Deaccessioning History Collections - Live Webinar
Includes a Live Web Event on 06/26/2025 at 3:00 PM (EDT)
-
Register
- Nonmember - $45
- Academic Program - $25
- Academic Faculty - $25
- Academic Student - $25
- Partner Institution - $25
- Partner Institution Staff - $25
- Premier Partner Institution - $25
- Premier Institution Staff - $25
- Platinum Partner Institution - $25
- Platinum Institution Staff - $25
- Complimentary - $25
- Individual Membership - $25
- Subscription Services - $25
- Institutional Budget - $25
- Institutional Staff - $25
- Individual Student - $25
- Institutional Member - $25
- Individual Student Renew - $25
Webinar Description
Is your organization running out of shelf space? Do you want to add new items to your collection but struggle to properly care for the ones you’ve already got? Are there artifacts you wish you could get rid of, but don't know how to without ruffling feathers? In a private home, you can “Marie Kondo” a space, saving what brings you joy and getting rid of the rest. For museums, the process is more complex. Art museums have made headlines in recent years for deaccessioning key works to raise funds, which can be contentious, but deaccessioning at history organizations has largely occurred under the public radar. Sometimes the public or even our boards don't understand why we can't just keep it all!
Join staff from the Valentine Museum in Richmond, Virginia, to learn about their multi-year deaccessioning process to refine their collection and make room for new stories. Collections staff will share in-depth details about the institution’s planning process, refinement philosophy, ranking system, disposition methods, policies, staffing plans, board engagement, public relations, and outcomes. This webinar will also delve into setbacks and unplanned opportunities throughout the process. Whether your site is small or large, every organization can benefit from reviewing your collections, finding better homes for artifacts you don't need, and developing clear deaccessioning procedures that make sense for your mission and your community.
Registrants will also receive a copy of the article "Large-Scale Deaccessioning" by Valentine Museum staff that appeared in the Autumn 2021 issue of History News.
Details
DATE: June 26, 2025
TIME: 3:00 - 4:15 pm EASTERN (Remember to adjust for your time zone)
COST: $25 members/$45 nonmembers
ACCESS: You will be provided with instructions on how to access the live event upon registration.
Learning Outcomes
During this webinar, participants will learn about:
- Planning strategies to consider before beginning a deaccessioning project
- Tactics and decision-making frameworks for deaccession decisions
- Staffing plans for workload allocation and physical object processing
- Costs (both time and money) associated with deaccessioning
- Ideas for communicating with internal and external audiences about refinement initiatives
Recording and Captioning
We will record this event. Captioning is provided for the live event.
Connecting the Content
This webinar will especially help organizations enrolled in STEPS address multiple standards under the Collections section of the STEPS program.
The Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations (STEPS) from AASLH is a self-study, self-paced assessment tool designed specifically for small- to mid-sized history organizations, including volunteer-run institutions. Through a workbook, online resources, and an online community, organizations enrolled in STEPS review their policies and practices and benchmark themselves against national standards.
How to Register
Click here for instructions on how to register yourself or another user for this event.
Cancellation/Refunds for onsite workshops must be submitted in writing via email to learn@aaslh.org or mail to 2021 21st Ave S., Suite 320 Nashville, TN 37212. Cancellations made prior to the early-bird registration deadline date will receive a full refund. Cancellations made between the early-bird deadline date and eight days prior to the workshop will be subject to a $55 processing/materials charge. No refunds will be given within seven days of the workshop date. AASLH is not responsible for cancellations that were mailed or emailed but never received.
Cancellations/Refunds for online professional development (webinars and online courses) must be submitted in writing via email to learn@aaslh.org or mail to 2021 21st Ave S., Suite 320 Nashville, TN 37212. Cancellations made prior to the start date for the online course or the day of the webinar will be given a full refund. No refund will be given after the start date for the online course or on/after the day of the webinar. Registrants may transfer their registration to another person. Registrations cannot be transferred between courses or course sessions. AASLH is not responsible for cancellations that were mailed or emailed but never received.
If you have any questions, please contact AASLH Professional Development staff at learn@aaslh.org or 615-320-3203.
Rachel Asbury Cole
Collections Project Manager and Registrar
Valentine Museum
Rachel Asbury Cole serves as the Collections Project Manager and Registrar for the Valentine maintaining intellectual and physical control over all collection holdings. She received a BA in Art History from the College of William and Mary and a MA from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture through the University of Delaware. Prior to joining the Valentine in 2020, she held collections support positions with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the National Women’s History Museum.
Nichol Gabor
Nathalie L. Klaus Curator of Costume and Textiles
Valentine Museum
Nichol Gabor is the Nathalie L. Klaus Curator of Costume and Textiles at the Valentine responsible for maintaining, interpreting, and managing the museum’s fashion and flat textile collection. She holds a MA from The George Washington University in Museum Studies and Fashion History. Previously, she has had work experience at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and the National Museum for Women in the Arts.
Meg Hughes
Deputy Director of Collections
Valentine Museum
Meg Hughes is Deputy Director of Collections at the Valentine where she leads the museum’s Collections team and curates its archival holdings, develops exhibitions, and manages research services and digitization projects. Hughes has an AB in History from Princeton University and an MSI in Information (Archives & Records Management) and Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Michigan. Following work experiences at Princeton, Yale and the University of Michigan, Hughes joined the Valentine in 2004.
Christina Keyser Vida
Elise H. Wright Curator of General Collections
Valentine Museum
As the Elise H. Wright Curator of General Collections at the Valentine Museum, Christina Vida is responsible for the museum’s objects collection as well as the early Federal period Wickham House and the Edward Valentine Sculpture Studio. Vida received her BA in History from the College of William and Mary and a MA from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture at the University of Delaware. Vida has previous work experience in curatorial and education roles at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Windsor Historical Society (CT), and the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (Virginia Historical Society).
Complete
Next
Failed
Available
Locked