency to museum practices through the lens of disposal.
The combination of theory and practice within Deaccessioning Museum Objects is essential reading for academics and students of museums and heritage, and practitioners in museums, galleries, libraries, and archives around the world.
Disposal of objects from museum collections aids in the creation of dynamic and sustainable institutions but can be perceived as a betrayal of public trust and professional duty. Written by an experienced museum professional and researcher, Jennifer Durrant delves into the historical development of disposal to offer insight into the fundamental transience of museum collections. Durrant explains the ethical timeliness and social responsibility of object removal, presenting real‑life examples and practical models for transparency creation to show how deaccessioning can be brought to public view and understanding. Emphasising the interaction between professional practice, personal action, and the centrality of conscious reflection, Durrant helpfully investigates what ‘open and honest’ working entails and explores the creation of transparency to museum practices through the lens of disposal.
The combination of theory and practice within Deaccessioning Museum Objects is essential reading for academics and students of museums and heritage, and practitioners in museums, galleries, libraries, and archives around the world.
136 pages, Hardcover
Published April 11, 2025
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February 25, 2026
"Within museum practice, the subjectivities of personally perceived reality will always be present, for they are intricately intertwined in human relationships with the material world, and with each other. As museum professionals, our personal subjectivities are enmeshed in the present day as we look back and forwards to locate museums, and our practitioner selves, within cultural history. But these subjectivities must not remain the justification for failing to undertake disposal, or to keep it hidden. Disposal can, and should, be made visible by bringing our professional thinking and actions into the light. Indeed, disposal need not remain as a bland grey of potential ethical conflict, but can be coloured brightly through practitioner action, so its vividity can be seen far and wide."
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review